When it-- And I don't know when it's gonna happen, but when Cignetti loses his coordinators, uh, is that a kryptonite? Is that gonna be a potential crack, or no with Cignetti and his, his organization, his process?

We'll find out.

I mean, every college football major power goes through it, you know? Like, Georgia's had coordinator shuffle.

Um, you know, Alabama had it.

It was every year with Saban.

And I, I don't think it really mattered at Alabama, right? Like, he, he had guys come and go.

Ohio State's been hit or miss a little bit.

But Eli and Missouri, I'm really impressed with that overall product.

Mm-hmm

...

Sarrazin's out.

Uh, Jacoby Jackson's out.

That means it's gonna be m- more Bo Jackson in the running game.

You wanna talk about keys to this game, I'm sure you have, I think a couple for Ohio State is Nebraska shut down Indiana's running game, which is very rare to see.

Can Ohio State do that? The, uh, the Buckeyes leaked a little bit against Illinois.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah

... uh, you know, Big 10 and SEC mega match-ups.

The, the September match-ups this year were, were not great.

Um, Texas-Ohio State was a fun match-up.

Michigan-Oklahoma had an unexpected result.

But I would argue, outside of those two games non-conference wise, I wasn't super attached to anything.

I know you guys have Iowa-Iowa State's a traditional rivalry.

Uh, real quick, Bill, and, and obviously, like, you know, they're not, they're not contending for a CFP spot, but what are your thoughts on the, on the Jimmy Rogers era so far at, in, in Ames?

So just your thoughts about this, uh, matchup.

matchup.Oh, I mean, you know, I think Indiana obviously has...

Coming off a big win, right? Like, the, the running game wasn't there against Nebraska, but, uh, they were able to pull through in the fourth quarter with, with a Josh Hoover act that was very familiar.

That looked like Fernando last year at Iowa, Fernando at, uh, Oregon, Fernando at Penn State.

And, uh, you know, they hit the touchdown pass to Nick Marsh.

I think coaching matters, and Kurt Signetti made a series of good decisions during that game.

You know, he, uh, didn't chase points.

That there's, you know, a, a few 10 and twos and 11 and ones and, and that, that's a good look at least.

What happened in these last two games?

Well, I mean, the Missouri game was a stunner with the way that they were able to limit the, the Florida running game, Jaden ball.

And, uh, Aaron Filo, I think that fourth down in the first half was really emblematic of what happened, and then it carried over into the South Carolina game, and now that's life in the SEC.

You're going to have a tough game every week, and you're getting into a situation where you're up against Texas, and Texas is... kind of back to know a corner two at home and you're playing that nasty defense.

So, I mean, the good is John Summerill certainly changed the culture.

And we were talking about Florida as a potential playoff team two weeks ago.

The bad news is, I don't even know if it's bad news.

It was the game in the swamp against the

How big of a factor do you think game time will play, as it might end around 2:00 AM Central Time?

Oh, I know.

You guys are gonna be up late.

I, I went through this moment last year, Arden, where, uh, I had a buddy that went to Michigan State, and I texted him when, uh, USC and, and Michigan State kicked off at, like, 11:00.

And I texted him at halftime.

I was like, "Are you gonna make it through the second half? Be honest." And, uh, you know, so yeah, it's, it's, you have to adjust to that.

These Big Ten teams haven't adjusted to travel.

But from a playoff standpoint, do you see a path for three even right now with the Big Ten or, or is it a solid three? Is it two? Where are you at right now midway?

You had some good, uh, but do you have enough NFL good to feel good about what he could do for a pro team next year or maybe in two years if he decides to come back?

Yeah, those interceptions were so damaging, damaging on, uh, Saturday.

The, the pick six and then the last one, you just can't have those throws.

He's struggled with accuracy again in SEC play, which has been a little bit of a surprise.

And, you know, a lot comes with that last name.

We, we can't be naive about that.

He, he receives more criticism than any quarterback in college football because of it.

This game is bigger for which team on Saturday night?

Is there now a clear national favorite here? Did Georgia establish itself as the best team in the country, or is there still a gap between being number one and being the championship favorite?

They're number one, and they deserve that, and I love their defense, and I think Gunnar Stockton made some unbelievable plays on third down.

They have some young pass catchers that are only going to get better.

So, yeah, I would say they're number one, but I don't feel like...

there is one team that is more dominant than anybody else in college football.

You know, right now you would say Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami.

That's what the polls say.

Kentucky saying, hey, look at us after a win over LSU, and I asked you the question after LSU loses this game in overtime 35-34, is that it for LSU when we're talking about the playoffs, or do you still see a path for them?

