Yee Haw!

[00:00:00] And Alabama Take Projection Alright, welcome everybody to Takin' On Sports, I am TD, that is Greg. Greg, how you doing man? I am pretty good. My daughter's birthday, so we decided to stop and try to get a hotel room and enjoy the first day being 18. Oh man, the big one ate.

[00:00:31] Senior year and just filling out a college application, I'm like man, where did the time go? Exactly man, right? Insane. Yeah. Yeah, well we are here with you on a Sunday night, Big 12 preview time. Before that, not a lot happened this week in the world of sports.

[00:00:56] It's, I mean, you know, increasing pressure on FIFA president, GD Infantino. So we'll see what happens with his re-election campaign in the spring, but nothing breaking, you know. Major League Baseball, your Yanks took two or three from my Braves. It is. It's a big game. It's a big game. Yeah, big, yeah. A great series every game. Pitching dual, going down to the end.

[00:01:21] A couple extra inning games in there, or at least one. And then, yeah, ended the Braves. Eight game winning streak. Big series win for y'all. Absolutely. Yeah, other than that, nothing. I guess some unfortunate sad news today. Don Nelson, legendary NBA coach, passed away at the age of 86. Yeah. Of course, you know. 86, man.

[00:01:50] Lived a phenomenal life, obviously. I mean, one of the most innovative offensive coaches ever. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, the early 2000s as a Mavs fan, I mean, of course, he never won a title, but, I mean, he put us in the right direction. I mean, he was able, you know, he brought in Dirk, and then after that, you know,

[00:02:16] his offenses, I mean, in the early 2000s, I mean, we were averaging like 140 a game. It was crazy. Yeah. Back and looked at some pictures, like, against the Kings, when the Kings were really good. Man, those were some crazy playoff series. It'd be like 148, 142, and it'd be like regulation, not even overtime. Yeah, he really was an innovator of offense, as you said.

[00:02:45] Second all-time winningest coach in league history, too. Yep. You know, for a while, I didn't realize he was part of the Celtics dynasty as well. Me neither, yeah. Won five titles, I think, as a player. As a player. Oh, wow. Yeah. I don't know why I do that. Mm-mm. Yeah, old Donnie Nelson, man. A true legend of the league. And the sport as a whole.

[00:03:12] Yeah, other than that, like I said, not a lot going on news-wise in world sports this week. So let's hop to the Big 12. Last year, I was trying to remember, I didn't get a chance to go back and re-listen, but I think, if I remember right, we didn't just do contenders, wild cards, and pretenders last year with the Big 12, because it's such a wild conference. And so I think I did something similar, which I just did.

[00:03:42] Everybody's a wild card, and you're either a high card or a low card. Hey, that's the way of the Big 12, right? Mm-hmm. So it really is a wild, wild west, and what better than a poker analogy. Absolutely. Well, let's go ahead. Let's get on these high cards. Let's start with the defending champs. Texas Tech. Greg, has anything interesting happened to them this offseason? Mm-hmm.

[00:04:09] A little bit of controversy. A little bit of controversy. The game, of course, will be without quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who was coming over from Cincinnati. Of course, all that, the gambling uncovered. You know, he placed thousands upon tens of thousands of bets while at Cincinnati, including some on his own team. And after various legal battles, he eventually just said, man, no, I'm just not going through this.

[00:04:40] It declared for the NFL supplemental draft. The draft of the NFL said, hey, man, you gambled on your own team. We don't really want you. So he's, like we said. Because he wanted to do this when he was in Indiana, mainly? Yeah, at Indiana mostly, yeah. He said, but who told on him? That's what I would have told. Like, who did he make mad? Because it felt like it came out of nowhere. I mean, it seemed like he was a guy at Tech. It seemed like, you know, they found our man, and now, boom.

[00:05:08] All of a sudden, gambling stuff came out. I was like, wow. Yeah, and it makes you wonder, like, how did Texas Tech miss this in doing their homework on them? Or did they just know it and try to, you know, get away with it or what? But either way, the Red Raiders not going to be going to battle with Swirsby as their quarterback this year. Will Hammond, it looks like. Yeah, Will Hammond is going to be their guy. But regardless, that is still a stacked roster.

[00:05:38] Defense should be another great unit this year. Of course, lost two great high draft picks. But really should be another solid team and probably the favorite to win the conference again if they get some steady play from quarterback. We think they'll get – let's be honest, you know, it wasn't – not exactly wasn't world beating the position last year. No. Yeah. It really, you know, they were able to cover up some of the Big 12 at times.

[00:06:08] But, you know, outside it, you know, once they got to that playoff, man, it was ugly. It went very ugly game there against Oregon. It was at the Orange Bowl. It was a move. Got shut out. Yeah. Yeah, so as far as the Big 12 schedule goes, they should be fine, you know, until – like we said,

[00:06:37] until they meet up against a big-time opponent in the playoff. Yeah, I mean, they don't have to play BYU, which is a big plus. They're probably in their contender realm. You know, they get used to their home. They avoid Utah as well. I mean, they get Houston, Arizona, TCU all at home. Three.

[00:07:04] Probably three of the toughest games all in Lubbock. So that's a big plus. Mm-hmm. I mean, they go to – at Baylor. But, you know, Baylor, depending how the season starts, I mean, you know, their coach is kind of on the hot seat a little bit. They've runned up. The defense has not really lived up to the expectation, but we'll talk about them. And then Arizona State should be good as well.

[00:07:34] They get them in Lubbock as well. So very favorable there with all the big-time matchups at home for the most part. Yeah, no, the schedule definitely falls favorably for Tech. You mentioned all their home trips. Their road trips at Colorado, at Cincy, at Oklahoma State, and Baylor. It could be tricky. You never know sometimes. But those are a lot of teams that are looking for rebound years or in the process of rebuilding.

[00:08:03] So there's really not a really, like, scary matchup on the schedule for Texas Tech. No. And so, yeah, they should be right in the thick of things. You know, solid line play, solid running game. Right. Just, you know, they just have to hope that Hammond stays healthy and that he doesn't, you know, cost them games. Yeah. Because they were talking about the community season. They expected him back by week three.

[00:08:33] And then they're hoping he's back by week one. But you really don't want to rush him back. But, honestly, I would think against Abilene Christian and Oregon State, probably not going to be needed even if, you know, you would hope you could get him back by the Houston game. But no need to really rush him back if we don't have to. And I think they can have enough talent, of course, to win those, whether he plays or not. Yeah. Yeah. But regardless, yeah, they should be right in the thick of things. Absolutely.

[00:09:02] In the Big 12. Let's move on. Team they beat twice last year en route to that title, the BYU Cougars. Who finished 12-2. Just couldn't get over that tech hump. But it's this year now. Bear Bachmeier, sensational freshman quarterback. He's back. Kalani Satake, after heavy flirtation with Penn State, he's back on the sideline. You know they'll have a tough defense. You know they'll play bruising physical ball.

[00:09:32] They got a good run back. Yeah. LJ Martin, yeah. I'll go back. Really, you know, it just comes down to, yeah, I mean, they really don't have a, per se, scary schedule. But as we know, the Big 12 never really looks scary on paper. And then you're getting the thick of the seat. Oh, shit. Yeah, exactly.

