Chaos Comes in 12s: 2026 Big 12 Preview

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[00:01:02] Yeah we wear that crown. Turn it up, let them know it's about to go down. Sports reports, no gimmicks, no clowns. True Five, Mr. Logical, we run this town. We'll talk only. No chasing, no doubt. From the east to the west, it's the order we shout. It's about to go down.

[00:01:32] Yes! You know, I learned something new today. I never thought of Mr. Logical as the kind of guy that says, I told you so. You know what I mean? But this is Sports Reports' order. These are the sounds that you're hearing. He is Mr. Logical. I am 2-5. LeBron James is going to the city of brotherly love. We got some Big 12 preview tonight.

[00:02:00] It's all going down and it's all going down right now. So like, review, subscribe, share, rate, do all the free things, do all the good things. Liquid death in hand. Don't settle for anything less. We are everywhere that you get your podcast. Check out Say Less, Say More, and let's get right to it. So Mr. Logical, it took us a while to get here.

[00:02:24] But after trusting the process, is the process complete now? Listen, we had a conversation a few weeks ago when Jalen Brown was traded to Philly. Okay. And we already had the conversation about Giannis going to Miami. We talked about how I didn't think Golden State was a viable location.

[00:02:53] And Cleveland just felt more like L.A. in Ohio where you have stars in name, but it wasn't going to allow LeBron to do what the 41, 42-year-old body and mine wanted to do, which was like, I want to be here, be an integral part of what's going on. But you can't rely on me for 35 to 36 to 38 minutes in a game.

[00:03:22] It's just I need breaks. He said it all the time. Like, yo, I'm getting old. I'm getting old. Like, literally, he has his son going into his third year in the league. His son's on his second contract. Like, you weren't expecting him to do all that. And Philly, I don't think he has to do all that. And then you already couple that with Embiid. Embiid having his, you know, I'm going to say struggles, but just not being able to play a lot of games. I think it's the perfect marriage because you have the young guns. You got the young big three. BJ, Maxi, Jay LeBron. I say young big three.

[00:03:52] The three of them with two other guys I think would be a viable force in the East. And then you mix in Embiid and LeBron. It was like a no-brainer. So, all these people talking today, like, I don't know why. Like, he had an opportunity to go to a team that has four stars. An up-and-coming star. A rising young all-star. An MVP. An MVP finals, essentially. And a finals MVP.

[00:04:21] But he was going to go to go to the state just because he wanted to play with Steph. I didn't really think that was a viable piece. So, like, going to Philly made a lot of sense. Listen, I'm not jumping off the bandwagon. I already had the Ben Simmons jersey for years. I just wore it for tonight. You might have been wearing it for longer than Ben Simmons was wearing it. Oh, pretty sure. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I suited this thing up more times than he did. It was $20 when I bought it. Well, you know, you said something interesting there. And I'm on board, right?

[00:04:50] So, when we started this conversation, the LeBron watch, you know, in my mind, I was looking at it from the standpoint of all good things come to an end. You know, close the chapter of the story where it began, which was in Cleveland. It made sense to go back home. Hey, what up, Riz? You know, said try to get us, you know, another championship in the land, if you will.

[00:05:15] So, and then you started hearing all the reports, which I'll get to later because, you know, LeBron reacting like a you-know-what sometimes. We'll get there. But, you know, we both said, like, so you called it straight up. He's going to Philly. I said Philly makes the most basketball sense because I didn't think he was going to go to Minnesota even though I would have liked him in Minnesota.

[00:05:38] But Philly makes the most basketball sense because one thing that we know about LeBron is that he's going to go to the team and put himself in the best position to try to win the championship. So, when you look at all the teams, all the contenders that was talking to him, he wasn't going to go play with James Harden. And he basically, according to the reports, told Cleveland, hey, go get Kyrie. You know what I'm saying? What up, Mike? Go get Kyrie. You know what I mean?

[00:06:07] And then, you know, he told Miami, you know, what he wanted. But Giannis didn't necessarily recruit him because Giannis is kind of – he has that old school mentality of I'd rather beat you than need you. So, Giannis wasn't going to go out there. We were talking about has LeBron and Pat Riley kind of got past things. So, I never thought he was going to Miami. You know what I mean?

[00:06:33] But just because LeBron likes to try to find the easiest path, that's why I thought he was going to choose Philly. I don't think it's – I think it's a path that you can't – go ahead and lie. Go ahead and lie. Listen, I'm currently, after we finish this episode, I'm going to log on to this computer. I'm going to connect my other monitor.

[00:06:57] And I'm going to fill in my portion of my group project for this class that I'm in that wraps up in a couple of weeks. There's a person with a PhD in my group. I admire my intelligence. I think it's documented. I have degrees. I have time. But if I have a person with a PhD on my team, I'm going to let them take the lead. It doesn't diminish how smart I feel about myself.

