2026 SEC Preview: It Just Means War

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[00:01:53] You know, tonight, SEC, SEC, SEC, SEC. We got our last Power Four conference preview of the season, which leads into our college football playoff picks. You know what I'm saying? I got the one and only world-renowned, world-famous. He goes by the name of Mr. Logical and he ain't no SEC dude. He's representing Jersey. True indeed. You know what I'm saying, didn't he?

[00:02:25] And I'm down here in SEC country, but you know, I go by the name of 2-5. You know what I'm saying? Let's get right into some storylines here. Like, review, subscribe, share, rate, do all the free things, do all the good things. Liquid Death in hand, make it count. Let's get it. So, Mr. Logical. You know, the SEC been talking a whole lot of trash over the last couple of weeks.

[00:02:53] How is that different than any other year? Well, it's a little different this time because normally they just do the whole beat your chest. We're better than you. We play a tougher schedule than you. And a lot of times, they ain't wrong. But, you know, said at the same time, they talking about, oh, should we break away? So, at first, I was like, okay, Greg Sankey's just getting ahead of himself. It's drama. It's the offseason.

[00:03:22] Let's try to win some headlines. And then Kirby Smart come out talking about, I've been in that space. What are they talking about, Mr. Logical? They are talking about this excessive need for greed and control that seems to encapsulate Americans who are somehow monetizing off of whatever it is that they're doing.

[00:03:46] There's no reason for them to act as if they don't get every benefit of the doubt, every coin toss, every short straw somebody else draws. The SEC, because of their leverage, because every single year we watch the NFL draft.

[00:04:07] And aside from the two teams that are represented in the championship game and the four teams in the final four, which I've said for years, I think the GMs just wait until that time of the year to recruit. Because it was one year Texas had three guys get drafted. But then they go to the college football playoffs and they have like 12.

[00:04:33] So, it's like, I think GMs wait for that final four to find out their guys. But threw in from pick one to pick 255, 256, or whatever that number is. It's SEC players. So, that's the leverage. SEC was a team that was getting the biggest contracts. That's their leverage. Their coaches, their players, their stadiums, their rivalries are iconic. That's their leverage.

[00:05:00] The problem is greed ultimately will do them in. They can stay the course right now and they'll get the biggest slice of the pie no matter what the pie is. But for some reason they seem to want more and I don't understand why. So, let's just walk this out for a second. You know, the SEC decides to leave the NCAA or however this would work.

[00:05:29] Is this the logical watching weekly SEC football? Yeah, I'm watching it because it's college football. I don't have a dog in the fight. I don't pay for any of the apps. I don't buy any of the gear. I just watch whatever comes across whatever screen I'm sitting in front of. So, I don't have like this cult-like allegiance to any of the teams.

[00:05:58] Even as a Utah fan, I don't have a cult-level following or expectation of other people to follow them. I think the SEC, they got a little too much dip on the chip and they just feel like everybody wants to be us. And it's like, yo, just continue to be you. Where you are the frontrunner every year. Granted, we can't put six of your teams into the playoff every year. But your four best teams will get a consideration.

[00:06:27] Maybe you get three in. That's still a lot out of 12. Now, I'm saying that's a large issue. That's the third thing. So, you know, I think I would watch it too. A quarter of it, excuse me. You know, because, you know, the first thing for me about college football is obviously going to start and end with rivalry. So, I'm here. I'm going to watch Tennessee and Bama. You know, I'm going to watch Texas A&M and Texas, the Red River shootout, all that good stuff like that.

[00:06:57] You know, but first of all, I don't know who the hell came up with this SEC schedule this year. Because why the hell ain't Tennessee playing Georgia or Florida? But anyway, you know, I think I would watch too. But it makes me wonder how it works for the other sports. Not necessarily, obviously, you know, golf or anything like that. But how does March Madness work? Like, you're losing that as well. You know, like, you're going to be losing everything that you own or that you're a part of now.

[00:07:26] So, from that standpoint of you're going to be in the circle jerk playing each other, that'll be fun. But I don't know if – I don't know what the ratings look like after we just watched y'all play whatever amount of games. And then the playoff game is Tennessee against Georgia. Or is it the end of the season and then all of a sudden the SEC title game is the national – is your title game?

[00:07:54] There's no – you know, there's nothing else to do. And then, like I said, when March Madness comes around, that hurts the NCAA because you're taking 16 brands away, you know, that they would have to refill with mediocre teams. But it also hurts the SEC because they're not a part of that March Madness pageantry. So, from that standpoint, you know, do you think that would hurt the NCAA more or would that hurt the SEC more?

[00:08:23] I think the March Madness aspect of SEC isn't the same. It doesn't have the same impact. What they do in December and January, that has real NCAA. This episode sponsored by Foresight Sports. Every golfer knows this feeling. A bad shot, then a wild guess. Foresight Sports replaces the guess with truth. That bad shot you just hit? Foresight Sports shows you exactly why it happened.

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[00:09:17] I think the NCAA tournament is a matter of who's there, who's in my bracket, who's helping me win the office pool. Because for the most part, those 30, 32 games that these college athletes play playing basketball don't incur the same amount of attention that the football team does. Because the thing with the SEC threatening to pull away, we heard about the news of LeBron going to the Sixers.

[00:09:47] But for like the last year and a half, the Sixers were talking about moving to either Chinatown or in the Jersey and the Camden. They hashed it out back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Voila, they're staying. I think it's a matter of a power play, a leverage pool, which is going to put the SEC in a position of where they're going to say something along the lines. It's like, we get four guaranteed spots or we're leaving. That's what it's all about.

[00:10:16] Well, you know, it sounds like, you know, I think that 24 is coming sooner than later as far as the playoff goes. So, in that scenario, the SEC might want six or seven. Yeah. The rest said what to like the Phillies leaving Philly or the Sixers leaving Philly or just the SEC trying to pull out for leverage? Because that's all it really is. Because you're all the hype.

[00:10:46] I don't want to say the hype. Like, but the cachet surrounding the SEC is based on the fact that they are. They do produce top NFL talent. Oh, yeah. The Sixers were talking about moving. This was what, two years ago? Yeah. Like for like the last couple of years, they were talking about moving to either Camden or to Chinatown, which was all the businesses in there around Chinatown was like, no, we're not giving this up.

[00:11:12] And then the Philly and the city and everyone kind of came to this concession that the location for Philly is probably the best. As far as all the cities I've been to with sports teams, it's the best one. You have the baseball, the football and the hockey, basketball arena, all in the same, literally the same block. It's all right there, same parking and everything else. So, but if you force your leverage, like the SEC, I believe they're doing, you still, you don't get the same.

[00:11:42] I don't know if you get the same support. I don't know if the money comes with you. I don't know if they ice you out of the championships. Because if it's an NCAA championship. Yes, NCAA sanctioned thing. So you wouldn't be a part of that under that umbrella anymore. I don't know if I'm watching.

[00:12:00] I don't know if I'm watching football from August, which zero week starts to November with rivalry week, the 16 SEC teams and ignoring everybody else who's going to play for the college football championship. No, I'm watching all of it. But, you know, but to your point, welcome back. You know, to your point. Yeah, you would have to get rid of the conference championship games. And I know Kirby Smart has already talked about that.

[00:12:25] And it's something that I've been talking about even prior to even getting close to a 2014 playoff. Because at this stage, I don't know what the conference championship means or like what the – because like when you look at these conferences, they're so overinflated that, you know, these teams, you know, yeah, they don't. But the SWAC and the MIAC have championship games. And then the winners of those play the Celebration Bowl.

[00:12:54] But everybody else gets the at-large or, you know, berth into the playoffs. But as far as the FBS goes, like looking at the SEC, for example, right, you know, you got teams that just don't play the other good teams. You know, we were talking about this last year. A&M made the playoff last year. They didn't play Ole Miss. They didn't play Bama. They didn't play Georgia in the regular season.

[00:13:19] So a lot of these teams are getting to the conference championship game nowadays based off of you just had the best draw, not because you were the best team. And that's why when we were doing the ACC preview, I was talking about a team like NC State who I would never consider to be an ACC contender. But when you look at the schedule, we were looking at Texas Tech the other day. Texas Tech is the best team in the Big 12 probably. They might have the easiest schedule in the country. But they might have one of the easiest schedules in the country. You know what I mean?

[00:13:49] They definitely have the easiest schedule in the Big 12, which shouldn't be the case considering they won it last year. Yeah. It's not because of their talent. It's just like the team that they are playing are substantially under-talented in comparison to Texas Tech. Right. So we're going to take the Band-Aid off early, Mr. Logical. You know what I'm saying? We're going to get into our playoff picks later, but I'm just going to ask you right here, right now. Is this the year for Texas and Sark? No.

[00:14:19] Until everybody's 7-2. I'm going to say no. I'm going to say no. No. Simply because I haven't been presented with any evidence that Sark, as a coach, has risen above expectations. And then subsequently, you talk about Texas, and you said it last year, maybe even the year before.

[00:14:49] I say it every year. They might be the most overrated college football program. No, that ain't what I said. I said they're the most overrated thing in sports, period. Oh, wow. He ramped it up. You know what I'm saying? No, I say that every year because all I hear about is the billionaires. Texas is the best job in the country. All this and all that. And, you know, in my lifetime, they got one national title. All the classic high school football TV shows and movies. Shout out to Twitter.

[00:15:19] I mean, West Canaan, Wolves. TCU done made a national title game more recently than Texas. So, and with that being said, that's the piece that always brings me back, like you said, brings it back to the mean. It's like they always look like, and I believe before the NIL, I thought they were best positioned to load their team up.

[00:15:46] It just never really delivered, which championships are huge expectations. They had the coaching changes. Nick Saban had a program at Alabama to wear. He was running a machine. So, I just don't see Texas just turning a corner.

[00:16:09] I know everyone loves Arch, but if his name was Arch Richardson, I don't think the admiration will be on the scale that it is. Because we haven't seen anything. We talk about this with the draft. You'll have a guy who's a little undersized, but they like him. And they'll talk about how he doesn't let his size stop him from competing.

[00:16:35] But then a guy that you're not really sure about in the third or fourth round who's undersized, you'll say, I think his size might be a factor in the NFL. The statements are both true, but if you like the guys, then I think you go with them. And I believe that's what Texas has going every year. So, like for me, right? Like with that dead billionaire that saw the bill. Sark is one of these dudes that you ain't going to believe that he's going to get over the hump until he gets over the hump.

[00:17:04] Until he's hosting the trophy. Yeah, like so we were talking about Dan Lanning the other day. I don't feel that way about Dan Lanning. You know, I think Dan Lanning is a great coach that is just young in his head coaching career. This is only year four or so as a head coach for him. You know, you pick against him because of it sometimes like you're talking about. Yeah. Yeah. Because but that's more of a you have to get over the hump. Sark has been doing this for a while.

[00:17:31] And at a certain point, you just become who you are, I think. And, you know, I think Sark is one of those guys that because Texas like just looking at the talent on paper, Texas should win the national title this year. Just looking at the talent on paper. But before he came to Texas, what was my name for him? Eight win Sark. You know what I mean? Like he's winning extra games now because he's at Texas.

[00:17:56] But when you see him in these big game moments or when stakes are on the line, you all that offensive genius that they talk about, it goes out the window. You match him up against Ohio State, it's gone. He was an offensive coordinator in Atlanta for a year. I couldn't get him out there fast enough. And don't forget, you know what I mean? Because because we look back at last season and we talk about Texas's schedule. Oh, if they didn't play Ohio State, they probably would have made the playoff. You still lost to Florida.

[00:18:27] You know what I mean? Florida went four and eight, by the way. So like that Ohio State game is not heavier than losing to a four and 18. So so so, you know, but, you know, he did make a change this year. They had a great defensive coordinator. They brought back Muschamp anyway. So Muschamp is back as the defensive coordinator this year. So I'm interested to see what differences and how that looks because their defense was great last year.