[00:09:58] They do get, they're two big games on schedule. They have to go on the road for the Holy War. They go to Salt Lake City to play Utah. Absolutely. You know, the Utes will be hungry for a win there. It's been a few seasons since Utah has got them. And then they play Notre Dame in the middle of the season. It's actually their homecoming game. In Provo. Yeah, in Provo. So, huge, huge.

[00:10:25] That's probably one of the biggest games in Provo in a long time. Absolutely. Oh, that stadium will be rocking. I would assume they'll probably get it to be a night game, I would hope. Because Provo at night is a tough spot. Yeah. If they could get that win, I mean, that really propels them into playoff contention. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that is. Because, yeah.

[00:10:55] Yeah, if they pull that upset. Even if they play a good game and, you know, go, you know, that's your only loss on the year. And it's a closed game. And, you know, it's going to be hard. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Even if they go on, you know, say if they, yeah, say if they finished 11 of one with that Notre Dame loss and then lose, even if they lose the big 12 title game, you'd almost have to be like, man, that's tough to keep them out.

[00:11:25] If they win that game, though, that would be huge. Just absolutely huge. Right. Other games on the schedule, they do have to go to TCU. Both teams coming off a bye in that one. That's October 3rd. But they get, you know, they get Arizona State at home. They get Baylor at home. Cincinnati at home. Arizona at home. Yeah. Yeah, Arizona at home, second week of the season.

[00:11:55] That would be a big early matchup, too. Yeah, that would be more learning about both teams that week. Yeah. So there's another team again. They should be right in the thick of things. And we let's move on. Let's mention their arch rivals, Utah Utes breaking in a new era. No more Kyle Whittingham. He, of course, is off to Michigan.

[00:12:20] Morgan Scali, longtime defensive coordinator, takes over as head coach, takes the reins of the program. A program that's returning a lot. But this, and this is a very winnable schedule. No Texas Tech in the regular season. We mentioned they get BYU at home. They do have to go to Arizona the week after BYU, potential trap game. And then at TCU the week after that.

[00:12:50] So, you know, that's a tough three-game stretch. Yeah. Other than that, man, it's really kind of setting up. They have an interesting matchup with Arkansas in week two. They're still in the 12th. Yeah. But Devin Depp. Yeah. Houston at home. Devin Dempere back at quarterback. He, of course, you know. Had a hell of a year. Yeah. Hell of a year last year and really flashed brilliance at times. And they could really run the ball.

[00:13:20] They were getting back to that run. And they're just – their problem last year, that one loss. They lost to Texas Tech and then BYU. And two teams, yeah. Two teams you're not really – you're not mad at them for losing to. But, yeah, in order to win the Big 12, of course, you can't lose both those games. No. Yeah. And they were close. They were right on the outside looking into the playoff. Right. Just didn't have, like, a big-time win to put them over that hump. Of course, had that crazy Kansas State game toward the end of the year.

[00:13:50] Right. This is an offense that put up some points last year. It did. So, if they can – Mm-hmm. This year. Yeah. If they – definitely they're replacing a lot on the lines, both lines. But, man, the schedule, like we mentioned, is favorable for them. Devin Dempere, senior quarterback. He's back. And even though it's a new head coach, Morgan Scali's been in the program forever. So – He knows it. In and out. Yeah.

[00:14:20] And there's not a lot of – Absolutely. Yeah, not a lot of turnover in that sense. Yeah, not a lot of uncertainty, you know, with a completely new guy. I mean, he knows the culture of Utah football. So, I mean, it should fit in well. Sometimes that doesn't work. But, you know, at least it's a – I mean, you would think – It's a good place to start, hopefully, you know. So, but, man, it's hard to – always hard to follow up, I guess.

[00:14:49] I mean, a legend in Utah football. I mean, obviously he's been there since – forever since Urban Meyer left for Florida. Mm-hmm. So, that's almost three decades, basically, as the – It's going to be weird not seeing him on that sideline, though. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's going to be weird seeing him in maize and blue up there in Ann Arbor. Right. Right. But, yeah. Still, she's a very good team, very solid team.

[00:15:20] I guess the biggest knock, if anything, on Kyle Whittingham is he was always a tough team, always good, but never quite able to get outside of, you know, the year, of course, where they ran the table and beat us in the Sugar Bowl. So, good years, but I always find either a weird loss or – Yeah, or some type of injury, just some bad luck of some sort. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:15:48] Always tough, always – always tough. You know, they're not going to – if they're healthy, the turnovers aren't going to be a lot. You know, they're always high-AQ football, and I expect that to be the same in 26. 26. Yeah, absolutely. A team that – big bounce back year last year after that disappointing kind of two years in row in 23 and 24.

[00:16:17] So, big bounce back last year, and I expect double-digit wins out of them again, and, yeah, they should be right in the thick of the Big 12 race and then a playoff bid. Very much so. But, yeah, let's move on. Let's go to Houston down in H-Town. Willie Fritz and the boys, maybe his best squad yet there. And he surprised a lot of teams – or a lot of people last year in his second season getting them to 10 wins. We know he's a good coach. We said when he made the move that we'd love to hire.

[00:16:46] Houston was getting a great program builder, and he already got ahead of schedule. And now he's got this team in the thick of the Big 12 title discussion in the preseason. Absolutely. Connor Weigman back at quarterback. They get a big-time transfer. And Makai Hughes, who you might remember, two lanes running back from a couple years ago, great running back, transferred to Oregon, and then just weirdly just did not get used there.

[00:17:16] I was back with his coach in Houston and had a – two years ago, what, almost 1,500-yard season with Tulane. So you would hope – you would think Willie could probably find that – get him back to that productivity that we saw two years ago, you would hope anyway. Yeah, he had a 1,300 and then a 1,400-yard season for Fritz in Tulane.

[00:17:44] So, yeah, that's a huge gain for them. The problem for the Cougars is going to be that schedule, man. Got to go at Texas Tech Week 3. You got to go at Utah, at Kansas State. Yeah. That is not – Yeah, that's just – that's a rough, rough road schedule, and that all happens before November. So, we'll really know by Halloween, we'll know what kind of postseason hopes the Cougars have.

[00:18:13] But, like we said, Willie Fritz is a great coach. We know he's done it before. And also, you know, can Connor Wigman stay healthy? You know, he's had his health issues at times. I mean – Absolutely. You know, if he's healthy, I mean, he's really turned into the quarterback everywhere. I expected him to be originally at A&M. So, hopefully, he can stay healthy. That's his biggest thing. Yeah, but, I mean, he should have a dynamic running game.

[00:18:43] Defense could be solid. You know, Willie Fritz, we love Willie Fritz. We think he's a great coach. You know, he's, you know, turned around Tulane. You know, put – really the guy that we expect to have Houston in the mix. And, like you said, they're faster than maybe even we expected. If he can keep things rolling, you know, you're in a big city.

[00:19:11] You're going to get – you know, money will start coming in. And, I mean, Houston fans, I mean, not the best all the time. But when things are rolling, they'll show up. They'll contribute. So, you know, we've seen that at times in the past. So, everything seems to be going in the right direction for the Cougars, except that schedule this year is going to be tough. Boy, that's a schedule. Yeah, that's pretty rough. They do avoid BYU in the regular season.