[00:07:26] I just feel like, you know what, they're taking the lead. Why argue with that? So, I'm going to do my part. I'm going to add my six to eight slides to this PowerPoint. I'm going to send it back to the group email, and we're going to get a collective grade. I think LeBron understands, like, yo, dog, he's 42. The way people are talking about Cristiano Ronaldo in his finals, like, I don't think he has it. Bro, he's been playing at that level since 2006. That is a long time. I think people just kind of forget how long that time really is.

[00:07:54] So, I wouldn't want, like you said, it is the easiest path, but it also is the path that makes the most sense, which is how electricity works. The path of least resistance. These lights don't work by going through a complicated series. It goes from point A through a diode, through a resistor, boom, point of least resistance. That's the whole point. You're not supposed to make it difficult. Like, no one ever said, oh, you made it difficult. You earned it.

[00:08:22] Like, no, you go to where it makes the most sense. Not only does it make the most basketball sense, it makes the most sense as far as, like, what he can bring to the team. I don't know where he fits in with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden and Evan Mobley if he's still going to be there. I don't know what he gets out of them. I think we've seen the peaks of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.

[00:08:48] I think Vijay Eskimo in his second year, I think he can get him to another level. I think Maxie, I think if he went and told Maxie, yo, you got the keys between you and Jalen Brown, y'all figure it out. We here. I think that gives us a secondary boost. I just feel like it just makes more sense to go to Philly, even if it's easiest, but, like, who picks? Like, no one's going to give you more credit for picking a difficult path. Maybe.

[00:09:17] I don't think that's true, though. No, it's not about that. I mean, he is 42 years old. So, no, I don't expect him to go to Sacramento, grab them by the bootstraps, and take them to the finals. That's unrealistic as hell. But I think Cleveland would have been more. I think it would have been along lines of Sacramento. I think it would have been like L.A. and Ohio.

[00:09:36] No, I just think that LeBron James, you know, if he's the guy that everybody's been telling me he is, and I'm not talking about from a scoring standpoint or any of that, but if you're this great player, then all the teams, like, whoever the contenders were to get his services, is, like, it's not a difficult decision. So, if he would have went to Miami, that wouldn't have been difficult. You still got Giannis. You still got a dude that scored 83 points in a game.

[00:10:06] You know what I mean? You're probably going to have a top five defense in the league. You know what I mean? So, that wouldn't have been tough. You know, like, there was Rich Paul was talking about, hey, if the Knicks would have lost that series, he would be in New York right now because now LeBron is on the whole, I want to go somewhere like Cleveland that hasn't won for a long time and help them over the top. Because last time Philly won a title, we were two years old. You know what I mean? So, from that standpoint, I like that line of thinking.

[00:10:36] You know what I mean? But just say that you ring-chasing. That's all it is. Like, you didn't pick this because – I mean, it was – Was it ring-chasing when Barkley did it? Was it ring-chasing when Shaq wore every single uniform? Well, Barkley got traded, first of all. Was it ring-chasing when he had a – Yes, it was ring-chasing. Yes, it was ring-chasing when Shaq did it. Yes. When Shaq did it, yes. Griffin did it. It was ring-chasing, yes. Barkley did it. Malone did it. Peyton did it.

[00:11:03] Like, all these guys towards the end of their career want to – They want to, you know, take a bite of that proverbial – But none of those dudes that you mentioned are in – None of those dudes that you mentioned are in the GOAT conversation, and none of them were still averaging 25 points or something like that. No, I know, but what I'm saying is that – The GOAT conversation is a hypothetical thing. Carl Malone was second all-time in scoring when he retired. So it wasn't like he was a slot. He was a bona fide Hall of Famer. Gary Payton was a bona fide Hall of Famer.

[00:11:32] There's nothing wrong. I don't think there's anything wrong with ring-chasing. Scottie Pippen was a six-time champion and still was out here ring-chasing. So I think wanting to win after you get there is what it is. And we talked about the GOAT conversation. I think LeBron's legacy conversation that everyone's been having, the one that they had with Kevin Durant a few years ago that seemed to kind of tail off, I think that conversation is just for us and pundits. I don't think the conversation is real,

[00:12:02] nor do I think that he was going to get the credit I believe he deserves anyway, no matter where he went. If he said – if he would have sent out on Twitter today, I'm retired, the conversation would have been about how poorly they went out in the playoffs last year and how that ruined his legacy, which is all hypothetical. It's all fairy-ness. It's not real. It's a dumb conversation. So, like, even if LeBron wins – I would lay him in base of the decision for that. Like, if LeBron wins a title in Philly,

[00:12:29] I think the people that felt however they felt about him not being the GOAT or whatever, whatever they feel about him, changes nothing. You know what I mean? If LeBron wins another title, the people that support him doesn't really change anything. I'm sure they would use it in a conversation. But realistically speaking, his legacy is his legacy. Like, there's – unless – like, he could come out next year, average three points a game on 16% shooting. His legacy is what his legacy is.

[00:12:59] And that legacy is one of the greatest players that has ever touched a basketball, the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, you know, fourth in assists, even though he's not really a point guard. And guess what? When he goes to Philly, he's going to be the best point guard on the team. And, you know, so when I look at it from a – Literally nothing that can be done. It's just go play basketball while you've got the energy to do it. So when I look at it from a basketball standpoint, it's a great move.

