You throw three picks against Ole Miss, you're going to get routed in that game.

I will agree and concede your point, Matt, on the in-stadium atmosphere will not be the same as what it was a few years ago when Lane brought Ole Miss into Neyland Stadium because there's this 102-544 or whatever it is inside Neyland Stadium, and the great majority of those still had hatred toward Lane Kiffin.

But I think the scene outside the stadium, this week in Oxford, Mississippi.

Like, I don't think you can call in the National Guard soon enough.

I think it's going to be that dramatic.

We all have friends who have experienced woeful tales on the road in the SEC because they've worn opposing colors into an unfriendly venue.

This will be like nothing I don't think any of us has ever seen or heard of.

Is that it? Is that the top level we're going to see from LSU right now? That's the question I think you got to ask as well.

You throw three picks against Ole Miss, you're gonna get routed in that game.

Um, I will, I will agree and concede your point, Matt, on the, uh, the in-stadium atmosphere will not be the same as what it was a, a few years ago when, when Lane brought O- Ole Miss into Neyland Stadium because there's this 102,544 or whatever it is inside Neyland Stadium, and the great majority of those still had, uh, hatred toward Lane Kiffin.

But I think the scene outside the stadium this week in Oxford, Mississippi, like I don't think you can call in the National Guard soon enough.

I think it's going to be that dramatic.

W- we all have friends who have experienced, uh, woeful tales on the road in the SEC because they've worn opposing, uh, colors into an unfriendly venue.

This will be like nothing I don't, I don't think any of us has, has ever seen or, or heard of.

I think outside the stadium it will be that insane.

Is that it? Is that, is that the top level we're gonna see from LSU right now? That's the question I think you gotta, you gotta ask as well.

You throw three picks against Ole Miss, you're going to get routed in that game.

I will agree and concede your point, Matt, on the in-stadium atmosphere will not be the same as what it was a few years ago when Lane brought Ole Miss into Neyland Stadium because there's this 102-544 or whatever it is inside Neyland Stadium, and the great majority of those still had hatred toward Lane Kiffin.

But I think the scene outside the stadium, this week in Oxford, Mississippi.

Like, I don't think you can call in the National Guard soon enough.

I think it's going to be that dramatic.

We all have friends who have experienced woeful tales on the road in the SEC because they've worn opposing colors into an unfriendly venue.

This will be like nothing I don't think any of us has ever seen or heard of.

Is that it? Is that the top level we're going to see from LSU right now? That's the question I think you got to ask as well.

But John, who's, uh, who's the, who's the biggest standout here on fraud alert two weeks into the season for you?

Yeah, I like Hayes' point there.

I am curious to...

That, that, that's the first time we've seen the dynamics get thick between Ryan Day and Arthur Smith.

How much does that dynamic change over the balance of the season? It's very clear that Texas made some, some great adjustments and, and ratcheted up pressure on Sayin as it should've been doing from the outset.

It's also very clear that Ohio State went super conservative in the second half.

I have Oregon there.

I, I was really impressed by the way they turned that around.

But John, who's, uh, who's the, who's the biggest standout here on fraud alert two weeks into the season for you?

Yeah, I like Hayes' point there.

I am curious to...

That, that, that's the first time we've seen the dynamics get thick between Ryan Day and Arthur Smith.

How much does that dynamic change over the balance of the season? It's very clear that Texas made some, some great adjustments and, and ratcheted up pressure on Sayin as it should've been doing from the outset.

It's also very clear that Ohio State went super conservative in the second half.

I have Oregon there.

I, I was really impressed by the way they turned that around.

But, John, who's who's who's the biggest standout here on fraud alert two weeks into the season for you?

Yeah, I like Hayes' point there.

I am curious.

That's the first time we've seen the dynamics get thick between Ryan Day and Arthur Smith.

How much does that dynamic change over the balance of the season? It's very clear that Texas made some great adjustments and ratcheted up pressure on Sayan, as it should have been doing from the outset.

It's also very clear that Ohio State went super conservative in the second half.

I have Oregon there.

I was really impressed by the way they turned that around.

For the life of me, I don't know how he turns this thing around in six days to become that team when they were not that team even remotely against the Broncos.

Yeah, I think for me, it's just mild offensive competence.

I'm not looking for them to suddenly light up the scoreboard.

I just think that you want to look like a program that has practiced all summer long, really, and certainly throughout preseason camp, knowing that Bryce Underwood was going to be your quarterback.

And I don't blame Whittingham for that, necessarily.

I know from visiting Big Ten media days that Bryce Underwood is wired more uniquely than just about any quarterback in college football, certainly marches to the beat of his own drum.