[00:19:41] But, like we said, those three road games – No TCU, which is a good thing. But, you know what I mean? Yeah. Your third week, man, we'll know about them going to Lubbock on the A.B. Yeah, yeah. At night. We'll know a lot. We'll know a lot, yeah. 7 p.m. Fox. Boy, that's a tough spot. There we go. First, let's see. They played last year. Texas Tech, pretty easy win, 35-11.

[00:20:09] But, yeah, excited. That's definitely a team to look out for, like you said, especially if Weigman stays healthy. If Makai Hughes just rediscovers his form he had under Fritz at Tulane, then that's a dangerous team. Absolutely. Let's move a little bit west. Let's go to Arizona, the Wildcats. Brendan entering his third season there, trying to recapture that 23 magic they had under Jed Fish. Yeah.

[00:20:38] They did get Noah Fafita back. That was last year. I bet. Yeah, 9-4, maybe even a little bit better than people thought, bounce back from that rough 24-4 win season. Lost to the teams you thought they should. Lost is to Iowa State, BYU, Houston in the regular season. Lost to SMU in the Holiday Bowl. But Noah Fafita back at quarterback. Seems like he's been there 35 years. It does, man. It does. He's one of those guys that's been around forever.

[00:21:09] And they're another team, though, another really tough schedule, man. They've got to go at BYU week two, at Texas Tech on Halloween, at Kansas State the week before their rivalry game with Arizona State. And then in between those two, they host TCU and Utah. So that November schedule is brutal. So if you count that, yeah, that last five, if you count Halloween, you go at Tech, then you get TCU and Utah at home, then at Kansas State, then Arizona State at home.

[00:21:39] That is an absolutely brutal, brutal stretch. So, you know, if the Wildcats want to make a playoff run or maybe even big total title run, they almost say they have to pull that upset at BYU week two and come into that Texas Tech game unbeaten. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, they should have an offense there. Defense was actually pretty good last year.

[00:22:06] They were – I read they were second in turnovers behind the Texas Tech defense, which, you know, Arizona hasn't really been known for their defense so much. But last year, Brendan's team really put together the defensive end. And so, I mean, we know Fafita's going to be good as long as he stays healthy. The defense should be solid. Yeah, that's schedule, boy, boy. Yeah, it's just so brutal, man.

[00:22:35] But at the very least, you know, they can play spoiler. Like, they might not be in the Big 12 title game, but they might have a big say in who it is in that game. Oh, yeah, for sure. Because they've played in all the heavy hitters. Definitely November, they'll make it definitely – either they're setting themselves up for greatness or definitely have the opportunity to ruin quite a few teams' opportunity heading to jury world for the Big 12 title game. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:23:06] Let's talk about their rivals, the Sun Devils of Arizona State. I got them in this group too. They're trying to recapture that 24 magic when they made the playoff run. Yeah, I mean, you know, the biggest thing is they keep on having Kenny Dillingham. He, you know, went to school there. You know, he built – he came in and, man, they were dead.

[00:23:35] It was a dead program after Herm Edwards left. You know, a lot of NCAA issues. But, you know, he's quickly rebuilt the program. Last year things were going pretty well, but, of course, they lost the quarterback to that – Sam Levitt. Yeah. Sam Levitt to that – I can't think of it – leg injury. But it's a pretty bad one.

[00:24:02] And they're even wondering, is it a Linz Frank or something like that? Of course, he's moved on to LSU. And so – but, you know, he was having a good season. I mean, Arizona State wasn't bad last year. But, you know, when you lose your quarterback and, you know, some of their – you know, their backup quarterback last year was a – we know it was a turnover machine. I mean, he actually played solid. Not as bad as where he had been at other stops.

[00:24:33] Yeah, Jeff Sims. Yeah. Had some rough moments. They bring in Cutter Bowley from Kentucky. Tall, bro. That dude is tall as hell. He's with 6'5". He really is. Yeah, 6'5". And Skinny, 213 was his list of weight in the preview mag I got. So we'll see if they, you know, buffed him up a little bit. But another team, tough schedule for them too. They got to go – second week they go at Texas A&M and out of conference game.

[00:25:03] They have to go at Tech, at Texas Tech, at BYU, at UCF, and then at Arizona. They're rivals in the season. So we're a really rough road schedule for them. They're vacant. If somehow they can go up the A&M game, that would really get their season going. That would be a massive, massive upset. And don't put it past them.

[00:25:28] And then, of course, they – don't they play Kansas and London? I think they're, yeah, going across. Yeah. Playing Kansas and Wembley Stadium that week after the A&M game. So that would be another interesting one there. Yeah. They might be another team kind of playing spoiler. Just like – Yeah. Just like Arizona. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:25:57] Because, I mean, that road's a brutal boy. And they got no favors. No favors at all. No. But this is team, yeah. They want to be a tough, hard-nosed team. They want to play physical defense. But it's just going to be real tough with that schedule to really get anything big going for the Sun Devils.

[00:26:25] Moving on, I go – let's go to TCU, a school you are very familiar with. Horned Frogs, another team trying to, you know, recapture magic from that, you know, magical title run in 22. Kind of, you know, fell off a little bit in 23. And then back-to-back nine and four years for Sonny Dykes. How do you view the Horned Frogs this year?

[00:26:52] Well, I mean, of course, the biggest thing, of course, quarterback. They expected another year from transfer to Indiana, Josh Hoover. You know, he's been there a long time. But maybe not the biggest loss per se because he had to turn over machine at times. Solid quarterback, but did have issues. Interesting they're bringing a transfer in from Harvard. We'll see how that goes. He was solid at Harvard, but that's a big jump from Harvard to the Big 12. Big jump.

[00:27:23] Yeah, a little bit different competition, though. I mean, you know, but they ease into the season, which is a good thing. I mean, you get North Carolina, Grambling, Arkansas State, even at UCF. I mean, all – I mean, going into – they should be undefeated going into that BYU game on the 3rd of October. Yeah. Which they do with the Cougars at home, which is huge. And if TCU's undefeated going into that game, that crowd will be there.

[00:27:50] It'll be a live area there in Fort Worth. You know, they've been – I mean, they were solid last year. They had – you know, they just had some times where they just couldn't – you know, turnovers and bad situations. You know, they just had to really – they got a new offensive coordinator, of course.

[00:28:18] They got basically the UConn offensive staff. They put up quite a good amount of points there. Of course, Browse went on to South Carolina, so a change there. But, you know, the UConn staff can do what they did, you know, at UConn. And then offense works in Fort Worth. It should be, you know, solid.

[00:28:45] I mean, they do have to play Texas Tech, but that's at the end of the season. So plenty of time to get your team together before then. You know, you'd be while you were at home. But you do have some points. You know, they usually have a tough game. Baylor kind of turned into their rival more or less in the Big 12 at times. Yeah, the revivory. Yeah. So they go to Waco on the 17th. We really don't know how good Baylor is going to be.

[00:29:12] But, you know, they do have – they're going to have a somewhat talented – they go to Arizona, which is not an easy place. And then November – Friday night game too. Yeah. So that could be a tough one. It's already set. That's weird. I already know it's going to be a 9-15 at night game. On ESPN. It's a brutal November, yeah, at Arizona on a Friday night.