Mm-hmm.

There are games where they look like, hey, that's the best team in the country, and then there are finishes like Saturday, where they didn't close the game out.

And I've been really impressed with Will Stein at Kentucky.

You know, you're, you're talking about another coach of the year candidate.

They had a really good first half against Alabama before it got away from them.

Since then, they're scoring 30-plus points in SEC games.

They're making them super exciting.

Okay

There's two

... ability to go for two.

They run the ball well.

I was, that was maybe, Joshua, the most stunning result of the weekend in, in some ways because I just assumed LSU would win.

Um, and they go down and do that, and you look at their schedule.

And then there's another sneaky playoff team, playoff potential team that you guys are both gonna laugh at me if I say it out loud, but if USC splits and beat Indiana and they're playing UCLA at the end of the regular season, is it ridiculous to think that a 10 and 2 UC- USC team is right in that conversation with everybody else?

What do you make of, of how bad this has gone so far for Matt Campbell at Penn State?

You wanna give him time, but I, I think the...

Bill, are you already looking at some of those one-loss teams or maybe even like an Oregon for this weekend that has those two losses that you're already picturing, hey, they're going to have maybe a good resume going down the line, but maybe these early losses are going to haunt them more than other teams?

No.

I think Oregon's in big trouble because they have to beat Ohio State on the road in November, and that's not going to be an easy thing to do.

I thought Raiola had a brutal start.

I mean, there's been a lot written about that.

And UCLA, to their credit, they've been one of these upstarts in the Big Ten.

I would lump Nebraska in there a little bit as well.

Is there a possibility that they could be playing for a lot more than just getting into the postseason if everything kind of goes the way that it looks like? I mean, the most bizarre world

Right

... was out, but they've treated, they treated Oklahoma like a rag doll, and they've treated everybody they've played.

They're playing like a Kirby Smart national championship team.

And spoke with Aaron Murray from the SEC Network for a story we'll have at Sporting News tomorrow, and, uh, i-t- to your point, it's the first time it's been elite on elite.

So what does that look like? My, my biggest peeve with the game is that it's gonna be played in a tropical storm.

I wish this...

And I'm an elements guy.

Yeah.

... debate the merits of what

whatBo Nix or Dillon Gabriel, uh, are in the NFL, or Dante Moore will be, or Dillon Raiola will be, but all four of those guys are gonna pl- cut a check in the NFL for a very long time.

So he, he's done a good job developing that quarterback room.

Um, and, you know, as far as UCLA, you kinda...

They've, you've heard a lot about UCLA.

You haven't heard a ton about Oregon.

I think you make a great point about is this...

I got you.

Yeah

...

when he was at Michigan State.

And- and Tom Osborne was the one patting Nick Saban on the back.

So, no, I, Nebraska's a cool place.

It's a cool place, it's a cool fan base, they're loyal, their fans are nice, their writers, their beat writers are all incredible human beings.

I, uh, do a lot of radio.

[laughs]

So let me just ask you, between Missouri, Florida, LSU, and Ole Miss, who's actually good?

Well, we're gonna find out at the end of the year.

I think the problem with those four schools, uh, the problem that Florida and Ole Miss are gonna face, they have to play Texas and Georgia.

And when you look up and try to stack up the playoff race, I still believe a nine and three team is really gonna have a hard time getting in.

So the most stunning result of week four to me was Florida getting beat the way that they got beat by Missouri, not being able to run the football, panicking early on a couple fourth downs.

And, uh, Drinkwitz the big w- victory for the Tigers.

So who's good? I still think LSU's good.

So curious, uh, on just the, the overall thoughts of the head man going into this game.

I mean, he's getting paid for four years, no matter what.

Right.

So, I mean, it's a really bad...

I mean, if this was an NFL or a Major League Baseball pitcher, can you imagine? Like, it would be...

It's going to be on that level because I do think the calls for Tommy Carr coming out of their bye week where they play Penn State, they still have Indiana, they still have Oregon, they still have Michigan State, and Ohio State, and UCLA.

It's a brutal schedule for Michigan.

So, I think...

I really, really hope that's the case.

You are such a good dad.

I try to do both.

But I was watching the early games from the, uh, bleachers, and I think the big story's Alabama and Keilan Russell, and just going into Starkville and doing the things that Nick Saban's teams used to do.

You know, just annihilating a team that was ranked and fired up, and they...

You know, we were talking last week, this biggest game in Mississippi State and how long, and Alabama threw a bunch of cold water on that.

Uh, Clemson being the lead dog in the A...