And I think that what we saw Monday from Kyle Whittingham and his press conference, this is a veteran coach who's won an extreme amount of college football games, and he refused to give any sort of full-throated endorsement to Bryce Underwood moving forward.

If it winds up in Tommy Carr's hands at some point, what should we expect?

For the life of me, I don't know how he turns this thing around in six days to become that team when they were not that team even remotely against the Broncos.

Yeah, I think for me it's just mild offensive competence.

I'm not looking for them to suddenly light up the scoreboard.

I just think that you want to look like a program that has practiced all summer long, really, and certainly throughout preseason camp, knowing that Bryce Underwood was going to be your quarterback.

And I don't blame Whittingham for that necessarily.

I know from visiting Big Ten media days that Bryce Underwood is wired more uniquely than just about any quarterback in college football, certainly marches to the beat of his own drum.

And I think that what we saw Monday from Kyle Whittingham and his press conference, this is a veteran coach who's won an extreme amount of college football games, and he refused to give any sort of full-throated endorsement to Bryce Underwood moving forward.

If it winds up in Tommy Carr's hands at some point, what should we expect?

For the life of me, I don't know how he turns this thing around in six days to become that team when they were not that team even remotely against the Broncos.

Yeah, I think for me, it's just mild offensive competence.

I'm not looking for them to suddenly light up the scoreboard.

I just think that you want to look like a program that has practiced all summer long, really, and certainly throughout preseason camp, knowing that Bryce Underwood was going to be your quarterback.

And I don't blame Whittingham for that, necessarily.

I know from visiting Big Ten media days that Bryce Underwood is wired more uniquely than just about any quarterback in college football, certainly marches to the beat of his own drum.

And I think that what we saw Monday from Kyle Whittingham and his press conference, this is a veteran coach who's won an extreme amount of college football games, and he refused to give any sort of full-throated endorsement to Bryce Underwood moving forward.

If it winds up in Tommy Carr's hands at some point, what should we expect?

I think that's fair.

Yeah, I think thus far Pete Golding has done all he could possibly do to show you he's worthy of being Ole Miss's head coach, but the resume is still a little bit incomplete.

Now I will contend that for as stirring as his victories were in the playoffs, the biggest thing he did was hold his roster together.

and hold a great number of his coaches together that he wanted to retain.

So I do think that's significant.

That makes this a little bit different than Pete Golden entering a season opener for the first time as a head coach and everything being new.

This team knows him for the most part.

it's huge for dabbo i'm gonna give it to lane but it's like 51 49 to me guys i think this is huge huge huge for both guys for for different reasons

I don't know if the talent is there to be better than Miami or even better than SMU, but yeah, I thought they were terrific guys and clearly a team that is going to compete for an ACC title again.

Yeah, it was mine was going to be along those lines, Paul.

Again, I thought as much as now Virginia won that game, Virginia won that game in every facet of the contest and really put in a dominating performance for a game that I thought would be lower scoring and that would be within the one possession framework.

that had been established by the oddsmakers, and instead just Virginia controlled that game and looked like the more physical team.

So kudos to Tony Elliott and company.

I know Virginia's been working with him on an extension.

This was a huge way to debut this season after a record-setting 2025 season for them.

They got to hit the ground running and maybe Saturday they don't have to win, but if they lose on Saturday, that room for error to me and sec play gets dangerously low.

I don't know if the talent is there to be better than Miami or even better than SMU, but yeah, I thought they were terrific guys and clearly a team that is going to compete for an ACC title again.

Yeah, it was mine was going to be along those lines, Paul.

Again, I thought as much as now Virginia won that game, Virginia won that game in every facet of the contest and really put in a dominating performance for a game that I thought would be lower scoring and that would be within the one possession framework.

that had been established by the oddsmakers, and instead just Virginia controlled that game and looked like the more physical team.

So kudos to Tony Elliott and company.

I know Virginia's been working with him on an extension.

This was a huge way to debut this season after a record-setting 2025 season for them.

They got to hit the ground running and maybe Saturday they don't have to win, but if they lose on Saturday, that room for error to me and sec play gets dangerously low.

Protect the ball.

You said a couple of things, Matt, that to me strike at the very reason they had to name Keelan Russell the starting quarterback.

And number one, it's a floors and ceilings game for both the Tennessee decision and the Alabama decision.

And both those guys raise the floor and lift the ceiling or lift the floor, raise the ceiling, however you want to phrase it.