[00:29:41] Kansas State, Utah at home, and then end on Thanksgiving Thursday at Texas Tech. At Texas Tech at night, 7-15. Yeah. Yeah. It's good to see college football back on Thanksgiving. So I like that. Absolutely, yeah. I mean, not a game that we – has history of being at that time. But nonetheless, hey, I like it. You know, off the traditional NFL games that we always see on Thanksgiving.

[00:30:10] It's good to end and all with the college game, I think. Yeah. Especially such a big one. What could be a really big one? It could be huge. I mean, both teams very much could be playing for a spot the following week. Or, you know, maybe they're playing – maybe they're okay and they're trying to spoil Texas Tech. Whether it be a playoff positioning or, you know.

[00:30:39] But either way, that'll be a huge game. But it's just a matter of, you know, winning. Turn off the season. The big thing is they have to go into that BYU game undefeated to really set them up for the season. A lot of turnover on the offensive side of the ball. But, you know, Sonny Dykes has had, you know, pretty good offense for most of the time.

[00:31:04] One is TCU Andy Allen's defense. I believe third year as the defensive coordinator. Returning a lot on that side of the ball. So, they should be a pretty solid defensive team. But they just have a lot of hitters there at the Big 12. Yeah, it's just – it's a rough schedule. Particularly like we said, that November stretch.

[00:31:29] Which – so, you just, you know, they might be kind of like Arizona State there. Or Arizona, excuse me. And they might not be in that title game. But they might have a big say in who is. They can very well be in that hunt as well. I'm about to say. But we know. And they've been there before. And Sonny Dykes is a great coach. So, we'll see. Let's talk about another purple team. The Kansas State Wildcats. Colin Kline coming back home. Of course, won a Big 12 title there as a quarterback.

[00:31:59] He did. Back in, what, 2012 or so. And Heisman finalist as well. He was a great – Almost a national title team if they don't move that weird one. At the end of the season there, they were another national title hunt a year. Yeah, who did they lose to? Was it – Was it Baylor? I think it was Baylor. It was, yeah. I was trying to think. Yeah, it was a weird one. But, yeah, they were in it.

[00:32:27] But, so, he's a big reason. That should really excite. That's a perfect guy to come back home. You know, it doesn't always work out like Scott Frost in Nebraska. But it feels right. I think Avery Johnson and his final year should have flourished in his offense. Exactly. If he can stay healthy and he can kind of get some consistency. He's always been kind of all over the place. We know he's wildly talented. We know Kansas State is going to want to run the ball. We know they're going to play good disciplined defense.

[00:32:56] Colin Klein, he's been an OC at Texas A&M the past few years. So, we know he can work with talent. He can get some stuff. I mean – Great stuff with Marcel Reed. I mean, with – He really did. I mean, man. But maybe the biggest thing in favor of the Wildcats right now is their schedule. No Texas Tech, no Utah, no BYU. Absolutely huge for them. Yeah.

[00:33:25] Road trip to TCU. They do go to Ames for Farmageddon this year at the end of the season. Have to go Arizona State as well, yeah. That'd be interesting. But they do get Houston at home. But like we said, avoiding the big three there. That's really huge. Yes. Interesting non-conference game against Tulane there. Yeah, on the 19th of September, yeah.

[00:33:54] So, this team to watch out for, you know, they might still be in a little bit of a – not quite rebuild mode because they're so consistent, you know, 8, 10, 9, 9. It's just last year was so disappointing. You know, they – It really was, yeah. You know, they started off in Ireland with Farmageddon and it kind of fell off quickly from the fight between Avery's brother and dad. Yes. Yes. The season kind of snowballed from there.

[00:34:22] Definitely not the way many have thought. I mean, they were definitely a Big 12 contender going into the season. It really just fell off quickly. So, you would think they're going to be much better than they were last year. We used to start the year. You would think they're probably – I mean, they should be going to that Houston game undefeated there. Mm-hmm. Yeah, they should. You know, that game isn't anything. Who knows?

[00:34:52] I mean, that's kind of a toss-up game, I would say, at this point. I mean, I'm sure Houston's probably a slight favorite going into that. But by then, by the 10th of October, I mean, K-State could be an undefeated team. So, that'll be a fun one. But, yeah, that last three in November is tough, though. I mean, you go at TCU, Arizona at home, and then two Ames,

[00:35:22] Farmageddon back in the States again this year. Mm-hmm. That'll be a big game. Yeah. Yeah. No, they're a team I got an eye on this year. Just let's see how Klein does in his first year as a head coach. Let's see, you know, Avery Johnson had his best year under Klein when he was offensive coordinator there a few years back. So, let's see how the Wildcats do. And like we said, missing out on those big three teams on that schedule,

[00:35:54] it could be crucial. I have one more team in the high card section, and that is UCF. We mentioned Scott Frost is back there, you know, back there last year, went five and seven. They've had a few down years now. But the main reason that I have them in this is because they return more production than anybody in the Big 12, and I think they're something like number three in the country or something crazy. I've lost it here. I had it somewhere. I should have written it down.

[00:36:22] But they just return so much production and talent back. Now, you know, whether it's, you know, still just a five-win talent, you know, remains to be seen. But it's huge, especially in this day and age. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You can return a bunch of guys. They get BYU at home. No Utah on the schedule. No Texas Tech on the schedule. Yeah. So, that's pretty big.

[00:36:52] They do have to go at Houston on October 3rd. So, you know, there's still some tough games. You know, like we said, it's the Big 12. It's all a Wild West gunfight. But just, you know, can Scott Frost recapture his magic he had there before, you know, when he was there previously, before he went to Nebraska? And can they take advantage?

[00:37:20] You know, can they really gel and take advantage of not playing, you know, Tech or Utah on that schedule? You know, can they jump up and bite BYU at home? That's their homecoming game, too. So, the bounce house is going to be rocking. That was huge. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it is, you know, fun. When things are going right, that's a hell of a home foot advantage. And bounce house, definitely a good place to go. You know, yeah.

[00:37:50] I mean, you know, they're going to go more than likely going undefeated into that TCU game. If they pulled out when going into Houston undefeated would be huge. Yeah. Well, we'll see. I just wanted to put them on because of that returning production, returning teams. I thought that put them, you know, in the high court side. I don't really envision them being in the Big 12 title picture.

[00:38:17] But if they got hot and went on a run, they absolutely could. Absolutely. With that schedule. All right. Let's move to the low cards now. Again, it being the Big 12, you never know. The champion could welcome from one of these teams just going on a crazy heater. As we've seen, I mean, with Arizona State, voted two years ago. I mean, was it last year BYU was ready to be? Yeah.

[00:38:46] BYU, not a lot of people thought they were going to be up there last year. Everyone thought kind of Kansas State, Iowa State, and they both had disappointing years. Texas Tech really, you know, dominated. So, you never know. But let's start with another guy who went back to his school he had success at previously. Rich Rod, back at West Virginia. Not a great year last year. They had such a big roster turnover, and there were no high expectations. They did get to win in the backyard brawl.

[00:39:15] So, that was pretty huge for them. Got a big upset at Houston. That was kind of a crazy win for them. This year, coming back, he's got an interesting quarterback there, Michael Hawkins, transferred from Oklahoma, coming in. A mobile guy, definitely prototype for the Rich Rod offense. Pat White, maybe. Yeah, very Pat White. Cam Cook's pretty good running back back there in that offense.