[00:18:55] I don't know why they got rid of the offensive coordinator. So but all right. You know, the question of the year every year, every week is Kaelin DeBoer on the hot seat. How many games does he need to win to keep his job? Eleven. So no playoff, no DeBoer next year. Eleven. Eleven is a stretch. They need to look like they need to look like championship contenders early.

[00:19:27] There can't be, as we, you know, put their schedule. Yeah, I got it. They can't have a sluggish start. They can't lose to. They're at the top here. Yeah. So as their schedule is kind of laid out, they have to be five and oh in that matchup with Georgia. And I think they will be.

[00:19:54] They could be no worse than six and one going into the bye. Like that. That's that's the I think that's the standard for him. Six and one going into the bye. Why? Because you can't be five and two hoping to win out and the committee grants you a spot because you don't know how the rest of these season is going to play out. We talk about Texas Tech having a very easy schedule. They could be 12 and oh.

[00:20:22] We talk about maybe Oklahoma State being a surprise team. Maybe they sneak in as their 10 and two. You know, so like you don't want to be in that 10 and two range if you're Kaelin DeBoer again. You want to look like everything is making championship sense. We talked about it last year, the inability to run the ball, which makes zero sense considering the way that they recruit offensive linemen.

[00:20:46] Like how are you not just rolling out three and four backs that are averaging four to five yards a carry, four to five and a half yards a carry? And they weren't because like that's how you look like a championship team when you dominate up front and they never look like it. Yeah. And Caden Proctor is gone this year. So we'll get to them in a here in a little bit.

[00:21:09] But so then, you know, we got new coaches, you know, Silverfield at Arkansas, Alex Golish at Auburn, obviously public enemy number two or one A, Lane Kiffin at LSU, John Summerall at Florida, Will Stein at Kentucky. And, you know, and I'm loving me some Will Stein, you know, SEC media days the other day. You know, why do you think you can win big at Kentucky? Because of me. Say less. You know what I'm saying?

[00:21:39] Let's throw the ball out there. And guess what? Week two, lose by less than 17 to Bama. I think Kurt Signetti got these dudes thinking that swag is like part of the hiring package. Well, for Will Stein, you know, he's only 36. So some of it is youth. So, you know, I guess if you're Kentucky, you're hoping that you just picked up your Sean McVay.

[00:22:05] You know, he came in right here from the Alamo, you know, and then he was the offensive coordinator out at Oregon the last couple of years. So he's been around, you know, he's been around talent. You know, he has these Texas ties. He's getting Oregon talent at Kentucky. That's where the ball is down to. We'll see. You know, he's not. Is he getting a version of Dante Moore?

[00:22:28] So I guess so I guess the question would be the question would be how many of them, because I think he'll get some. But the question is how many, because now this is where the SEC gets kind of tilted. Right. Because Shane Beamer might be on the hot seat, you know, at South Carolina. If they don't win eight to nine games this year, that might be trouble. You know, obviously Kirby Smart's not going anywhere. I don't think Heupel's going anywhere. You got all these new coaches.

[00:22:58] Elko's not going anywhere. So from that standpoint, you have a new conference that is not only a step up in competition, but in addition to the best players, it has some of the best coaches, too. Because Summerall, you know, of course, was the architect at Tulane. You know, you had Golis who built Josh Heupel's offense at Tennessee. That all of a sudden is beating Alabama every so often now.

[00:23:28] So from that standpoint, the SEC at that Kentucky level, it's about beating the teams at your level, the Vanderbilts, the Mississippi States, and then pulling off a Tennessee or two. So, you know, we'll see how it goes. But, you know, but let's get right into this, you know. So let's take it from the top, the Georgia Bulldogs. You know, a little while ago, I was talking about how they're one of the most underappreciated teams in the country.

[00:23:56] You know, they're 73 and 9 since 2020. Shout out Golden State. Shout out to the Warriors. Last year, I had a lot of questions about Gunnar Stockton. You know, obviously, we didn't have much material to go off of. We only saw him the second half of the SEC title game after Carson Beck got hurt. And then we saw him in the playoff game against Notre Dame. But it was unfair to try to judge him because of that.

[00:24:20] He came out last year and showed, like, this is what Georgia could be if they have a quarterback. So, you know, so from that standpoint, you know, I think they're in good hands. They bring both their running backs back, Frazier and Bowens. You know, they get some good receivers in the transfer report. They got 13 defenders back that played at least 200 snaps last year. So, of course, we're talking about Georgia. Defense is what they do.

[00:24:50] So, you know, Kirby Smart has been real flippant. So, I don't know if we're going to see a different Georgia this year because they seem to have attitude now. Like, you know, at SEC Media Days, they were asking him, you know, who's a guy that's standing out at camp right now and all that kind of stuff. And he's all like, well, if I knew the answer to that, you know, saying I went to Powerball and all this kind of stuff like that. And, you know, he's like, I use you and your questions to motivate them.

[00:25:22] So, interesting. Interesting ways. Just say we good. Yeah, just say we're good. Just say we're a good team. We brought back a lot of starters. We tend to be on the – I mean, you're a tier one SEC team, and you have been for a lot of years. Yeah. You want a chip. You're in contention every year. I have more faith than them recently.

[00:25:51] I mean, granted, Nick Saban not being in Alabama. I think all the coaching changes and the hot seat stuff is just all of that misses Georgia. They have great, great recruiting transfer portal. They have a lot of money. They have a steady head at quarterback. He didn't – because he's not the type of quarterback that you would try to steal via the transfer portal.

[00:26:18] He doesn't have, like, those ultra – he doesn't have the arm or the body or anything like that where it's like, you know, we got to steal him from Georgia. So, he's comfortable there. He's good with the system. And it's just get the ball to your playmakers in space. Make plays with your legs when you have opportunity. Play tough defense on the front seven.

[00:26:42] Punish them in the back end with your safeties or corners who every single year end up getting drafted first and second round NFL draft out of University of Georgia. So, yeah. I think they're in the proverbial catbird seat to keep a stranglehold on the SEC. And see, like, they – if their name wasn't Georgia, they have a very tricky schedule, you know, like just looking at it, you know, because they get the easy win with Tennessee State.

[00:27:12] They're probably going to make quick work of my Hilltoppers. You know, they go down to Fayetteville. But then it gets interesting. You get Oklahoma. It's at home. You get Vandy, so trap game because you go to Tuscaloosa the week after that. And I know y'all remember the last time Alabama hosted Georgia. Ryan Williams on the sideline with that crazy catch, you know, Georgia after coming back from 28-3 or whatever it was.

[00:27:40] And then, you know, Alabama with the late touchdown to win. But then you get Auburn the week after. Not that Auburn's a great team. They might not even be a good team. But what I do know is they hate Georgia. That's a big rivalry. So you get Mamma and Auburn back to back. All that hate in the world can't stop the dudes up front. All that in your heart can't do. Yeah. No, but you know what, though? You say that, which is not wrong per se.

[00:28:08] But don't forget, we had an argument last year about whether that was a fumble or not at the goal line in that game. If that was called a fumble, Georgia loses that game to Auburn last year. So, you know what I mean? So that's what I'm saying. Like, you can't take a week off. We joke about the SEC and their tough schedule, but it's real. You know what I'm saying? But when the good teams are not clicking, the bottom falls out.

[00:28:36] Kentucky can beat you week six and they're three and two going into that game. Auburn, three and two going into that game. We'll be at one, two, three, four, five, six. If Auburn's not in contention, those guys are checking out. It's a different expectation when you go to that school. So I just think Georgia is going to – I think they are – I don't think they check out against Georgia and Auburn, though. They're going to play their hardest. They might lose.

[00:29:03] They might get their ass kick, but they're going to play hard in those games. I think Georgia's the gold standard. I don't think any teams have been transplanted into the SEC recently, you know, with Oklahoma and your – Oklahoma, your Texas being a proverbial. Like, they're taking over. It's a different brand of football they play there. And it's a level of consistency – level of consistency and competition that you have to be – iron sharpens iron.

[00:29:31] And I don't think these other guys have gotten that opportunity to really get those lumps yet. They are essentially big 12 teams playing the SEC schedule. So I like the quintessential blue blood SEC school being Georgia going forward. So I think that – I think Texas is built like an SEC team. I think Oklahoma still has a little ways to go, but the defense is definitely there, as we saw last year.

[00:30:00] But Georgia is not out the woods after that either. You know what I mean? So you get OU. It's at home. You get Vandy as the trap game. You get at Tuscaloosa, Auburn. You take your bye. Then you play the Gators, your other rival. You know, probably your biggest – Yeah, with the new coach. The game is in Atlanta this year, not Jacksonville because the stadium is being renovated and all that. So the game is at the compressor. So home field advantage Georgia. Home game Georgia.

[00:30:30] You know what I mean? But then you go to Ole Miss the week after that. That's probably their toughest game. Listen, I'm not being dismissive of Alabama. I just feel like Alabama, that's game – Five. That's game five for them. Or let's see. Six, I'm sorry. That's game six for them. They're probably going to be 5-0. I think so. And I think they beat Bama. I'm talking about Bama, like Bama going into that game. Oh, you're talking about Bama. Sorry.

[00:31:01] Bama going into that game, they're probably 5-0 as well. Yeah. But I don't know if the games that Bama played leading up to that matchup with Georgia prepare them for Georgia. If you have a tough game against Florida State or it's a nail-biter 27-24 against South Carolina, Mississippi State gives you a run for the money.

[00:31:31] I think the support and the pressure that's going to be kind of levied upon Bama and their hot coach seat. Remember, that lady said if she won the Powerball two years ago, she was going to buy him out. So that was two years ago. They made the playoffs last year, but it was basically a let-in. If a fan called you with, like, I don't even know how much, $200 million and told you they'd buy you out, would you take it? Absolutely. I'm out. I'm out.

[00:32:18] $200 million. I think we're looking at that game 11. Yeah, because he could be fired by then. I mean, I doubt it. I doubt it. 7-2, 8-3. If it – what's that? So that's game 11. If they're not 8-2, 7-3 going – 7-3 going into that game, he might not be coaching. See what I'm saying? Like, that's a good record. But 7-3, he might – there's a potential he might not be there.

[00:32:48] I think he'll be there at 7-3. I think – like, I think that – I don't know what the three are. I think if he gets – I think if he gets seven, depending on which seven, I think he's fine. But, you know, we'll see. But, you know, so we were talking about Oklahoma. You know, you were talking about them being a Big 12 team. You know, they were different once John Mateer hurt his thumb last year. Before the thumb injury, Oklahoma was on their way. You know, they had pushed Michigan around.

[00:33:16] Later in the season, even after the thumb, you know, they beat Bama, you know, down in Tuscaloosa. They never went over 400 yards again once he hurt that thumb. They brought in Jaden Ott last year from Cal, who I thought was going to be a big factor in their offense. He was injured throughout the year. He only had 21 carries. So same problem as Alabama had, Oklahoma couldn't run the ball.

[00:33:40] And the thing about a dude like Mateer, you know, he's the kind of guy that you should be able to run some kind of read option or some kind of spread with him because of what he brings to the table. But he won't let go of the ball. He won't give the ball to the running back. He's just going to keep it. He's going to take shots. He plays like a high school quarterback. Right. Like, he plays like I'm the guy on the field makes the plays.

[00:34:07] But they still got your guy Isaiah Satanga, you know, at receiver. So, you know, they got that going for them. They picked up Terrell Harris from Virginia. Great pickup. They went and got Parker Livingstone from Texas. You know, Lloyd Avant from Colorado State in the backfield. So tight end coach. Jason Witten is in the house. Oklahoma might have a top three SEC defense. So, you know, that's where they're going to make their bread and butter, you know.