Or, uh, not the lead dog.

Is Miami ready to turn what looks like ACC superiority into a national championship run? Like, what, where is the, where's the level up for them that, that gives us that sense?

also a good point.

I still like – I think one of the unique things about college football that I've always loved is number one, number two, number three.

You get the ranked matchups.

It puts a little more premium on them.

I think it does generate more interest.

You know, the fan down in Tuscaloosa to me is more apt to watch – which one's this week? Iowa, Washington for a few minutes because they see a number next to Iowa's name.

Okay.

It will no longer really matter who wins the league.

I mean, he's getting paid for four years, no matter what.

Right.

So, I mean, it's a really bad...

I mean, if this was an NFL or a Major League Baseball pitcher, can you imagine? Like, it would be...

It's going to be on that level because I do think the calls for Tommy Carr coming out of their bye week where they play Penn State, they still have Indiana, they still have Oregon, they still have Michigan State, and Ohio State, and UCLA.

It's a brutal schedule for Michigan.

So, I think...

I really, really hope that's the case.

Crazy.

Because it, it, it vaults Iowa.

I, I think Michigan's gonna have a, a really hard time getting to 10 wins now because they play ...

Now, if they would've beat Iowa, you kinda looked at Michigan's schedule and thought, "Man, they might get to 10 and 2 or, uh, you know, 11 and," you know, not 11 and 1, but if they would just beat one of Oregon, Indiana, Ohio State, they would've been in good shape.

Now they're up against it.

So, uh, yeah, I, I think UCLA should be taken as a valid playoff contender.

I think Iowa, no matter what happens Saturday, and I'm very curious to see how they respond to the Buckeyes, I'm sure you guys are gonna be paying attention to it with, uh, Ohio State coming into Bloomington here in a couple weeks.

Their running backs room has really taken a hit.

Mm-hmm.

We want the, the, the game of the year atmosphere in South Bend on November 7th.

Um, this, I, yeah, I, I looked, looked up that score.

58 nothing, and I just remember watching that when Clemson beat Miami 58 nothing, and Al Golden was...

It was just brutal.

I mean, I don't even have the stats behind the game.

I don't need them.

Especially with Josh Moore out, 'cause they don't have to worry about his size being on Josh Moore.

Yeah

...

Irish Breakdown on it.

Um, it's, it's, uh, for Ohio State, uh, there's questions around here.

There's questions about the defense coming off that Illinois game, and I, I know Sean will probably talk about it.

I like that Sean recognizes the running game, and I watched Illinois run for 199 yards against Michig- or Ohio State last week.

Chunk plays, big plays.

But Bill, now they're looking at a, you win this game, even if you lose this game really close, the College Football Playoff is within their grasp based on what's left on their schedule the rest of the way.

In a

bowl game.

Yeah.

Yeah, Wesley Carroll was the Bulldogs quarterback.

I think this is – for Alabama, it's – it's proof that you're not peeking ahead to next week because next week's the big one with Georgia.

I think this would validate Kaelin DeBoer's fast start around this offense with Keelan Russell, who we've talked a lot and Sporting News has written a lot about Camario this week.

And it's almost to the point where we're forgetting that Keelan's pretty good too.

Yeah.

That's cool.

No, I mean, like Mississippi State-Alabama is the biggest game of the week for the playoff but, you know, it kind of reminded me of what we talked about last week.

The, the game that means more after the game perception-wise is Miami-Clemson because is this Clemson's last stand with Dabo? Is this the last time we see them in a nationally relevant game this year? Not to m- maybe even next year.

They have not...

We'll get into it more, I think, later but, uh, uh, just is Miami all that? You know? The, the Darian Mensah stat that's flying around with, uh, more touchdown passes than incompletions.

That's That's just unbelievable i- in a lot of ways.

And, you know, the, the countdown to this Miami-Notre Dame game in November.

It was 24.

But to say that Ohio State and some of these other big, big boys somehow fit in college football of the 1970s and 80s, we're kind of lying to ourselves.

Yeah, you have to adjust to the settings, and I've had to adjust mine.

As somebody that's grown up in the shadow of Ohio Stadium in the shoe, and you think about my colleagues at work joke that the only game I care about is Ohio State and Michigan.

There might be a hint of truth to that, but it has changed.

The game has changed.

It's money, it's facilities, and I think with the amount of money and the, how the television deals are controlling the sport a little bit, there's no doubt about that.

It has become a little bit of a TV show and how many TV shows can you watch that you're going to still enjoy it, especially with the post season.

But ultimately, this is their sport, and they deserve a seat at the table.