[00:39:46] Schedule-wise, you do have to go at Texas Tech, at Utah, at TCU, at Iowa State, even though they should be pretty down this year. So, schedule's rough. Yeah. But I think they should improve over last year. How would they give me a ball game? How would they give me a ball game? Yeah, yeah. They're going to have to do a lot of their damage in the first half of their schedule.

[00:40:11] That last stretch, that last five, you go at TCU, at Texas Tech, then Kansas and Houston at home before ending the season at Utah. I think that's the Friday after Thanksgiving, looks like. That Virginia game is interesting. They're on the 19th. Yeah, and Charlotte, right? Yeah. Yeah, so that's kind of interesting for those two to play. Yeah. Teams from West Virginia and Virginia go into North Carolina to play a game. But I guess I think that's a Duke's Mayo thing.

[00:40:42] Yeah. But, yeah, I think they can get back to a bowl this year. I think Rich Rod, he's got a better quarterback for his system there. He's got a year under his belt. So, you know, a lot of – you know, hit the portal hard again. But I think they can get – you know, I could six, seven wins get back to a bowl. Yeah, I don't know if we'll ever get the magic that he had when he left the first time. Yeah. He was really going.

[00:41:10] And we're in – really should have been in the national title game in 07. That's still crazy to be at that year. Oh, man. Man, show me that alternate timeline where they did beat Pitt because I wanted to see that. I mean, I forgot what I was listening to this year, but a couple guys talking about that era of just Steve Slayton. Yeah, Pat White. Just, man, I mean, huge wins. That Noel Devine dude was pretty good too.

[00:41:40] Noel Devine, Tavon Austin a few years later. Yeah. Yeah, man. Man, some beasters, some talented guys. Yeah, beat Georgia in that Sugar Bowl, beat – was it Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl? They beat the hell out of Clemson in the game. That's what it was, yeah. Clemson, not Oklahoma. They slaughtered Clemson. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah.

[00:42:10] Yeah. So, let's see. Let's move just a little bit west to Ohio and Cincinnati. Cincinnati. Coach on the hot seat, Scott Satterfield. He's fourth year here. He's gone three and nine, five and seven, seven and six. So, he has improved every year. But Cincinnati wants more out of that. This is, you know, a team that made the playoff just, you know, five years ago in 21. Yeah. So, you know. Yeah. It's going to be tough, though.

[00:42:40] I mean, really, they started off the year so hot last year. Brendan Swarsby was having a good start to the year. And things kind of fell off. Was it the Texas Tech game? No, it was Utah when it started. They didn't play Tech. But, yeah, they lost their opener to Nebraska and then reeled off seven in a row. And then got demolished in Salt Lake City by Utah. And then that just kind of spun them out.

[00:43:08] Then home losses to Arizona BYU. And then lost on the road to TCU to end the regular season before. All in the season, man. Yeah, getting whooped by Navy in the bowl game, too. So, definitely not the way you want to end the season, a new quarterback there. Yeah. You know, he's only had the one winning season since being there. I mean, obviously, Cincinnati, we're always going to think of them as a basketball school. But, I mean, they've had some good – I mean, they have football history.

[00:43:38] And what they've done the last – for the majority of the last four years, it's not acceptable to win their books. You know, they're a proud football. Yeah, it's going to be tough, though. That schedule does not really give them – you know, they have to go at Arizona. They get Texas Tech and Utah at home, but in back-to-back weeks. And then after that, they go at Houston. And then in their season, at BYU.

[00:44:07] So, that's a pretty tough schedule for the Bearcats area. Yeah. I mean, you would have to think – I mean, a bowl game possible. But, I mean, you got to win your first three for sure. Colorado, you would hope you can beat them, but who knows? They're going to look like in November. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:44:37] I mean, even a bowl game is tough. I mean, obviously, this year you're probably thinking if you're ever going to really not take it to Iowa State, it's this year considering they're rebuilding yet. But, yeah, I mean, they're going to be pushing for us to get to six. I don't think that's going to be enough to keep Satterfield employed, honestly. Yeah, we'll see.

[00:45:07] You know, I don't know what his buyout contract, all that kind of stuff is. But, you know, if they spin their wheels in the mud again, it might be time for them to pull the trigger and just do a reset there. But we shall see. Let's go to another coach, maybe hot seat-ish, a warm seat at least. Let's go down to Waco and Baylor. Dave Arana entering his seventh year there. Of course, they've had some pretty high highs. Big 12 champs in 21.

[00:45:37] That thrilling win over Oklahoma State in the title game then. Haven't done much with it since then. Three losing seasons out of the past four years, including only five and seven last year. I think I had them as, like, my sleeper last year. That definitely did not happen. But the big news this year is that quarterback coming in, DJ Lagway, transfers over from Florida. And that's just a fascinating, fascinating move to me.

[00:46:07] Yeah. I mean, his dad needs to Baylor. So, I mean, he has the least sense of what Baylor football is. I mean, just not out of nowhere. I mean, not a name you would expect to have gone from Florida to Baylor based on the lag way hype at times. But it's the weirdest thing about this Dave Arana tenure at Baylor as a defensive guy, just how bad the defense has been most of his tenure. Absolutely. Absolutely.

[00:46:40] And they were abysmal last year. Oh, my God. Oh, terrible. Just terrible. I mean, Auburn did everything they could, everything they wanted to start the year. And, you know, that's where they started this year with Auburn again. I'm about to say, yeah, they had Auburn fans hyped, looking like, oh, man, man, this is it. Gus has figured it out. And then, or not Gus, Hugh Freeze. And then, yeah, not so much.

[00:47:06] But the very next week, they go to Dallas and beat SMU in two overtimes, right? So crazy. Yeah. So, yeah, that lag way, if he can rediscover his form from a couple of seasons ago, his freshman year form, that's a really great addition for them. Could get them back in bowl game, probably should. You know, like you said, they start with Auburn again this year in Atlanta.

[00:47:33] The tough part, though, man, that second half of the schedule, in particular, the last three games, you go at BYU, Texas take it home, then at Houston. Man, that's a brutal stretch to end your season. Yeah, it is. So you better have your six wins by then. Yeah. Yeah. And who knows about how the Auburn game will go. I mean, obviously Auburn. Yeah. New coach there. But, you know, he brought a lot of pieces from South Florida.

[00:48:02] So it might be better than what people think. But, I mean, either way, that's a – I mean, if Baylor can get that win, that that would be huge. Colorado, who knows what the Buffaloes will be this year. At Arizona State, that's going to be tough. TCU is always going to be a tough game, rivalry game. We've seen some wild things over the years between those two in the Big 12.

[00:48:34] Classics. At Kansas, another team we really don't know. So, I mean, that's a game – if you're wanting to get to a bowl game, you've got to win that one. You've got to beat Kansas. You've got to beat Iowa State because Iowa State, like you say, should be down. But, yeah, I mean, bowling possible. Big 12 contender. I don't know. Yeah, and probably not unless Lagway is just like out of his mind, Heisman contender.