[00:34:36] So they got some guys back. They lost a lot of guys. But most importantly, they have the Bowen brothers back, you know. So Peyton and Eli, you know, obviously there was a theme there, you know. But what do you think about Oklahoma this year? I like them. Very tough. Even in that playoff game. Like you said, Matias' injury definitely set them back.

[00:35:07] It's – but it's the same thing that you get with a team like Texas. A team like South Carolina. A team like, you know, before last year, Ole Miss. They had the talent. It's just that the expectations preseason always are a bridge too far for the talent.

[00:35:37] So the season gets judged off of the lofty expectations. And I think it happens every year to Oklahoma. Because they're always a good team. Obviously, they recruit well. They recruit Texas well. A lot of players who don't go to Texas, who are from the state of Texas, end up at Oklahoma. They have the money to do the recruiting. I just think that they end up with these expectations that are just too lofty. And they come up a little short. I like what Matias does.

[00:36:05] I think he's proven to be like the man. But like you said, he's got to get rid of the ball. They've got to be able to run the ball better. The defense is solid. They have some real studs on the defensive side of the ball. So they are adapting to the SEC mindset. So I think after you get tossed around after a couple of games, you recognize like, okay, this is a different – this is a notch above what we were used to in the Big 12 for the past few years.

[00:36:35] But it's still going to take a little time. I mean, hey, they made the playoff last year. You know, so not only that, but Matias, like for Oklahoma to reach their maximum potential – and, you know, this is a podcast, so hyperbole is okay. You know what I'm saying? So for Oklahoma to meet their potential, he almost has to have a Tebow-level effect, you know, where – Yeah. You know, where he's just the offense.

[00:37:04] He's the focal point. Everything runs through him. Like even – We got John and you don't. Yeah. Yeah, that's what it's got to be. So they open with UTEP before going to the Big House. And I just don't know how I'm feeling about Bryce Underwood this year. So I'm still saying that Oklahoma is going to go to the Big House and win that game. They get New Mexico before they go to Georgia by week, then Red River. So that's their season right there. You know what I'm saying?

[00:37:32] They have to find a way to split Georgia and Texas. And I think, obviously, you would bet on Texas since the game is in Adams, you know, so you don't expect them to win at Georgia. But you got the neutral side in Dallas. You get Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina. Then you get another one at the Swamp. Now, the reason I said that you need to split, you know, is because you could lose that game at the Swamp just off of the environment.

[00:38:01] We saw what happened to Texas last year. And I think Florida is going to be a little bit better than they were last year. I really like John Summerall. I hate the fact that he's there and not Tallahassee. But anyway, then they get Ole Miss the week after that. But it's not over there. They get A&M. Both of those, at least, are at home. You know what I mean?

[00:38:20] So if you could split Georgia and Texas, split Ole Miss and A&M, and not lose at the Swamp, that's a playoff team. So that's 10-2. Yeah. But where is the bad game? I hope it's not the Swamp. You know what I'm saying? That's the thing.

[00:38:48] It could be the Swamp, like I said, just based off of environment. I think it could be Michigan at Michigan. Oh, here we go. Kyle Whittenham Kool-Aid. Kyle Whittenham. Shout out to Salt Lake City. I think – I don't believe Kyle Whittenham has had a quarterback with the physical capabilities as Bryce Underwood.

[00:39:09] But I think he's had a game plan for a quarterback like Bryce Underwood for years. It's just he couldn't get it fully. Like Cam Rising, getting out of the pocket, moving around, kept getting injured. Devin Dampier, mobile quarterback, undersized. Spiel's doing his thing. But I think the – I think what Cam Rising was able to do in a Utah offense and what Dampier was able to do at his size,

[00:39:39] I think you kind of roll that into one and you have Bryce Underwood. I think the easy read. I think the zone reads. I think tight end play. Tight end play is huge in Utah. So, a lot of Utah tight ends end up getting time in the league. A lot of their offensive line, defensive line. And Michigan was already known for that anyway. So, I think that's one of those games where Bryce Underwood runs for 120 yards and three touchdowns just off of play calling and style.

[00:40:07] Early in the year, you haven't seen it. And I think Whittenham – if Whittenham has his way, in my personal opinion, I think that's where – that's how he deploys Bryce Underwood. But now, you get someone – what is he? 6'5", 240, 250. We'll call him 6'5", 230 just to be generous because he's still in college. Getting them on the edge, playing the way that Dampier and Cam Rising were playing, like that combination,

[00:40:35] I think that can be dangerous for a team in week two coming off a game where they play UTEP week one. Maybe. They, you know, said it then. And then, you know, they closed with Missouri. So, you know, Oklahoma, I'm telling you, I got my eye on them. Then you got Bama. Let's talk Bama for a second. You know, so we talked about Kaelin DeBoer, you know, and, you know, what he was going to be dealing with.

[00:41:02] But they did lose Caden Proctor, you know, off the offensive line. You know, Ryan Williams has undergone a name change. He's in his Maurice Jones-Drew era. He is now Ryan Coleman Williams. We're number one. We're number one. They brought in Noah Rogers from NC State. So, last year, as Mr. Logical was talking about, Bama as a team averaged 3.4 yards per carry. You know. Hit the hole. Yeah.

[00:41:32] And they lost Parker Braceford as well off the offensive line. So, it is. And you're breaking in another new quarterback. You know, so you had Ty Simpson last year off to the NFL. Now you're down to Austin Mack or Keelan Russell. I'm thinking Keelan Russell. And if it is Keelan Russell, I like it. You know, now, where the bread and butter for Bama is going to be is their secondary.

[00:41:56] You know, Zabian Brown, Keon Saab, you know, and their linebackers, you know, Yonsei Pierre. So, Alabama's defense, they have the schedule to start the season good. They start off with East Carolina, you know, who's breaking in a new quarterback. Kentucky, breaking in a new quarterback, even though he's talented, Kenny Minchie. You know, Florida State, who knows? You know, South Carolina, they seem to just have South Carolina's number.

[00:42:24] Remember last year in Columbia, South Carolina went into the fourth quarter with that lead. And all those butt cheeks around Tuscaloosa was getting real tight, you know, before they game copped that thing. Then you got Mississippi State. So, I do think that Bama's 5-0 heading into that Georgia game. You know, I think they lose to Georgia. You know, they get Tennessee. Now, this is where it gets kind of interesting because you knew one bet that you could always make was Bama over Tennessee.

[00:42:55] You know, until that dude false started on that kick. False started. False started on that kick. No one else false started but me. You and I, we're the only people that mention that. And ever since then, you know, Bama holds a 3-2 edge in the last five games against Tennessee. This one is at Knoxville where they lost last time they went there. They get A&M, you know, back-to-back, but it's at home.

[00:43:20] Coming off the bye, they get Lane Kiffin, you know, Vandy, Chattanooga, and then the Iron Bowl. So, for me, same thing I said about Oklahoma, right? Don't lose at the Swamp. So, if you're Bama, don't lose at Knoxville. Don't lose in New England. You know, and I think you could be on the right path because if you beat Tennessee, I don't think losing to an A&M or LSU hurts you.

[00:43:48] So, a 10-2 Bama, I think, has a good shot as anybody into getting into the playoff. Yeah, 10-2 Bama is getting in. The problem is I think they're more likely to be 9-3. Okay. I think a stumble happens before the Georgia game. Okay. I don't know where it is just yet. But maybe it's a South Carolina game.

[00:44:18] But I just feel like 5-0 going into week six, we haven't seen it yet. Well, I will say Mississippi State, you know, they took Texas and Tennessee to overtime last year. You know, they got Florida down to the last possession. And then they actually beat Arizona State. So, you know, don't sleep on Mississippi State. And they got a better quarterback this year.

[00:44:42] Yeah, I just think the first five weeks, if it was a fifth, we'd all be drunk. Those are the type of teams that if they come with their, this is our college football playoff game, that kind of mindset. You know, in the NFL, it's like, oh, when you play the Chiefs, this is your Super Bowl. Yeah. You think Bama's name still carries that? Absolutely. Just because it's Bama. Okay.

[00:45:13] It's been the quintessential marquee university in your region since your grandfather. You know what I'm saying? Since, like, let's keep it real. Like, early 90s was 30 years ago. Yeah. I mean, so it's like, it's been like the quintessential organization for so long. They had their down years, but you can't really remember when, just because it's Bama.

[00:45:42] They've always churned out the talent. So I think every week, especially those particular teams, granted, East Carolina might just be outmatched. But you get a couple of bad fumbles, a bad pick six, a quarterback change. I think those are the kind of games where something like that happens. Yeah. And Nick Saban, right? His last or his next to last season, you know, when he was playing around trying to figure out who his quarterback was going to be.

[00:46:09] You know, they had that game against South Florida that was 10-3 at halftime. Or the game when they, they, they, they, oh, that was Kaelin DeBoer that lost to Vanderbilt. Yes. And then they lost to Florida State, of course, last year, 5-7 Florida State. That was the first game of the season. Yeah. But that's what I mean. It's one of those coin toss games that normally wouldn't be. Normally that game is 90-10, 85-15.

[00:46:39] Some of these games being close to the 50-50 and 55-45, that's tough for a team that has a coach that doesn't really have the support of the fan base. You feel that. You feel that in the crowd. He's going, he's going to see it at the store. He's going to see it driving around the city. Like, uh, talking about Texas. Friday night lights. Remember when he was, like, going to Walmart and the people stopping him in the parking lot? Like, hey, what you going to do about this game Friday night? That's his high school football.

[00:47:09] Imagine what Alabama head coach is getting or his family is potentially getting when he's out in public. If they, if they go into week three, one and one, and they're about to play Florida State for the second year in a row. Yeah. So, you know, it's that time of the show where I say the two words that Mr. Logic will hate more than anything else in college football. Say it with me. Neutral site. Neutral site. All right. Ole Miss starting the season with Louisville. How about that?

[00:47:40] You know, and then, you know, they got Trinidad Chambliss back. The drama is over. You know, he will be back. You know, he will be a Heisman candidate. He finished eighth last year. You know, 10th in the nation in yards per game. They got Kiwan Lacy back. You know, over 1,500 yards, 24 touchdowns. He finished as a finalist for the Dope Walker. They do have to replace both their tackles. So, issue there. You know, they do have to replace pretty much all the wide receivers.

[00:48:09] They lost their best defender to LSU. Go figure. You know, Lane Kiffin took him. But they do have Will Eccles, Cam Franklin, and Sudarine Parkins back. Antonio Kite in the secondary. Edwin Joseph from Florida State, you know, in the secondary. So, well, the thing about Ole Miss, it's interesting, right? Because Pete Golding, first time as a head coach, he got thrown into the fire last year because of what Lane Kiffin did. So, he had to jump into the playoffs.

[00:48:38] And he damn near pulled it off. You know, they got to the semifinal. And, you know, lost a very close game to the Hurricanes. So, like, was that beginner's luck? Was that momentum and motivation because of what Kiffin did? And now, back to life, back to reality. No, I think because he was a defensive coach, he understood the physical side of the game. Even if you don't know anything about X's and O's, you can teach physicality. You can preach physicality.

[00:49:08] You can ride physicality because that, offensively or defensively, if you win that battle, you're probably going to win the game. So, I think understanding what to do defensively and having a talent like Trinidad Chambliss already, who was already in the groove all year long, I don't think it was a fluke. I think they could repeat and have the same amount of, you know,

[00:49:37] impact and then go on to the college football playoff as well. And looking at their schedule, if I'm looking at it right, we know, like, it's tough. But I think that the whole SEC is, like, just littered with tough schedules. I think the SEC is going to be 28-24, a lot of 28-24 games versus your LSU and Ole Miss games, your Texas A&M, Bama games.