But because Alabama's running game has struggled, look, they changed offensive line coaches over the offseason despite having a first-round draft pick, the number 12 pick overall in Caden Proctor that should have been anchoring and overpowering Alabama offensive line, and that wasn't the case last year.

And Ty Simpson got beat up because of it.

So Keelan Russell gives them more of a dual threat.

What about Tennessee guys? How close do you think that competition was between phase on Brandon and George McIntyre?

Protect the ball.

You said a couple of things, Matt, that to me strike at the very reason they had to name Keelan Russell the starting quarterback.

And number one, it's a floors and ceilings game for both the Tennessee decision and the Alabama decision.

And both those guys raise the floor and lift the ceiling or lift the floor, raise the ceiling, however you want to phrase it.

But because Alabama's running game has struggled, look, they changed offensive line coaches over the offseason despite having a first-round draft pick, the number 12 pick overall in Caden Proctor that should have been anchoring and overpowering Alabama offensive line, and that wasn't the case last year.

And Ty Simpson got beat up because of it.

So Keelan Russell gives them more of a dual threat.

What about Tennessee guys? How close do you think that competition was between phase on Brandon and George McIntyre?

And if it doesn't work, I'm not throwing money to all these players just so you can screw up again the following year.

I think Norvell is maybe 1A and Luke Fickle is 1B.

And honestly, as you were ticking off the names there, I thought I was going to go with a D, all of the above, because I think the seed is pretty warm in Columbia, South Carolina as well.

And one spot you did not mention that I think is very real is Los Angeles, and that is Southern Cal with with Lincoln Riley.

I think that this has to be, they've said they believe they have a playoff roster, so they better be competing for a playoff the last weekend of November.

They don't have Notre Dame on the schedule this year.

That's both programs fault, not one or the other, but USC does have Oregon.

No, I was trying to defer.

And if it doesn't work, I'm not throwing money to all these players just so you can screw up again the following year.

I think Norvell is maybe 1A and Luke Fickle is 1B.

And honestly, as you were ticking off the names there, I thought I was going to go with a D, all of the above, because I think the seed is pretty warm in Columbia, South Carolina as well.

And one spot you did not mention that I think is very real is Los Angeles, and that is Southern Cal with with Lincoln Riley.

I think that this has to be, they've said they believe they have a playoff roster, so they better be competing for a playoff the last weekend of November.

They don't have Notre Dame on the schedule this year.

That's both programs fault, not one or the other, but USC does have Oregon.

No, I was trying to defer.

John, is it going to be worse than last year? It would take a lot to be worse than last year.

Well, last year they technically had a defensive coordinator in that game that they gave up 48 points, and they will not or don't right now have a defensive coordinator as they prepare for this opener.

I don't know that it's going to be worse, but I don't think it's going to go North Carolina's way.

I'm not remotely sold.

Hayes stole some of my stats there on how much roster churn there have been, and look, that's everywhere in a lot of places in college football, whether you were super successful last year or not, but 60 is still an extremely large number, especially to have brought in 60 new guys and still have as many question marks as they do.

And GM Lombardi was one of Belichick's first hires.

That's been his guy for a really long time.

How good is the Tar Heels job?

John, is it going to be worse than last year? It would take a lot to be worse than last year.

Well, last year they technically had a defensive coordinator in that game that they gave up 48 points, and they will not or don't right now have a defensive coordinator as they prepare for this opener.

I don't know that it's going to be worse, but I don't think it's going to go North Carolina's way.

I'm not remotely sold.

Hayes stole some of my stats there on how much roster churn there have been, and look, that's everywhere in a lot of places in college football, whether you were super successful last year or not, but 60 is still an extremely large number, especially to have brought in 60 new guys and still have as many question marks as they do.

And the GM Lombardi was one of Belichick's first hires.

That's been his guy for a really long time.

How good is the Tar Heels job?

You got whatever parents or coaches are exerting influence with their own interests and agendas.

Yeah, I think that, um, I think it can be a little bit more than a tiebreaker.

Um, can it cause a guy to give a, a hometown discount? I think so.

I think, I think it can maybe for a guy who's contemplating going into the portal after his first or second year and ends up staying and probably ends up taking a little less money to stay, uh, in order to continue to be a part of it.

I think this is where BYU and Notre Dame separate themselves a little bit, um, because of the value of the degrees, and they're both global brands in my opinion.

And, and, um, the BYU comm school, the BYU business school are really, really powerful engines, and Notre Dame certainly has its business school, uh, and prepares a lot of people for law school and medical school as well, and, and just the value of that Notre Dame degree.

So I do think, um, that it's a little bit more than a tiebreaker.

Where do you think Michigan fits in the pecking order in the Big Ten?