[00:49:03] I guess Lagway turns into what we had hoped he would become in Florida or that end of the season from two years ago. Yeah. When he – say, what's his name? A lot of – Billy Napier another year after Florida. And we get that – Yeah. That we saw in November for the entire season. I mean, it could be fun. They might, you know. If they could get that Lagway the entire season,

[00:49:31] it's just to find him consistency. That's the biggest thing. And if that defense can be even a little bit better, that will help a lot because they've been bad. Yeah. Yeah, let's move on to another coach that's been at his school for a good few years now and they're looking to get over the hump. Lance Leopold at Kansas. Yeah. They've had some up and down times. Of course, that nine-win season a few years ago, they came out of nowhere.

[00:50:05] Last year – last couple years, five and seven records. You know, they had Jalen Daniels just so inconsistent at that quarterback spot. You know, at times he looked brilliant and then other times – He would be a little messy. And just – He's one of those guys – Yeah, a little messy. He would have the turnovers at the worst possible moment. He'd lead them all the way down. Yeah. He'd throw a pick six at the goal line. It's like, why are you passing right now? Yeah. He's one of those type of quarterbacks.

[00:50:34] They move on from him. They do bring in one interesting. They do bring in Andy Kolonicki back into the fold there for Penn State. And really, he was the offensive coordinator when Kansas was really rolling there. When they were – he got that 9-1 season and looking really good. He comes back as associate head coach. So, that might help out. I don't know.

[00:51:01] But, you know, that – but how interesting nonetheless is because he was involved so much for the last time they were really good. You know, they – No, yeah, I agree. That's a huge get for them coming back there. We'll see who ends up, you know, taking Daniels' spot there. They were so close, you know. You know, they lost a lot of close games the past couple years too.

[00:51:29] You know, they're just heartbreakers. Yeah. But, I mean, of course, they get their opportunity right out the gate that second week of the season. It was a close game last year to the very end. And Missouri blew it open late. Yeah. Border war back, yeah. And Jalen Daniels, some bad turnovers there. But, yeah, B-Dub. Man, I mean, probably this rivalry probably does not get enough national attention. But it's fierce. Oh, no. It is.

[00:51:59] And the Zoom fans hate each other to the max. It's been that way since the Civil War, more or less. I was about to say, this is one of those, it's a lot like kind of like European soccer countries, like when they play each other. It's like, no, no, they really hate each other. It's like, like you said, it's actual history to it. It goes back to Civil War times. Yeah. So, definitely. So, they get Missouri at home this year.

[00:52:24] The other thing that's important is, I forget what the guy's name is, but they had a donor that's really put in a lot of money into the football program. Obviously, a lot of upgrades at the stadium. Some cool uniforms there with the little wheat on the jerk. Mm-hmm. Pretty slick. But, yeah, man, if they could get that early season win over Mizzou, I mean, that's big for the support. I mean, Kansas fans, you know, of course, would love to see that.

[00:52:53] But right out the gate, though, man, Mizzou and Arizona State in back-to-back weeks is tough. Yeah, especially with that Arizona State game. And that's where they travel to London for it. So, you got the Missouri game is a Friday night game. So, they get, I guess, a little extra day there. Still. Speaking of their schedule, they have a weird quirk because of that London game. They only have three Big 12 home games this year. Baylor, UCF, and BYU.

[00:53:21] Other than that, it's all on the road. And that's tough because you got to go at Utah, at K-State, at TCU. Along with West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Yeah, West Virginia and Oklahoma State. So, no Texas Tech. But, man, that's a pretty tough schedule there for the Jayhawks. But like you said, if they can pull that upset, if they can win Border War Week 2, that would just really put an adrenaline shot into that team and program. I just –

[00:53:51] It's tough to see it, but. Yeah. That's a tough – I mean, it's a tough schedule. You know, honestly, with this schedule, if they could get to a bowl game, I think they've done something pretty decent. Honestly. I mean, because there's not a lot of games – there's not – there's really – outside of the, you know, the two non-conference games against Long Island and MTSU really are the only games that you're like, yeah,

[00:54:19] I for sure can give Kansas that win. Other than that, man, that's tough. Mizzou's going to be tough. Arizona's going to be tough. Utah's going to be tough. K-State, if they – you know, things are really rolling again. Baylor, who knows. At TCU, you know, it's going to be tough. Are you – you're high on UCF.

[00:54:44] If UCF is – man, especially if that much production coming back by November, they really should be rolling. So that's not going to be easy even at home. So, Morgantown in November can always be tricky. We don't know we're going to get out of Oklahoma State. Yeah. I mean, and even – yeah, even at the end of the season,

[00:55:09] at Oklahoma State, I mean, Oklahoma State, we know basically North Texas North. I mean – Yeah. Up the road didn't still water. I mean, pretty much. It's just a matter of is that enough to turn around with us – the last few seasons have been absolutely abysmal and still – but back, you know. So, yeah. It's going to be a – could be a long season in Lawrence.

[00:55:38] They might be looking for basketball sooner than later. Mm-hmm. Let's go. But, man. Yeah. It's tough. But, yeah, let's move on. Let's move one state over to the west. Let's go to Colorado. Coach Prime, Dion there entering his fourth season there. Up and down 10 years so far. Of course, remember they had that hot start, that huge win over TCU to start their thing.

[00:56:04] There – those 3-0 start there and then only won one game the rest of the season then. Then won nine games and 24 the year after that. Kind of surprising people in the Big 12 title hunt. Last year dropped off only three wins last year. They're only one Big 12 win. Julian Lewis back at quarterback. So, that's pretty big for them. Really talented, highly touted five-star guy. Right. Technically a redshirt freshman too. So, Richard Young. There's a name you should know.

[00:56:34] Alabama transfer there running back. Guy who's got talent just couldn't, for whatever reason, break through to get on the field in Tuscaloosa. It'll be interesting. I think the offense should be pretty good this year. Defense, we'll see. Schedule, tough. You know, there they do get Texas Tech and Utah at home back-to-back games, although they have a bye in between the two.

[00:57:02] Road schedule isn't that brutal considering, you know, they – in the Big 12, you know, they go at Baylor, at Oklahoma State, at Arizona State, at Cincy. So, you know, it's Big 12, so you never know. But start the year at Georgia Tech on a Thursday. Absolutely. That's a bit – that's a bit interesting way to start the season. I mean, obviously. You played a good game last year in Boulder. Yeah.

[00:57:30] But, yeah, I mean, if they could get that win – because, I mean, Georgia Tech, I mean, as we talked about a couple weeks ago, I mean, it should be a good team just because they're well-coached, but a lot of new pieces there. You know, new quarterback, new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator. Mm-hmm. So, I mean, your – people are learning new things. It's, you know, something different.

[00:57:54] So, if you're going to catch the Georgia Tech right out the gates, it's going to be probably your best bet, you know. Mm-hmm. I mean, Colorado, man, you know, it's – the biggest thing is, of course, you know, prime and its health. You know, can they find a way to win without, you know, two prolific players? No Shador, no Travis Hunter. We saw last year did not go well. Mm-hmm.

[00:58:21] You know, is that what made prime have some success or is he – can he find a way to win without those guys? You know, we haven't seen it yet. But that was the first time he's ever been without those guys was last year. Mm-hmm. So, you know, it was – you know, who else did have he been coaching last year? Because when he went through last year, I don't even know how he was on the sideline, honestly. Somebody that's healthy. My goodness.