[00:50:05] But I think it's more how it lines up, you know, because, like, so they get the neutral site with Louisville. You know, they should win that game. Louisville is going to be breaking in a new quarterback. So, I'll give them the advantage. Where is it? Nashville. Okay. It's a neutral site. That makes sense. Nashville is more central Tennessee, right? I believe so. Memphis is closer. So, Memphis is probably closer to Memphis. Memphis is super west. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:50:35] Okay. So, that might be a little much. Yeah. So, you get Charlotte in week two. Fine. But then you get the big one, right? Who has the most pressure? Is the pressure on Kiffin to win that game? Is the pressure on Kiffin? Okay. Then you go to the swamp. Kiffin is an embarrassing way. It was like a stain on the college football playoffs, SEC, the NIL,

[00:51:00] the coaching, the bureaucracy that surrounded college football, the way he left. I'm telling you now. I don't know. It has to work. It has to work because it's like you did all of this just to lose to the team you left. Yeah. I like Louisville. But I just think game one, maybe if they were playing game four or five and Lincoln Keenholz had a few games under his belt, maybe. But coming off week one, I don't know. That's tough.

[00:51:27] But also, like, look at that Ole Miss, you know, look at the schedule. You know, they get LSU, then they go to the swamp. You know, then they go to Vanderbilt after the bye. They get Missouri, so they should win both of those. Then it gets real after that. You know, you go to Austin and play Georgia within a three-week period with Auburn in between. Then the week after Georgia, you have to go to Norman.

[00:51:55] You know, that's a tough stretch. I don't care who you are. Then they get Wofford and it goes with the rivalry. But I'm not. They're tough games, but I wouldn't. I don't think they'd be. I don't think those teams would be betting favorites over Ole Miss. I'm not predicting an undefeated season, but I just feel as if the. I think when you're returning a quarterback that I don't believe there.

[00:52:23] I think Texas has more questions. I think that they'll be. Ole Miss does. I think they'll be a three and a half to four point underdog at Texas. At Texas, just because it's at Texas. Yeah. Like, I think they could possibly be. If it was in Dallas, it'd be a split. But you're saying at Austin. Yeah. You get three points just because you're. Yeah. That's. Yeah. I think Georgia.

[00:52:49] I think Georgia could be favored over them, depending on how it goes close to a touchdown. I think that you're going to be underdogs going into Norman, you know, like another road game. But you're going to be the underdog there, maybe. But the LSU. But the LSU game. You know, I know y'all probably can't wear bulletproof vests into the stadium. But I would advise that you just put a bunch of tape up under there. You know, it's going to be getting.

[00:53:15] It's going to be getting crazy up in Oxford and bought him away. So then you've got the Longhorns. We were talking about the Longhorns, you know. So Mr. Logical is all out on the arch train. Guess what? I am, too. OK. That must be on the right track. I'm out on arch. So not out as far as, like, he's a bum or anything along those lines.

[00:53:39] But I just don't know if he's going to be good enough to get Texas where people think that he can get them to. And then when you. Yeah. Yeah. And then when you pair that with the things that we were saying about Sark, you know, it's just not a good combination. Somebody has to be the steady hand, you know, like as far as, like, you know, the quarterback coach combination. So we were talking about. It's very similar to what's going on in that one. Yeah. Well, yeah, yeah. And we were talking about James Franklin.

[00:54:08] And, you know, nobody, I don't think a lot of people believe in Drew Aller. You know, and you already had James Franklin's track record against top 10 teams. So you kind of knew a national title or something like that was, even though they did get to the semifinals and was a possession away from playing for the national title. You just never believe. Yeah. That UCLA game confirmed your bias that I knew this wasn't going to be a match being in heaven. Yeah.

[00:54:36] And then you got, I'm trying to think there was another coach quarterback combination I had in my mind. But, but the point. No, no. So Ryan Day, like, I felt that, like, even though Ryan Day had a bad rap. I thought that Ryan Day could win a title because you can't mess up Ohio State. Like, you're always going to have a chance. You can't mess it up. I think it was Jim Harbaugh that said he was born on third base and think he hit a triple.

[00:55:04] So, like, Ryan Day, I think, is a good enough coach that I thought that he could win a national title. With Sark, it's not that I think he's a bad coach. You know, it's just that he seems to panic in those moments and just starts, like, everything that got you there, he gets away from. And I agree with you. Texas should be at least 10-2. You know, and they should be, though, realistically speaking.

[00:55:32] And I know I've been talking all this trash about Texas. Texas should be 12-0 this year. Like, just looking at everything that they have. Texas should be 12-0. You know, they were the preseason number one last year. You know, they finished last year on a high note. You know, they beat A&M at their place. Then they turned around and just destroyed Michigan in the bowl game. You know, so Sark has sounded real entitled this year. He's been the one.

[00:56:01] I don't mind Kirby Smart saying all the things about the SEC being tough and we should leave and all this kind of stuff. But when Sark is talking, it's like, put your belt on, son. Put your belt on. You know what I mean? Once again, he's a Big 12 coach coaching a Big 12 team that just changed. But they got my guys. But they got my guys, bro. They have guys. No, they got my guys, though.

[00:56:27] They went out and got Cam Coleman, who might be the best receiver in college football that's not named Jeremiah Smith. You know what I mean? And on his best day, he might be as good as Jeremiah Smith. They brought in Ryan Wingo as well. Yo, they went and got my guy. Remember this name from last year? They went and got my guy, Hollywood Smothers. You know what I'm saying? From NC State. My guy. My favorite running back. You know, they went and got Relique Brown from Arizona State to shore up the backfield.

[00:56:56] On defense, they went and got Rashean Biles, you know, who was supposed to be the man at Pitt this year. But Texas went and paid. They got Colin Simmons, you know, who led the SEC in sacks last year, you know, at Texas with 12 sacks. You know, they got Jelani McDonald. They got Grayson Littleton. You know, Lance Jackson. Ty Anthony Smith. Cade Phillips. Bo Masco. Oh, the one good.

[00:57:22] Well, one of the two good players Rutgers had on defense last year. You know, like I wasn't going to disrespect my guy, Conch Sanders, like that. But Texas got everything you could possibly want. They went and got Will Muschamp back. So, like, look. Look. If Texas doesn't win the national title this year, Sark got to go. It just wasn't meant to be. I don't care if you're 11-1, you know what I'm saying?

[00:57:52] And you get the bye. If you come off that bye and lose the playoff game like these teams been doing, you might got to go. You know what I'm saying? For me, I'm not like. They got the players, man. They got the players. I'm not. I'm not going to jump out the bin like that.

[00:58:08] But for me, I just first personally believe that, like you said, he has the weapons, but there's not a lot of evidence to show that he can, you know, use them properly and get over the hump. That's a kind of, like, they're going to be one of those teams that get a wake-up call early. You know, either a loss or a high speed. Hey, me too. There you go right there, right?

[00:58:39] Or, you know, they lose Ohio State and then they get you guys, let's go 2-1-0. And then they get a, maybe a nail biter with Tennessee. Nah, I think they killed Tennessee. That was their wake-up call. But that's the thing. You believe that because they have the players to do so.

[00:59:00] Well, that and the fact that Tennessee is going to be starting a freshman quarterback who isn't a highly, you know, he's not like Julian Sane or something or DJ Lagway type of quarterback. Yeah. So, then you have your rivalry, obviously, at the Red River shootout. I got them losing. Yep. I got them losing to the Red River. I got them losing to Ohio State. You're big on Florida. I'm still pretty, I'm still pretty. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Watch your mouth. You're big.

[00:59:30] You're big on Florida being. Listen, you're big on Florida being a sport. They'll be improved. They'll be improved. But I also think that Texas, I think Texas is going to circle that game. Yeah, they're going to be a blemish on one of the top. So, we got Georgia playing Florida, correct? Yeah. Yeah, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss. Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Texas. So, one of those four teams is probably going to win SEC. I don't think it's going to be Texas, though.

[00:59:57] Because I think Texas is going to circle that game based off what I was just talking about a few minutes ago. Like, that was the game that kept them out the playoff last year. So, like, they're not – and they're coming to Austin this time. I don't think Sark's going to let that slide. Yeah. Normally, that's probably a great prediction.

[01:00:15] But you have Florida as – you seem to kind of pinpoint in Florida as the SEC championship linchpin for one of these four teams. Like, somebody's not going to make that playoff or not going to make the conference championship. And it's because you lost to Florida. Because you lost to Florida. You know, on top of the schedule you already have. So, it's going to be tough.

[01:00:43] Like I said, with their history, that Missouri game could be tough. It's just – it's just because we don't believe inherently and intrinsically in Sark. Like, 9-3 is not crazy. No, it's not. But I think a 9-3 Texas also – But you're saying 11-1, he's fired. So, 9-3 would just be nuts. But I think – you know, and I was just about to – see, you took my line right there. I had that written down in my notes.

[01:01:12] But, you know, but, yeah. Like, I think that – so, I think, depending on how it goes, I think a 9-3 Texas team is still alive for the playoff, though. That's the difference, I think, in our thinking. You know what I mean? No, it really is. But think about it like this. Think about it like this. Matter of fact, an SMU, Miami, and a Notre Dame could all be – Well, yeah. It's going to be dependent on what happens elsewhere.

[01:01:42] You got 11-1 Notre Dame, a 10-2, 11-1 Miami, and SMU wins the ACC championship. So, you still – you got 11-2 Miami, but you don't hold a championship. I just think that – I think that somebody – I don't know. A 9-3 Indiana, a 9-3, you know, or a 10-2 Oregon, depending on who they – like, there's math around this.

[01:02:11] And, you know, we're talking about all these other teams. Like, you know what I mean? If they beat the Red River, that takes – maybe that takes care of Oklahoma. If they beat Ohio State, you know, Ohio State's got Oregon and Indiana this year. Ohio State could be 9-3. So, there are two losses in a 10-2 scenario. Good job, Riz. You got – LSU – Ohio State. If that's going to be the one.

[01:02:40] That's going to be the one. That game at LSU. So, you're 10-2, you lose to LSU and Ohio State. I can see you up there. But if you are pitted against an 11-1 Notre Dame – Well, it just depends. You know what I'm saying? If that's the point. If that's the linchpin.

[01:03:04] If Miami comes up the South Bend and put a three-touchdown win on the board – Even 45-10 against Notre Dame, yeah, a little bad. But if they finish that season out strong and finish 11-1, hell, Miami beat them head-to-head. And they finish the season essentially at the same pace. And they had a – Don't forget they play BYU. So, you bring up an interesting point here.

[01:03:33] You know, so the G5 team, it's tough for me. This is a tough subject for me because I'm a fan of if they can't win the national title or, like, if we feel that their schedules aren't tough enough for them to get in, why are they here? Like, you know what I mean? If they're going to be here, we got to treat them like they're here. You know what I mean? But if they're not going – You know, we can – But that's where the 24 comes in, I guess, because – But you – I don't know.

[01:04:03] But the G5, you know, we'll get to that here in a little bit with our playoff predictions. But, you know, I think that a G5 playoff might be closer to happening than, you know, we would have originally thought. But, yeah, so I think that Texas is – Them and Ohio State, the loser of that game, either one could end up 9-3. Because remember, I didn't have Ohio State in my Big Ten championship game. So, you know, we'll see. We'll see.

[01:04:31] But Texas' rival, their, you know, neighbor college station, A&M, Aggies, you know, said, my baby school. So, Marcel Reed is back, you know, 3,000 yards. You know, he's one of the only three SEC quarterbacks last year. Him, Trinidad Chambliss, and Diego Pavia. 3,000 yards and ran for at least 550. The issue, though, he throws picks.

[01:05:00] You know, he threw 12 of them. You know, they – in those two losses that they had last year, zero touchdowns, four interceptions. So, what's the key? Hold on to the damn ball. But KC Concepcion is gone. They still have Mario Craver. They got Ruben Owens back. So, that's good news for A&M. They lost a little bit on defense. Cassius Howell is in the NFL now. Rylan Kennedy is a Seminole.

[01:05:28] So, expect a little bit, you know, trying to build that pass rush back. But I think the secondary will hold it down. But here it is, Mr. Logical. A&M has not won 10 games in back-to-back seasons since 1992 and 93. So, Mike Elko has a chance here to do something that not many A&M coaches do. 40 years, yeah. Yeah, and, you know, they are coming off making the playoffs last year. And, of course, they lost that game in the last minute of the game.

[01:05:56] So, starting off with Missouri State, I'll call that a win. You know, I call Arizona State a win at home. You know, they get Kentucky. You know, that should be a win. Should be a win. You know, then you get at LSU, right? That's where it all happened last year. That was the Saturday night game that got Brian Kelly out of there.

[01:06:24] You know, thank you. Thank you. Then they get Arkansas, who they just don't lose to for some reason. You know, they go to Missouri. They get the Citadel, El Cid, in the house. They go to Tuscaloosa. They go to South Carolina after the bye. They play Tennessee. They go to OU. They close with Texas. This is – I think this is 8-4 with a very dangerous path to 7-5.

[01:06:55] I mean, it's – like I said, you just quoted the stat about them not winning back – like back-to-back seasons with 10 wins. So, that's tough. You want to believe, but it's hard in the SEC to have essentially, for lack of a better word, like a flash year. And it becomes sustainable, especially now in the era of, like, teams moving around.

[01:07:22] And we knew Texas A&M was throwing money around when Jimbo Fisher was there. I think they're still paying him. You know, remember the famous booster meeting with Nick Saban asking for more money because Texas A&M bought other players. So, it's very tough. Your 8-4 teetering scary 7-5 is realistic. Yeah, I mean, they go to LSU, Bama, and OU. You know what I'm saying?

[01:07:52] Like, they got to go to Tuscaloosa. They got to go to Death Valley. And you know that's probably going to be a night game. You know what I'm saying? And they got to go to Gaylord Memorial. And that's before they play Texas. And they ask, whatever South Carolina brings you, they got to go there. So, yeah, it's a tough one. So, now this is where we get into the variance teams, right?

[01:08:16] Your Florida, your Auburn, you know, your LSU, your South Carolina. You know, this is where you get into that part of it because I mentioned Alex Golish, the new head coach at Auburn. He was the architect of that Josh Heupel offense at Tennessee that hasn't looked the same since he's been gone. You know, he's been at South Florida. By the way, by the way, he did win at the Swamp last year as the head coach of South Florida.

[01:08:46] You know, so he's not opposed to this SEC thing. He's bringing Byron Brown with him, you know, the quarterback, along with Jeremiah Cobb, you know, and Nakai Davenport. Three of their receivers from UCF. So, he's bringing his squad with him. They kept DJ Durkin as the defensive coordinator. Here's one for you. Auburn hasn't finished top 50. That's 5-0. And scoring offense since 2019.

[01:09:17] You know, on defense, they got Xavier Atkins, you know, first team all SEC back. You know, this is it. You know, this is one of the teams, in addition to Florida, that their quarterback is dynamic enough, Brown, that you could get got if you take Auburn lightly. And we talked about Georgia, you know, and, you know, so I don't know if they – I don't think they beat Georgia, obviously. But, Mr. Logical, I regret to inform you.

[01:09:47] Auburn is going to start the season in Atlanta, you know, set against the Baylor Bears. You know, they came down here and beat Baylor at Waco last year. You know, Southern Miss. So, I think they're 2-0. So, then, 2-5 moment. Remember, I was excited about the border war. You know, Auburn and Florida was one of the best SEC rivals, you know, rivalries when I was a kid slash before I was born.

[01:10:16] You know, some of the better games that you've seen in SEC history. They get Vanderbilt. They go to Tennessee. Off the bye at Georgia. LSU back-to-back because LSU and Auburn should play every year. Then they get Ole Miss. It goes downhill real fast. You know what I mean? Real fast. So, can you be the team that avoids a loss to Auburn?

[01:10:46] Someone's got to lose just because that's just the nature of football and SEC. So, if I'm looking at it, where does Auburn get their steal? So, we're looking at Georgia, Ole Miss, Bama. I would like to say LSU just because it's at home, you know, out of those games, you know, because they go to Ole Miss. They go to Georgia.

[01:11:15] So, you have LSU in this middle of the pack, potentially. You have an 8-4 LSU. LSU. Yeah, because I got so many questions about LSU. You know what I mean? Like, Lane Kiffin is another Sark when it comes to the big games and, you know, how it just suddenly disappears. Like, I don't know if Ole Miss makes the playoff run they made last year if Kiffin was still there.

[01:11:40] Also, additionally, LSU still has secondary issues that I feel they haven't solved. You know, they still got to figure out wide receiver, which is something that you never really think that you say about LSU. They haven't been able to – yeah, they haven't been able to run the ball. Their quarterback is coming off of, you know, foot surgeries and all this kind of stuff.

[01:12:01] So, LSU's not – you know, like, people have caught up in Lane Kiffin, and obviously he brought some talent from Ole Miss with him. You know what I mean? But I think you need a year. I think they need a year to kind of figure out the formula. Yeah, because he has some pretty pedestrian years at Ole Miss with NFL talent.

[01:12:27] Like, a lot of guys getting drafted off those rosters and pretty much trying to beg their way into the playoff a couple years ago when Jackson Dart was starting. And they lost three games that year. Yeah, they lost three games that year. I mean, looking at Auburn – I mean, if I was Auburn – A 7-5 Auburn doesn't surprise me. Yeah, I'm thinking 6-6.

[01:12:55] But, yeah, I think if you could get 7-5, you're happy as an Auburn fan, you know, coming off of the last couple of years. And, you know, as far as LSU goes, you know, LSU, like I said, they got talent, obviously. They're LSU. You know, they got Jordan Seton from Colorado, you know, offensive lineman, probably the best offensive lineman in the country. You know, they went and got Eugene Wilson from Florida, who's great once he has the ball in his hand.

[01:13:24] He's just got to get the ball in his hand. And to do that, he's got to be on the field, you know, saying which he doesn't tend to be a lot. You know, Jason Brown from Kansas State, there's a deep threat like him a lot. You know, Winston Watkins over from Ole Miss. He was a freshman last year, so a lot of people are excited for him. They went and got, you know, from Ole Miss, Prince. I forgot how to say his last name, but he was third in the SEC with sacks with nine sacks.

[01:13:52] They got Ty Benefield from Boise at safety. But like I said, what about those corners that were getting picked on last year? You got Weeks coming back, you know, from his broken ankle, which is ironic, of course, because he's dating Lane Kiffin's daughter. So, you know, they lost Mansour Delane. So LSU is a team that's going to have a lot of hype because of all the drama. But I think peeling it back and looking at it, you find more questions than answers.

[01:14:21] And so I think they do get off to a good start. I think they beat Clemson in Week 1. You know, I think they beat Louisiana Tech. Then they go to Oxford. You know, so that's going to be the buzzsaw. They get A&M the week after that. They'll beat McNee. They'll win at Kentucky, which if you look at the history, and I know these guys haven't been there, LSU doesn't typically play well at Kentucky. Mississippi State, at Auburn, by week, Bama, Texas.

[01:14:50] Both of them at home, though. Both of them at home. You know, at Tennessee, at Arkansas to close the year. So, yeah, I think 8-4 is on the table. But it just might be one of those years where you beat the teams that you're supposed to beat. And then you steal two of the games that you should theoretically lose because it's your first year as a head coach in a very tumultuous offseason. Yeah. This could be like a 10-2, 11-1 year for LSU. It could be. It's off the talent.

[01:15:19] It's off the talent and talent and arrogance. This could be a playoff team, to be honest with you. But the games aren't played on paper. That's the only problem. Now, if it's close, if it's a fringe, if it's 10-2, personality-wise, I think they put LSU brand and personality-wise. I think Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Especially if Ole Miss gets in. You probably want to set up a playoff matchup. You know what I'm saying? If you can. That would be an 8-9 game.

[01:15:47] No matter how it looks, they'll make that an 8-9 game. And say they didn't do it on purpose. That's a good point. That's a good point. Thanks for bringing that up. I forgot they brought Coach Ogeron back. Yeah. You know what I mean? So maybe not for this year, but next year, recruiting-wise, they're going to be killing it for real. Then you've got the Gators that we were talking about. The team, don't lose to Florida. John Summerall in from Tulane.

[01:16:16] Buster Faulkner in as the OC from Georgia Tech. He brought Aaron Filo with him. But it may not be Aaron Filo as the starter. We'll have to watch that play out. It sounds like it's going to go all the way through fall camp. Over the past five years, Florida is 29-34. You know, but you will see a little difference here because, you know, Billy Napier was stuck in the 80s with that three yards in a cloud of dust. That's not Florida football. Florida football is speed and open space.

[01:16:46] Catch me if you can. So I think they're going to get back to that. They kept Jaden Ball at running back. They got Eric Singleton at wide receiver, who I like a lot. Vernell Brown as well. Dallas Wilson is back. So Florida is going to be able to get up and down the field on teams. You know, I think that – Which should be the standard already. Yeah. Yeah, and that's where the Auburn game, like I mentioned, becomes very important, you know, because Florida can't lose that game.

[01:17:15] On defense, Miles Graham, Jaden Robinson, and Bryce Thornton. You know, Jaden Woods, pass rush. So they got Mr. Logical's favorite DB, Cormani McClain. I don't know what Deion said to him. They're running him out of Colorado. But Florida's got a gem. Like I said, I remember watching a high school all-star game before I joined the Air Force, so way back in the late 90s, back in the 1900s.

[01:17:43] It was Florida versus the other 49 states. Best high school players from the state of Florida versus the other 49 states. So for a coach at Florida not to understand that it's just their speed offensively and speed and power defensively, send it out on the field. Watch what happens. So, yeah, he probably deserved to lose his job.

[01:18:09] You should never be an underachiever at Florida with the talent pool that you had to choose from. Yeah. They opened the season with Florida Atlantic. Then they get the Fighting Camels of Campbell. They get the game at Auburn we've been talking about. They get Ole Miss there. Don't forget, they beat Ole Miss two years ago with Jackson Dart there. They go to Mizzou, South Carolina at home, at Texas, bye week, Georgia, OU.

[01:18:37] So that's a tight – thank God for that bye week. That would be a horrible back-to-back-to-back. And neutral tight with Georgia, obviously. Yep, yep. Go to UK. Why can't they just play in Athens? Who knows? You know what I'm saying? Florida State. You know, so, I mean, the Gators, like I said, they're a variance. They could go anywhere, I think, from 6-6 to 9-3. You know what I mean? They could.

[01:19:03] And a lot of that is me just loving John Summerall too and, you know, hating that he's their head coach. But, yeah, just don't lose to the Gators, y'all. Yeah, and like you said, I think you might be on to something. And that's going to be something I look out for this year is, like, what team, like, this Ole Miss lose week four? They could. That changes the whole trajectory of the SEC. It changes the whole – yeah, the whole algebra, as they say.

[01:19:33] Then you got South Carolina. You know, they went from 4-8 to 9-4. Mr. Logical had them in his national title game last year. Yeah. Didn't work out. Lots of heartbreak for South Carolina last year. Remember, they were up, what, 31-3 at Texas A&M before the thing happened in the tunnel? Then they got bullied by the police. Then they got bullied by the police. You know, two years in a row they had Bama on the ropes and just couldn't pull it out.

[01:20:02] This year they got to go back to Tuscaloosa. New offensive coordinator, you know, Kendall Briles is in from TCU. Sounds good. Problem is fourth offensive coordinator in the last five years. And, you know, you have a quarterback like Lenore Sellers who has a very specific skill set. Skill set. You know, South Carolina slander. No, man. I love the Paul Meadow.