[00:58:49] So, it seems to be a lot healthier this year. If they could pull that Georgia Tech game, then you go at Northwestern two weeks later, I mean, kind of a toss-up game there as well. I mean, I wouldn't say Northwestern's a – give me – I mean, for the Wildcats, that might be an interesting game. If they can win – if they could go into that Baylor game 2-1 or 3-0, that would be huge. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:59:17] Yeah, before they hit that Baylor, Texas Tech, Utah stretch there. Yeah, especially with – there's a lot of turnover on the defense. You know, they were brutal last year on defense, just so bad. So, you don't know if that's – maybe it could be a bad thing. It could be good. Exactly, yeah. It could be a good thing. It could be a bad thing. But what big is – I'm sorry, go ahead. No, I'm just saying, yeah. With – they get – they bring in Brennan Marion to run the offense.

[00:59:45] He kind of gained some notoriety at UNLV running – he called it the go-go offense. Right. Then he was head coach at Sacramento State before they made the jump. You know, like we said, with Julian Lewis, highly touted guy, got a little bit of playing time last year. So, he's seen some game action. That looked okay, you know, from what we saw. I do think in Richard Young, you know, like we said, talented guy.

[01:00:15] I think offensively, I think they'll be fine. It's just a matter of defense and can they, you know, win a game they shouldn't and can they take care of business in games they should. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility to get back to a bowl, but it is going to be tough. It is going to be tough. Yeah. Because really, I mean, if you look at the schedule and what's the gimme game? Weber State. That's pretty much it, right? It's the only one you can look at and be like, yep,

[01:00:44] they absolutely should win that, no doubt. Because like you said, even going up to Northwestern, and I don't know if they're going to be breaking in that new stadium yet or I thought it might not be ready until the middle of the year. I have to look at that. I think it's ready. I think it's ready to go. Is it ready? Yeah. So, yeah, it'll be interesting. Another watch. And then, yeah, of course, like you said, Dion's health. We hope that, you know, he's good to go and no problems. But, you know, there's always some kind of speculation

[01:01:11] that maybe he'll have to step away because of it. So, we shall see. We got two teams left on our list, both bringing in new coaches, both really big resets for the program. Oklahoma State, we'll start with them, of course. The end of a huge, long era with Mike Gundy, of course, getting let go last year after this. Did he finish out the year? No. No, he did not. That's right.

[01:01:40] Yeah, they fired him after that. Was it the Oregon loss or the Tulsa loss? I think it was the Tulsa loss. Yeah, the week after Oregon. Yeah. He was definitely on that. Probably out. I mean, but they weren't going to fire him after just Oregon game, but that Tulsa loss, considering their history. Yeah, that's a game you can't. Yeah. It's just. Yeah, that was. Yeah. I was strong. But, I mean, we've.

[01:02:07] It's weird without Mike Gundy at Okie State. I mean, of course, he played there and really never left afterwards. Yeah. Just stayed there for, what, 20 years as coach almost? He's been the coach since what, since Les Miles left to go to LSU. Yeah. And I'm trying to think what year that was. So. Four. But, yeah. Somewhere around there.

[01:02:33] But, like you said, basically North Texas North this year. Yeah. Eric Morse comes in and brings over Drew Mestemaker as quarterback. He was throwing up some video game numbers at times last year. Yeah. Brought a lot of players over from the mean green. Yeah. And I think they're getting a lot of buzz as maybe a bowl team this year. They can do a quick turnaround. And if they can put up numbers similar, if they can kind of, you know, defensively, we don't know what it'll look like.

[01:03:02] But if they can kind of maybe get back to that Wild West, shoot them up crazy, you know, we're going to first team to 60 wins, Big 12 style of playing. And maybe they got a shot. Yeah. Schedule. They do get Oregon again week two. So, look out. It's in Stillwater at least, I guess. Maybe that could be a bad thing. A little revenge spot at Tulsa to open up the season.

[01:03:30] You would hope in your first game there to really win the people over if you can get that revenge against Tulsa. Yeah. Rivalry game, of course, of sorts there. But they do get Texas Tech. No BYU, no Utah on the schedule. They get Texas Tech at home late in the year on November 14th. Tricky road schedule they get in the Big 12.

[01:03:57] They get trips to West Virginia, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Arizona State. But, yeah, they'll be at least a fun team to watch just to see that Eric Morris and Drew Mestemaker combo that offense. Yeah, I think it's going to be one of those years. They're going to be fun to watch. They might put up video game numbers still. They could also be three and nine on the year. Yeah.

[01:04:24] Just because they have a tough schedule. Really, there's no game. I mean, based upon they lost to Tulsa last year, I mean, you would think that they could beat them this year, but who knows. Really, I mean, you look at that schedule, the only game you got, I really can't feel good about Murray State. Other than that, we would hope Tulsa. But, I mean, that's two wins right there, the rest of the schedule.

[01:04:50] I mean, I wouldn't be shocked if they win a couple more of those, but that's hard to say. But, I mean, if you're going to start over, hey, that's the one good thing about the transfer portal. So, I mean, it's a gift and a curse depending on where it's coming from. But not only are coaches leaving, but when they are able to, when they do leave, they bring, you know, the guys with them. So, they're bringing the guys you're familiar with for at least a year.

[01:05:20] You know, they get to bring in their system as smoothly as possible. I mean, he knows exactly, you know, the people he's bringing into the program. So, it helps out a lot when you're making that transition, you know, from North Texas to the Jump to the Big 12 there. And the tricky thing now, though, is, you know, their NIL money, unfortunately, room pickings is dead.

[01:05:49] So, where does that money come from now? Yeah. Did he leave something in his estate, his will, to say they need to keep sending money their way? Yeah. I mean, did he leave something? Is there somebody else? You know, maintain the money comes when you win. They're going to have to figure that out, you know. Yeah. A few years ago, they were in the Big 12 title game and things looked good and then it fell off quickly. They were slow to really get NIL money.

[01:06:17] You know, their old school coach, I don't think he really bought in the NIL per se. So, you know, that kind of maybe killed him at the end of his tenure. Now, they have a younger coach who kind of understands it better. You know, a younger coach who's going to build on that and not really complain about it, as some of the old school coaches do. So, that should help.

[01:06:47] But they got to find, you know, they got to win. Win and bring support. Without the wins, though, it's easy for them to fall off badly, you know. So, during the tough situation. But they shouldn't have – this offense should be fun this year. I was about to say, at the very least, Cowboy fans will have something fun to watch on the field. Yeah. I was about to say, yeah. And that's something really fun. Yeah.

[01:07:17] If you're not going to win a lot of games, then at least, you know, entertain me. And so – Absolutely. But, like I said, they're getting a lot of hype as a team that can do a quick turnaround and get back to a bowl. So, we'll see. Another fun one to keep your eye on there. One last team we'll end with. A team that will probably have a very rough year. The Iowa State Cyclones. It feels weird to say that considering they're always seemingly in the mix there in the Big 12. But our man –

[01:07:49] Yeah. Yeah, thank you. He was off in Penn State. Brought most of the – Anybody. Everybody that could have came back and sent Happy Valley down. Yeah, exactly. Just took everybody there. In comes Jimmy Rogers, who was at Washington State last year. And then before that was at South Dakota State where he went like 27-3 or something. So, he's a good coach.