[01:20:27] But, you know, Lenore Sellers, you know, a lot of people are thinking he could be the top quarterback in the NFL draft or, you know, one of the first two or three taken. So it's going to be interesting to see him under another offensive coordinator and see if that messes anything up as far as rhythm. He brings Nick Harbor back for those of you that were playing NCAA 26. You know exactly who Nick Harbor is. And, yes, in real life he's that damn good too.

[01:20:56] They got offensive line issues. And, of course, and, of course, they went and got an offensive lineman from NC State that was probably going to be their best offensive lineman. Heard himself playing basketball. You know what I'm saying? So there's that. They got a lot of defensive production back. But what I'm concerned about is my guy, Dylan Stewart. You know, he had an inconsistent year last year.

[01:21:23] But I'm expecting big things this year provided that his back heals up because he's been dealing with back issues during the offseason. That's never a good sign because they could just creep up at any moment. They did bring back all three linebackers. Remember this name, defensive back Bakari Swain, not just because it's a cool-ass name, but he's a great player.

[01:21:50] You know, he has three punt returns for touchdowns. Last season he only allowed a 9.2 QBR against opposing quarterbacks. So South Carolina is one of these teams that I've been talking about. Don't lose to South Carolina because if it's one thing that Mr. Logical knows, there's going to be some beaver ball. Oh, yeah. You can lose a game 17-13. You could.

[01:22:19] And the offense doesn't score a touchdown. Yeah. And I think they got a 3-0 start heading into Tuscaloosa. You know, so like, but to your point, like you brought up Bama earlier. You said they could be 5-0, but none of those games prepared them for Georgia. So I think South Carolina could be in that same boat where you're 3-0, but are you ready to go to Tuscaloosa? But in the same sense, Bama's 3-0.

[01:22:46] Are they ready for South Carolina to come to Tuscaloosa? Maybe. It's so many questions. And like I said, we talk about the SEC. You ran down the litany of talent that's transferring into Texas. We talk about the return of talent in South Carolina. We talk about just the talent pool that these coaches can pull from. Ultimately, it's going to be one or two teams that really set themselves apart.

[01:23:14] And then about two teams that are going to be hovering around two to three losses, more likely three. And then, so it's probably going to be three teams with three losses and two teams that are competing for the conference championship. You just don't want to lose, for lack of a better word, the gimme game. You don't want to lose if you're Ole Miss, Texas, Bama, Oklahoma, Georgia.

[01:23:42] So those are your five that you're probably vying for the top two spots. Don't drop that game to Florida. Don't drop that unsuspecting game to South Carolina. Don't get in a random dog fight with Mississippi State. Which could happen. They seem to be able to generate those games.

[01:24:05] They just, the last couple of drives, a shank punt, missed field goal, missed assignment defensively, and the first down is converted and they lose the game. So those, like your top five SEC schools, they just have to avoid the mistake that three of them will make. Yeah, the problem for South Carolina. Two will be, two will get through pretty clean.

[01:24:35] Two of them will get through at your 11-1, 12-0, maybe a really, really good 10-2. We talk about Texas potentially losing to LSU and Ohio State, but kind of really handling business everywhere else. Don't be that team that your third loss is to Arkansas. The problem is, is that South Carolina has to have a bye week. That's the problem.

[01:25:04] Because after you wake up after the bye week, Tennessee at Oklahoma, A&M at Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson on the road. Georgia, and then the Clemson game is at Clemson back-to-back. That is a hell of a finish for a coach trying to save his job. I mean, you'll definitely save it. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? If you get some wins up in there, you know what I mean?

[01:25:32] Like, if you could get A&M in one of Georgia or Clemson, you know, especially if it's Georgia, you know what I'm saying? You saved your job, but you got to get through. You got to get through. I think the saving grace is that that game's at home. Yeah. That's a tough, my job is riding on this victory game. Yeah. I think that's tough for anybody any part of the season, but week 12, Georgia.

[01:25:59] Well, you remember the other day, we were talking about teams that are 10-2 teams with 8-4 schedules. You know, I legit think South Carolina's a 9-3 team with a 6-6 schedule. You know what I mean? And I wouldn't be surprised if they're 5-7. Because that's just tough. Like, you know what I mean? Like, you could be, like, after that Oklahoma game.

[01:26:25] Now, granted, they usually match up with A&M pretty well, but A&M's still a tough team. You go to Arkansas, which could be sleepy. You know what I mean? Like, you're looking forward to Georgia. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know, man. That's a tough way to end the year. Your admiration for this guy Summerall down in Florida. Yeah. They could be 4-2 going into the bye with a loss to Bam and a loss to Florida. They could be.

[01:26:53] And then now you have Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia, and Clemson on the back end. Yeah, that's Tennessee. Your 5-7 sounds sadly realistic. But I just can't see them losing that many games in that stretch. But the schedule doesn't really allow them to breathe at all. I think the Tennessee game is going to be the difference between a bowl game or not. And then, you know, let's talk about Tennessee here.

[01:27:22] They went out and got Jim Knowles to shore up their defense. You know, people might remember him as the only good defensive coordinator Oklahoma State ever had. You know, he was also the Ohio State defensive coordinator a few years ago. And then, of course, he left there to get egg on his face at Penn State. So, people think of offense when it comes to Tennessee. I brought up Josh Heupel, Alex Goldish, so on and so forth.

[01:27:49] But it's been the defense that we've thought about lately. You know, James Pierce, for example. You know, Colton Hood and guys like that that they've had on their defensive rosters. This year, the defense ain't going to be that. You know, the problem is, is now your quarterback room. You know what I mean? Because, you know, you got George McIntyre, who's the true freshman, who might get to start.

[01:28:14] Your backup is Ryan Staub, if you remember him from Colorado. Yeah. You know, your third string is a freshman who might be the future of Faison Brandon, which at this point, I'm like, just play the future at this point. You know, give him some experience. But anyway, they are loaded at linebacker. But the rest of the defense, I have questions about, which ain't a good thing, because that means I'm questioning your pass rush. And that means I'm questioning your secondary.

[01:28:42] Even though, you know, they do have good players, it's about experience, though. You know, Joey Aguilar, he came in. You know, the whole trade for Nico, that wasn't really a trade. You know, he turned the ball over in big moments. Luckily, they don't play Georgia this year, because they still haven't beat Georgia since 2016, when Josh Dobbs threw the Hail Mary to Jawan Jennings. You know, and... What a great game. And last year was the time to do it, right?

[01:29:11] Like, Chris Brazell, you remember him over the top in the first quarter. Tennessee put up 21 in that first quarter, if I remember correctly. And they went to overtime, lost to Georgia. So, you know, but they don't play Georgia this year. They don't play Florida. Absolute foul on the SEC. You know, they do bring back Deshaun Bishop. You know, he went over 1,000 last year in the backfield. So, look at that Tennessee.

[01:29:38] This is crazy, you know, because they get Georgia Tech week two on the road. They're going to Atlanta, so we'll see. But then, we get a UT versus UT. Tennessee hosting Texas. Neyland Stadium. And then they get Auburn the week after. They go to Arkansas before they get the third Saturday in October. Coming off of Bama, you go to the Palmetto, like we just talked about.

[01:30:07] By week, Kentucky. And I will tell you, Kentucky fans in football live to beat Tennessee the way that Tennessee basketball lives to beat Kentucky basketball. So, watch out there. You know, they go to A&M. They get LSU. And then they close at Vanderbilt. So, I'm going to do it like this. Texas, loss. Bama, loss. A&M, loss. LSU, loss.

[01:30:37] Can you not lose to Georgia Tech? Can you not lose at South Carolina? Yeah, but you're looking at, you're like, well, that's 75, right? 75. That's a, yeah, that's at least eight and four. So, like, yeah, I think you figure, I think you figure they're not good enough. So, like, yeah, they're going to lose somewhere else, too. Yeah, they're going to, like. They could lose at Mandy.

[01:31:05] Yeah, that's the double-edged sword that is the SEC. That someone's going to have to be mediocre. There has to be some sub-500 teams that we might have thought were going to be better, especially with the sheer number of teams that are in. And Vandy might be one of those teams that rolls out a nice four and eight year for you, like how South Carolina was last year.

[01:31:36] Missouri tends to be a really good team year after year. They're pretty solid. But, you know, you lose a player or two and you really can't compete with the rest of the SEC because of the way that the rest of these teams are financially positioned to reload every offseason. So, someone's going to have to play poor. Like, someone's going to have a poor schedule and lose some coaches and some players strictly because of the environment that they play football in.

[01:32:05] Yeah, so you brought up Missouri. You know, they've been a team that's been awesome over the last couple of years. In the last three years, Mr. Logical, the only teams that have more SEC wins than Missouri are Georgia, Texas, Bama, and Ole Miss. That's it. I didn't say LSU. I didn't say A&M. You know what I'm saying? I didn't say Tennessee. You know, these are the teams that Missouri has outperformed over the last couple of years.

[01:32:34] And they got my guy, Ahmad Hardy. You know, I was high on him last preseason. He came in with 1,600 yards. Unfortunately, he got shot a couple of months ago. So, we'll see what happens there. You know, but they do have a capable backup, Jamal Roberts. Austin Simmons. Remember him? He came in against Georgia two years ago at Ole Miss, let a touchdown drive as a freshman. And people said, that's the future of Ole Miss. Until he wasn't. Until he wasn't.

[01:33:04] He got benched last year. You know. They need grades. We had high school like 16 or something like that. Something like that. Real fast burner. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And they bring in Chip Lindsey as the OC. You know, he came from Michigan. They only allowed 19 points a game last year. You know, they had 11 defenders who have at least started seven games from last year. They gone.

[01:33:57] So, looking at their schedule. They start off with Pine Bluff. You know, picking on the HBCUs early. You know. Then, you know, the Border War. Your favorite rivalry. That's right. Well, one of them at least. And then early. I know it's early. Today is July 28th. Upset alert. Week three. That game against Troy. Be careful.

[01:34:26] Then they go to Starkville. A.K.A. Stark Vegas. You know. They play Florida at home. They get A&M back-to-back. But then they go to Ole Miss before the bye. Go to Arkansas. Host Texas. At Georgia. UK. Oklahoma. So, I don't know who did that schedule. And who. You know. Like, they must have knew Missouri was going to be down this year. Let's take them. Let's take their lumps now. And get back to it next year.

[01:34:56] But I don't know what to do with the schedule, man. Like. Like. I think they could start 2-0. Maybe even 3-0. I do think Troy is an upset alert for real. I wasn't making that up. But 3-0. And then it gets real crazy trying to find the wins after that. Because I think Mississippi State will be better. And it's down in Stark Vegas. You know. Maybe you get Arkansas. Because I got them finishing last in the SEC. But. I don't know.

[01:35:26] That's. That's your 4-18. Like. They have scheduled losses. And. Especially with the talent deficit. You say you lost. How many? 11 start. 11. 11 players. Yeah. That started at least 7 games. 7 games. Yeah. That means you have to. You're basically replacing your whole defense. And you go 7. You replace your whole defense. Yeah. And it's a benefit to it. The way like. We should have a clean slate. Blank canvas. Whatever cliche you want to attach to it.

[01:35:55] Maybe they'll adapt to it. But. Seeing it in real speed. After. Not being a starter last year. Is going to be tough. Considering like I said. Their. Their schedule. Doesn't really line up. With any favorable. They don't have a Texas Tech. Like schedule. Right. Right. So let's talk about. For a team that they're trying to make. 4 and 8. To balance it all out. So let's talk about the doors. You know. Last year. Diego Pavia. You know.

[01:36:25] Almost got Vanderbilt to the playoff. You know. A bad first half against Texas. Probably kept them out of the playoff. Last year. Because they would have been 10 and 2. With that win. You know. Now. What happens? Vanderbilt gets a 5 star quarterback. Curtis turned down Florida. I'm sorry. Turned down Georgia. To come to Vanderbilt. Where they do that at?

[01:36:54] They want to stay home. I guess so. But Diego Pavia is gone. You know. Three of the four top receivers are gone. Four starting O linemen are gone. You know. He's probably rethinking Santa at home. Yeah. Eight of their 11. You know. Players that were in the defensive front six. That played a lot. Are gone. You know. They do bring back Junior Sherrill. So he'll have him to throw the ball to. They went and got Cole Adams from Bama.

[01:37:24] Cedric Alexander is back in the backfield. Along with. Mikaela Young. Young. So. You're good there. But. That offensive line. You're replacing the whole thing. They've never had a good pass defense. They're not going to have a good pass defense this year. Vanderbilt. They start off with Austin Peay State. Win. Yep. Upset alert. Week two.

[01:37:53] Delaware Blue Hens. The Blue Hens. You know what I mean. Like. Shout out to Joe Biden. You know what I'm saying. Like. The Hens. The Hens are coming. They get NC State week three. Before they go to Jordan Hare. And then after Jordan Hare. They go to Evans. After Evans. They play Ole Miss. It's at home at least. Then they get Arkansas. Kentucky. Maybe some breathers there. By week. At start. Vegas. Before you go. Bama.

[01:38:23] At the Swamp. Tennessee. So. I'm going to just ask you a simple question. At least you avoid Texas. I'm going to ask you a simple question. Because. Some people were arguing about this on Twitter earlier. All right. You see five wins on this schedule? No. You're. Teams that generally retool. And like.

[01:38:52] Like just reload. And just run it right back the following year. They struggle to get the seven, eight wins. Like there was some years where Bama. Like you know. When Bama got that nine and three. It didn't look like nine and three was going to be a possibility. When you lose the talent. You lose. Either graduation. Transfer portal. Coaches moving. Whatever the case may be. Coaches retiring. So looking at this schedule. Five wins. Unless you. Are going to call.

[01:39:24] Arkansas. Kentucky. And Mississippi State. The SEC. Gimme games. Unless you just call it like. Gil. Those three. Teams. Tend to be. Near the bottom of the SEC. Every year. So that's your opportunity. To get three wins. Week one. Obviously. And I'll give them week two. So I think that's your five.

[01:39:54] But I believe they're. They're. They're kind of outmatched. From a talent and experience position. At every other game. Other than Florida. But Florida's. Florida's just littered with talent. To the point where. Just getting the. Getting the ball in the guy's hand. In space in Florida. Could generate 14 points. Yeah. Now you got. Mississippi State. One win. In the SEC. In the last two years. I talked about their heartbreaks already. You know. They did win five games last year.

[01:40:23] I am ready for Camario Taylor. You know. That's going to be one of the best quarterbacks. In the SEC. He won freshman in the week. Twice. Twice. And he didn't even start the season. By the way. You know who his backup is. Mr. Logical. Probably somebody. That was at Colorado. At some point. Nah. But here's a name for you. Jaden Rashada. Is that the guy that sued everybody? Yes. Yes. On his fourth school now.

[01:40:53] You know. They got Floth. Bothwell. In the backfield. Coming back. Zach. The defense. They went and got Zach Arnett. Who is Zach Arnett? Zach Arnett is the guy that you don't want to be. But that's the guy that you want on your sideline. So Zach Arnett is the guy that replaced Mike Leach. When one. You can't even replace Mike Leach. But then given that. But given what that situation was. One of one. Yeah. That he followed that legend. In that situation.

[01:41:23] You know. Then he got fired. And now the new head coach. That they hired after you. Brings you back in as defensive coordinator. So. You know. So they're going to get after it. You know. Lots of aggression. You know. Like. The game between. The game they have against Minnesota. Could be the difference between a bowl game. And not. For the love of God. Brandon Walker. Stay off that sideline. Stay off that sideline.

[01:41:53] Kryptonite the victory. But yeah. Looking at the schedule here. Mr. Logical. ULM. You know. Louisiana Monroe. So that's going to be a win. That Minnesota game that I talked about. That should be a win. Because that coach took everybody to Penn State. It is. No. That was Iowa State. Iowa State. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So they're going to Minnesota. They go to South Carolina. So back to back weeks. The travel distance is a concern. You know. They get Bama. Both at home.

[01:42:22] Coming off the bye. Just look at those first three games. At LSU. Home for Oklahoma. At Texas. Yeah. So that's two. That's 0-3 right there. That's 2-6. 3-5. Yeah. Maybe 3-5. Then you get Vandy, Auburn, Tennessee Tech. And then you close your season at Ole Miss. So. Yeah.

[01:42:53] That's a sub-500 season. They might get a bowl game if somebody doesn't go to one. Yeah. They're over under. They're over under. It's 4-1. I was tipped it. I was tipped it. To take the over. I was tempted. I don't think the under would be a bad bet. You know what I'm saying? I like the value of the over. Kentucky. You know, I talked about Will Stein in the beginning. They're going to win because of him. You know, they went and got Kenny Mitchie.

[01:43:23] You know, from Notre Dame. They, you know, they have an experienced O-line. Here's a name that I've been saying on Sports Reports Disorder for a few years. And it just hasn't worked out just yet because of injuries. Their new running back, C.J. Baxter. You know, who you might remember from Texas. But I've had high hopes for him ever since I saw him in high school. And he just keeps getting hurt every single year. They brought in Nick Anderson from LSU at receiver.

[01:43:50] Jay Bateman takes over as defensive coordinator from Texas A&M. You know, their secondary, if you're hearing Riz, cover your ears. Their secondary went out 49er style last year. You know, if there was an injury that could be had, they signed up for it. You know, they did bring in 13 defensive transfers. You know, they get Bama and A&M back-to-back, you know, in week two and three.

[01:44:16] So you don't even get a chance to work in your new offense, really. You know, Youngstown State, don't laugh, week one, the Penguins. You know, that's one of the better traditional FCS programs. I haven't followed them this year to see what they look like this year. But that is not a gimme game going off of historical factors. They do get South Alabama in week four. They go to South Carolina. Then they go LSU at Oklahoma back-to-back.

[01:44:45] Vandy by week at Tennessee, Swamp at Missouri, Louisville. They're going to be hard-pressed to get four wins, I think. And it's not even going to be due to anything that Will Stein or anybody's doing wrong. They just don't got the schedule that demands anything less. Yeah, you don't have the horses for this race. Yeah. Yeah. You can't – yeah. And then bringing up the rear –

[01:45:13] If they had Texas in their schedule, it would be the absolute toughest schedule. Yeah. That makes sense. Then bringing up the rear, you got Piggy. Pause. You know, Arkansas with their new head coach, Ryan Silverfield. He did beat Arkansas last year as the head coach at Memphis. So, you know, they know who they got. Arkansas last year, Mr. Logical, the game that got Sam Pittman fired,

[01:45:40] they gave up 56 points to Notre Dame. You know, so they lost to Memphis. You know, they won their first two games of the season last year, which was an FCS win against Arkansas State. Then they lost out and gave up at least 30 to everybody they played but LSU. That tells you what kind of year it was for LSU.

[01:46:06] KJ Jackson was the backup last year, so he may have the inside track for the job, but A.J. Hill is giving him competition. The problem with A.J. Hill is the throwing motion. I agree, but this is the problem. This is the problem. Arkansas went to Kentucky route and put all their money into basketball. You know, they went and got Coach Cal and, you know, Tyson's Chicken and Walmart is giving Cal all the money. You know what I mean? Hey, that's a good ROI.

[01:46:36] Like, I'm getting more exposure. I'm getting guys drafted into the NBA draft. I have the spotlight multiple days out of the week because of the sport. Jerry Jones. You're not getting that spotlight Arkansas football. Yeah. I can get it on a Wednesday night in college basketball. You know, and Jerry Jones, you know, he could be doing something about this too. You know what I mean?

[01:47:05] Jerry Jones has to worry about his own team. You know, well, you know, on defense at least, you know what I mean? They got Quincy Rhodes who had 17 and a half tackles for loss. Their secondary is super slow. Hopefully Christian Harrison can help with that. They got Kamori House from North Carolina at linebacker. I like that a lot. But the key to their offense may be Chris Marshall. You know, he's a super talented guy. Started at A&M, went to Ole Miss, went to Boise.

[01:47:35] Lots of off-the-field issues is the problem here. So if he could keep his nose clean, they might have a pretty decent offense. Stay out of trouble. Yes. You know what I mean? They start off Northern Alabama. Then they go to Salt Lake City. That elevation is going to kill them. They play Georgia the week after that. The fucking dogs are going to kill them.

[01:48:01] So coming from the elevation, even though it's at home, playing physical Georgia the week after playing Utah, that's a tough ask of anybody, let alone. Utah's a very tough physical team. We talk about their Polynesian, Tongan, the way they're playing. Fiji, Samoan, all of it. All the Samoan players. It's a lot of Tuiosos and Tuifasos and all these other guys. Yeah, Tui Asasopo.

[01:48:30] Yeah, these 300-pound guys that run 4.75, and it's like, how is that possible? Well, go to the Wasatch. You'll see them. Yeah, don't sleep on Tulsa. Tulsa did go into Oklahoma Stadium win last year, so they're not afraid. Trey Lamb is a damn good coach who will probably be a Power 4 coach next year. They go to A&M, you know, who they haven't beat. I think it was since 2014, I think it is. Tennessee at home, at Vandy. So maybe you could get one of those two.

[01:49:00] Bye week. Remember, they did beat Tennessee with Nico the year that, you know, they made the playoff. Then let's see here. You got Missouri at Auburn, South Carolina at Texas, LSU. So if Arkansas could win five games, you know, like, they would be on the right path. They ain't winning five games. You know what I'm saying? Like, maybe they go 4-8. You get Northern Alabama.

[01:49:30] Maybe you get Tulsa. You get Vandy. And maybe you get one of Missouri or Auburn. Let's see what South Carolina is at that point in the year and where their coach is. You know, maybe you could squeeze out four. That's tough business, man, tough business. You know what I'm saying? But then, that's not it. We got playoff predictions to get to to close things up.

[01:49:58] So we're going to call this one, call your shot. You know what I'm saying? So you want me to go first or would you like to go first? I'm going to do my terrible one that never comes to fruition. And I don't really know always how the math is going to work. But you want me to go matchups? However you want to do it. All right.

[01:50:27] So my 12-5 game, Boise State-Texas. I think Texas has a couple of losses, but they still squeeze them in there somehow. Okay. Texas wins that. I got BYU-Oregon in my 11-6 matchup. Okay. Oregon pulls that one out. I got a sleeper. Not South Carolina, though. It's a different USC.

[01:50:55] I just felt like, you know what, the West Coast hasn't gotten a lot of love since the – Since the cold crush. Since the college club they all started. I just felt like they've been kind of thrown out to pasture. And it's like, yo, that's a talent pool that's just kind of like, you know, untapped resource. So SMU-USC, I got SMU winning that game. Ole Miss, Texas Tech. My 8-9 matchup.

[01:51:22] I got Ole Miss winning that game. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Ohio State, Miami, Indiana, Georgia. Okay. My national championship game is Ohio State versus Miami. Ohio State wins it all. All right. Buckeyes. It's kind of chalky.

[01:51:52] It's kind of chalky. I just – I don't know. I just figure that talent just kind of weighs out. And as we talked about every year, they're going to get the benefit of the doubt. They're going to get the favorable matchup. They're going to get whatever ranking that puts them as close to home or in the best position to go forward. Because after the 12 games are played, then it becomes theater.