[01:08:17] He just doesn't have a lot to work with on the roster this year. This is probably your last place team. Let's just – this is going to be a reset, rebuild in year. No expectations and aims. You just hope to instill your culture. And hopefully, you know, it's one of those things where it might be rough early on. But maybe by the end of the year, you can either pull an upset or just win a couple games and be really competitive. I mean, they do have some good things going for them. I mean, no Texas Tech.

[01:08:47] Yeah. No TCU. No Houston. Yeah. Some positives. Yeah. Some – you probably start off the year of being CMO. Mm-hmm. Another Iowa game, another rivalry game. But, yeah. Always a coin flip. Always a toss-up in that one. They won it two in a row in three of the last four years. We shall see what happens there.

[01:09:15] We think you have to be bowling green to at least get that second win. Utah. Yeah. Yeah. At home, yeah. That could get ugly. West Virginia. If you want to be bowling eligible this year, you've got to win that game. West Virginia is going to be a team, but it's at home. You have to win that if you have any chance to go on bowling. You have to pull that one off. BYU. BYU. That could get ugly. At Arizona.

[01:09:46] At BYU on a Friday night. Yeah, that one. Yeah. 9-15 at night. Yeah, that's not – that's not good for anybody. Much less a team that's rebuilding. No. Yeah. Yeah. Trips to Arizona, Baylor, and UCF as well. They get – yeah, like you said, if they're going to make a bowl, they're going to have to beat SEMO, Bowling Green. Let's say West Virginia. That gives them three. And then you get Oklahoma State, Cincinnati.

[01:10:12] And then you have to pull off your rivalry win at home, Kansas State, the end of year. So, that's tough. So, like you said, this is probably your last place team in the Big 12. You have some patience for them. Exactly. Realize, unfortunately, the Matt Campbell – it's amazing Matt Campbell State as long as he did in Ames, honestly. It really is. No, it really is. He got a lot of wins there. You know, they gave him their first 11-win season in program history.

[01:10:42] Really, you know, put Iowa State on the map. Because from a laughing stock to a contender, more or less. Uh-huh. So, now it's just a matter of to follow that up. It's going to be tough because it's hard to win in Ames. I mean, obviously, their NIL is not the most. You know, it's going to be tough.

[01:11:08] But they just have to give this man some time, have some patience, and we'll see where it goes. I really don't know. Yeah, it's going to be rough this year. Jimmy Rogers did do pretty well at Washington State last year, but maybe they had a little bit more to work with. And, of course, that kind of independent, basically, schedule is a little different. Right. I mean, just so much turnover. I mean, they're over 40 players out, brought in 56 transfers.

[01:11:37] So, it's just going to be tough. A lot out the door, a lot in. You know, how do they mold? How do they? Yeah. Oh, man. But, yeah. This year, you just hope for signs of life, I guess. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Like I said, you hope to instill your culture and you have guys, particularly the underclassmen, who, you know, hope are going to be there next year. You want them to buy in to what you're selling them.

[01:12:04] And, like you said, hopefully by the end of the year, show some signs of life. And, you know, if they can pull an upset or, you know, get that big win in the farm again, and, you know, we'll see. But that does it for our Big 12 teams. As always, it's just going to be a fun, fun conference. Just a Wild West shootout, as I said a couple times already. It's just such a fun all-over-the-place conference. I love it. Yeah.

[01:12:34] They've kind of, you know, become, even though the Pac-12 is back, more or less, they've kind of become Pac-12 after dark. Gosh. Took the words out of my mouth, man. Yeah, they took that spot, you know, the early 2000s Pac-12 after dark was, you know, that nice late-night fix. And now it's that late-night Big 12 game. Yeah. Yeah. You know, you get the late-night, late-nights in Tucson or late-nights in Salt Lake City or Provo.

[01:13:03] With all big command, you've got some great, great way to end your football Saturdays in the Big 12. Yeah, absolutely. But, yeah, let's see. You know, that does it for our preview. Next week we tackle the big one, SEC and Alabama preview. Yeah, so it's always a good time for us. That's always our longest episode, too. I guess. Obviously.

[01:13:31] I guess we're going to throw Notre Dame next week as well, I guess. Ah, yeah, man. I never knew, do know where to throw them in. Or maybe we'll talk about them. We could do the week after, too, when we do our predictions. Yeah, when we kind of do our predictions after some. Yeah, that might be the best. Yeah. Let's do that. Yeah, we'll throw in a look at a little deeper. We'll have enough to talk about next week with the SEC. Yeah. I was about to say with the SEC and Alabama specifically, yeah. Yeah. Also, we're in the world of sports.

[01:13:59] Like we said, baseball hitting their stretch run stride here as we wind down October. Everybody getting ready for their fantasy drafts now. Well, of course, we had the Hall of Fame game this past week in pro football. Injuries. Yeah. Big injuries already, though. I didn't even see who got hurt. I didn't watch any of them. I'll be honest.

[01:14:25] Well, in practice, I mean, Jeremy Tunsil for the football team. Oh, man. He has a bad injury. The dude for the Falcons defense. I don't know. That's his name. Man, talk about a team with just terrible injury look, man. Yeah. I heard Jalen Walker. Yeah. Hmm. Damn.

[01:14:54] Torn ACL for the year. You hate that, man. I just hate that. You don't even get to start the season. Yeah. Yeah, man. That's brutal. That's just your hope every year is just especially for your team. And you want all guys to be healthy. But when you're watching your team, man, you just read those practice notes every day and be like, no injury, no injury. All right. Good. Yeah. Or something small. Yeah. Just. Yeah. Bruising. Something's just a bruise or, yeah, something like that.

[01:15:24] No lingering. Nothing like that. Yeah. But, yeah. It's brutal. Yeah. Other than that, man, you got anything else you want to add on before we go? No. I think we're in a good spot, man. We're getting ranching closer and closer. We have whatever. So close. So close. Three weeks till the TCU North Carolina will kick off club football. That would be great. So, yeah.

[01:15:53] Like we said, folks, we'll be back next week. Of course, we'll talk if anything happens in the world of sports. And then we'll get on with our Alabama and SEC preview. It's always, like I said, usually our longest episode, obviously, for obvious reasons. But until then, Greg, buddy, I'll see you. Yes, sir. Thank you once again for listening, folks. As always, subscribe, rate, like us, do whatever your chosen podcast platform asks you to do. Tell your friends about us.

[01:16:20] Tell your rich friends about us, especially if any of them feel like sponsoring a podcast. You can check out all of the family of Alabama Take podcast at thealabamatake.com. You can also find a bunch of wonderful writings there from our lovely, talented roster of contributors. If you'd like to join that roster, shoot an email to thealabamatake at gmail.com. Blaine will get you set up. We're always looking for new voices here on the Alabama Take. You can check out Greg at Bama Hammer.

[01:16:49] He writes a lot about Alabama women's basketball there and other Alabama athletics. You can follow us on socials at Taken On Sports. Of course, drop that G. And as always, folks, keep it done up real good yourselves out there.