[01:52:19] And I think the committee operates as the producers and the directors and the stage hands of this theatrical performance and puts teams in a position where you're going to get the best shot. And I just think the returning talent that Ohio State brought back, quarterback, offense, the continuous – The quarterback that you don't like. I don't like him, but I like him for them. Okay.

[01:52:47] You know, like I like what he does for them. Okay. I don't think he has the same – I'm not thinking they're number one if he doesn't have the horses around him. Like if he was – like the kid that went to Vanderbilt, the five-star guy. Yeah. If he was getting recruited at Ohio State and they were like, hey, Julian, we're moving off of you, and he had to go to Vanderbilt, I don't think he leaves them there.

[01:53:11] But I think his 3,300 yards or 3,500 yards and very few interceptions and very limited turnovers, just get the ball to your playmakers, just the ultimate game manager at the college level, I think that works in this because I think they have the least amount of questions. Ryan Day might be a question, but I think Jeremiah Smith can wash away the Ryan Day questions on a deep post.

[01:53:41] And I agree with you because, for one, with the ACC, it's reputation-based. So I think for the ACC to get two in, you know, using Miami as the champion, you know, Miami would have to be undefeated and beat a one-loss team in the ACC title game or something along those lines. Like last year, you know, remember they say they don't penalize teams that lose in their conference title game.

[01:54:11] Virginia didn't get in the playoff last year. You know what I mean? But they also lost to a team that has seven wins. No, that's fine. That's fine. You know what I'm saying? I'm just saying. I'm just, you know. But I agree that it's going to be hard for both of them to get two in. So, all right. You ready for your two five moments? Let's hear it. All right. Now, first of all, I'm going to preface this by saying, up in the studio, get it blow to the truest shit I ever smoked. You know what I'm saying? All right. So, here we go.

[01:54:41] Here we go. Take it in from the top. So, I'm going to do the same way you did it. So, my 5-12 is BYU over UNLV. So, I got UNLV as my G6 representative. You know, I thought about Memphis. You know, agreed. Yep. Yep. I talked about that the other night. You know, Memphis. I like Memphis.

[01:55:10] They don't play a Power 4 team. So, you know. So, they got the Liberty schedule this year. Okay. You know, I thought about, you know, true 2-5 fashion. I thought about the United States Naval Academy. But then, they just, without that, without Heidenreich and running back, I just don't know how much I can trust them. Boise is probably the correct answer. But, I just wanted to say something different because I had a feeling you were going to pick Boise.

[01:55:41] I would love to see North Dakota State myself. That would be fun. But UNLV gets North Dakota State and Cal at home back-to-back. So, that's going to determine, you know, how that plays out. And, as a sleeper, you know, I brought up Troy earlier. But, as a sleeper, I might have my eye on the Raging Cajuns. You know what I mean? But, I don't think they're going to have enough cachet, you know, to crash the party.

[01:56:10] The sway to commit it, yeah. Yeah. But, I like that team a lot. So, BYU over UNLV. In my 6'11, I got Indiana over Oklahoma. My 8'9, I got Texas over Bama. My 7'10, I got Ohio State over Texas Tech. So, my one seed is the Oregon Ducks. My two seed is Georgia.

[01:56:40] My three seed is Notre Dame. And, my four seed is Miami. And, in true 2-5 fashion, give me the Oregon Ducks winning the national title over Notre Dame. Hey, we'll see what happens. Yes. Yeah, I like Oregon. Everything they're bringing back.

[01:57:09] You know, we talked about Dan Lanning. We seem to be in this era of the unbelievable or, like, getting over the hump. Like, we just saw the Knicks get over the hump. You know, Ryan Day got over the hump. You know, so, the OKC won a type. We're in that era where it's kind of like, yeah, like, these things don't matter anymore. Like, so, like, when you're looking at, you know, Georgia, for example. So, I got Georgia losing to Oregon. If they played today, I would probably pick Georgia.

[01:57:39] You know what I mean? But, I got to factor in that SEC schedule and all that kind of stuff. And, you know what I mean? And the fact that the SEC, just going back to last year, right? Oregon, Georgia is going to be in Atlanta, though. That's fine. You know what I'm saying? I think Notre Dame, Georgia was in Atlanta. Yeah.

[01:58:00] You know, but I think that, you know, when you're looking at it, with Indiana, they brought in a turnover machine at quarterback. You know what I mean? And so, I think they're good enough to get through the Big Ten. I don't know if they're good enough to get, you know, get all the way through. Because I got Oregon over Indiana in my Big Ten championship game. Just go to the first read. Of that RPO, throw the slant. And they got the weapons. They absolutely have the weapons.

[01:58:29] Yeah, throw the slant and you're going to go. You know, so, I was tempted to find a way for – so, I was thinking, I was like, between Texas Tech and Texas. Because one of these teams could not make the playoff. But then I thought, but look at Texas Tech's schedule, though. There's no way you can leave them out. Like, you know what I mean? Even if they lose a game, you know, they could go win the Big 12. You know what I mean?

[01:58:56] So, I have BYU over Houston in my Big 12 championship game. I have Houston beating Texas Tech. But I got Texas Tech winning out. So, you know what I mean? So, that goes back to the – you don't hurt the team that lost in the conference championship game. You know, the ACC – They won't play in it and they'll be 11-1. Right. And then in the ACC, I got Louisville playing Miami for the ACC title. But I think Louisville is going to take some losses.

[01:59:25] So, you know what I mean? Like, it's not like a – like I was saying, 11-1 team that Miami is going to be matched up against, in my opinion. You know what I mean? Yes, Evan Stewart is back this year. He was hurt last year. But he's back this year. To go with DeCorey and Moore. You know, to go with De'Aaron Hill in the backfield. Like, it's a lot of talent out there in Eugene.

[01:59:48] I think that, you know, like I said, I would have probably picked Navy if Heidenreich was still there. But without him, I think he was the heart of their offense. Texas, I'm fighting my bias because – what up, Mike? You know what I'm saying? Because Texas is, like I said, on paper. You know what I'm saying? No doubt. You know what I'm saying? But Texas is the best team in the country if you're just looking at paper.

[02:00:15] I just don't trust Sark enough to trust them, you know, to not mess it up somehow. And, you know, when I look at Notre Dame, it goes back to schedule. Some of you have external pressure that the teams – I think Notre Dame external pressure is more supportive because they won't be in a dogfight all year long. The Miami game is probably the only exception.

[02:00:44] They're 11-1. They're on easy street. Texas is in for a – they're not all heavyweight fights, but it's a lot of very tough sparring sessions in between these heavyweight matchups that they're going to have throughout the season. But, I mean, you want to play with the big boys? You want to go from Big 12 to SEC? Like, these are the kind of seasons you're going to have.

[02:01:11] So, but I just think the external pressure for Texas and Sark is not going to be the same thing that – Dang, Mike, both of them? Both of them? You know, I mean, Virginia Tech for sure. Virginia I'm not so sure about. Like, I think Trill Harris is a big loss. And, you know, Bo Pribula coming off that injury. I got to see a few games, you know, before I can put that type of thing. But look at this Notre Dame schedule real quick.

[02:01:41] You know, so they opened with Wisconsin, which I believe is at Lambeau Field if I remember correctly. Then they get Rice. They get a sneaky game against Michigan State. Now, I don't think Michigan State's very good. But, you know, Pat Fitzgerald teams, you know, are going to give you something to fight. So, you know what I mean? So, like – and that's one of my old school childhood rivalries that I'm happy that's back to.

[02:02:10] At Purdue, at UNC versus Stanford. So, win, win, win. Then you get into the BYU game at Lavelle Edwards. Now, that's going to be tough. You know what I mean? I think Notre Dame will win, but it's still going to be tough. Navy, then they get the big rematch with Miami that they've been waiting more than a year for. You know, so I think they clipped Miami. I think that's Miami's only loss of the season, you know, before the playoffs.

[02:02:38] BC, now, if the game was in Dallas, I would say watch out for SMU. But since it's in South Bend, I'm going to give Notre Dame that one. And then, you know what I mean? And then at Syracuse to close the year. So, I think Notre Dame's – 70. Yeah, I think Notre Dame's 11-1. You know what I mean? You know, I think that's just the way that it plays out. No championship game, no pressure, no one in their rearview mirror.

[02:03:06] It's literally who's on the board for this Saturday. That's all Notre Dame has to worry about. Everybody else that's buying – because we're looking at what? About 16, 18 teams really buying for these 12 spots as we break it all down to brass tacks. Right. And, of course, you've got to factor in the G6, so it might be less. Yeah. Because the G6 team is taking a slot, you know.

[02:03:33] So, it might be more like 15, you know. So, like 15 – anywhere from 15 to 17 teams that are vying for these spots with Notre Dame essentially in their own lane. No, I don't think it hurts them, Mike, because looking at their schedule, even though, you know, it's not necessarily murderer's row, you know, BYU is considered by the pundits to be the first or second best – well, first to me.

[02:04:01] But, you know, most pundits have them second in the Big 12. So, you're talking about a second-place Power 4 conference team. Miami just played in the – Miami just played in the national title game and is the runaway pick to win the ACC. And then SMU and a lot of media polls are being picked second in the ACC. So, even though their schedule does lack that oaf, they're playing the right teams from some of these conferences.

[02:04:29] And even Wisconsin will be improved this year, you know. So, I think Notre Dame and Navy could win the American if not finish second or third. So, like, I think that there's enough metrics, you know, when you talk about strength of record and all those things that ESPN used to manipulate the rankings. Notre Dame will still have that. And, like I said, after the 12 games are played and subsequently for some of these teams that are playing championships,

[02:04:59] it's theater. So, what show – what show is the best show for TV? Yeah. Notre Dame is the best show for TV against whoever in December. I tell you what. The day one of these military teams make it to the playoffs, you know what I'm saying, man, the media is going to go ham. And before we get out of here, I just got to say this because it's been on my heart for the last couple of days.

[02:05:28] We love Army and Navy. It's a game that's being played for the right reason. But the Air Force exists too, damn it. You know what I'm saying? We won the Commander's Cup recently. Where's all y'all support the troops people at when we're playing against Navy or playing against Army? That game – y'all ain't trying to get that game national CBS and all that type of shit. You hypocrites. But we love y'all anyway. We will be back on Friday.

[02:05:57] I got my medal. You know what I'm saying? Air Force didn't be good. You know what I mean? Off we go into the wild blue yonder. Yeah, and don't forget, you know, say keep your eye – I think it's week three – North Dakota State at Air Force. Keep your eye on that. But he is the world-famous, world-renowned, cool, calm, and collected. Born in Texas, raised in VA, representing everything new Jerroos except for the Scarlet Knights. He is Mr. Logical.

[02:06:27] He's just as upset as I am, but I'll get to that in a second here. Don't bring feelings to a fat fight. Don't do it. Downhill in the Alamo. Going left so much you thought I was Southpaw. I am upset because speaking of Southpaws and Ducking and all that stuff, how the hell ain't nobody know Earl Spence was fighting the other day? How the hell Anthony Joshua have a fight the other day? And, like, it's not even being talked about.

[02:06:56] And he got knocked on his ass twice. You know what I mean? Thank you. Appreciate you. You know what I'm saying? Got knocked on his ass twice. And then knocked the same dude out with one punch in the next round. Earl Spence retired. And, like, boxing ain't even talking about it. Like, I don't even hear. Where's the advertising? But, you know, this is Sports Reports' order. Like, review, subscribe, share, rate, do all the free things, do all the good things. Liquid Death in hand.

[02:07:26] We be back on Friday. We are everywhere that you get your podcasts. Check out Say Less, Say More. And just in the mood, we were going to do it anyway, but just put some extra oaf on that salute. Because off I go into the wild blue yonder out here. You know what I'm saying? We love y'all. Sports Reports' order. Sports Reports. No gimmicks, no clowns. Two-file Mr. Loddickle.

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