[00:13:26] You know, like, it gets maxing off the ball a little bit more to use his speed. You know, it gets Embiid some time to just kind of rest because LeBron could, you know, play small ball five at times for them. You know, especially if Embiid does get hurt. You know, Jalen Brown is the finals MVP in the conversation. So a lot of the brunt of the scoring and all that theoretically is going to fall on his shoulders.

[00:13:54] So, you know, from a basketball – then you've got guys off the bench like Anthony Simons who's going to get the best shots he's ever seen in his career. He'll be so open. You just drafted LeBaron Phylon who is going to come in the game and give LeBron the point guard rest so he can slide somewhere else. So all Philly's really missing – Red, I would say that same thing. All Philly's really missing is depth at the five, you know, in case Embiid does get hurt.

[00:14:24] I think you could play forward. Well, no, because then you need another power forward too. You know what I mean? Because, like, I don't know – I think you could play small ball with a 6'8 or 6'9 guy. Well, I don't know if Edgecombe, Maxie, and Brown work together for, like, long periods of time at the same time. I don't know if that fits right with LeBron there. Like, we say that a lot. And for me – This is my first time saying that.

[00:14:54] No, no, not you. I said me. No, no. Like, we as, like, fans, like, everyone says that. And I'm just thinking, like, what's the objective, like, in a basketball game to where three guys, two guys being – That's a good question. But I don't think they need them to. I don't think they need them to play more than 40 games now. Yeah, like, I think – I don't know.

[00:15:19] I just feel like it's – I'd rather wonder how do I work these five pairs of shoes into my wardrobe versus how do I make two pairs of shoes work all week long? Like, I just feel like it's easier to handle that if you're Nick Nurse, especially with the talent that you have. No, but there's – The level of versatility that they have. I understand, like, if it gets tight – Yeah, the same level of versatility that got rid of Jarrett McCain.

[00:15:50] He – I just think he was versatile. I said, like, now you can't – Now he can't look at the – He can't look at the bench during the timeout and wonder, like, man, how am I going to get a bucket? You just draw it up for whomever is on the floor when you have those five guys. Even if you take one of them out and you bring in Kelly Ubera or Anthony Simons, like, you have, like, an abundance of riches that you should not mess up.

[00:16:16] It's very similar to – I'm not making, like, an apples-apples comparison, but the original heaters, the not one, not two, not three, not four. Like, you have enough to where you could draw plays for 60% of the guys that are starting. Now you could do it for four or even five guys. I just think you should – And by the way, Kelly Ubera is a pacer these days.

[00:16:43] But, you know, but no, just from the standpoint of there's got to be the guy that becomes the spot up now, right? And you know what I mean? So from that standpoint, Jalen Brown had hit a corner three. It might be, but I doubt it. You know what I'm saying? Because I think Braun is going to be doing a lot of initiating. So I'm not saying that – I'm not saying that from the standpoint of LeBron's going to try to come out here and average 25 points. That's not the plan at all.

[00:17:10] But I think he's going to be more of the initiator slash facilitator. So now you take a guy like Edgecombe, who is one of those, you know, get-to-the-basket guys, dunk-on-your-head type of guy. That space is now filled. So now he's out here shooting wing jumpers and all that, and I don't think you want to live like that for long periods of time. But if he came off the bench with second unit, and he's – Maybe. And he's going to go with second unit energy. But that's the luxury. But that's going to depend on him being, Rez.

[00:17:37] And Rez says something earlier that I was going to say. He said LeBron can average 40 points next year, won't change anybody's mind. I'm like, he could – That's what I'm saying. He could average 30, won't change anybody's mind. I agree. I just – like I said, I would rather have – I'd rather have Phillies problems as far as like how am I going to plan for games one through 82. So are they the team to beat the East? Versus like Miami's. New York is the team to beat the East because they're the champions. Just checking. Just checking.

[00:18:06] And they have every guy – we've seen every guy that they have excel at an A level in their role. So that's a different thing versus having A-level talent everywhere. I think I might like Toronto better too if they – if the Kawhi trade ends up going through. I might like that team better too. I'm just not big on – I'm just not – I don't have a history of Kawhi's presence

[00:18:36] really elevating a team beyond the injury-riddled NBA Finals anyone. Like I'm not – listen, I'm not poo-pooing his NBA Finals. It sounds like it because he did it and now you're trying to tell me he didn't do it. No. But that was the only time and the last time. When was the time you saw Kyrie Irving elevate anything? And look at the way we talk about him. When was the last time you saw –

[00:19:04] But people don't talk about Kyrie Irving as an elevator. People talk about Kyrie Irving as the ultimate wild card Robin. When was the last time you saw Kevin Durant elevate anybody? Never. And that's how people talk about Kevin – no one talks about Kevin Durant as the guy that's going to get Houston over the top. People didn't talk about him like that last year. They did when they signed him because we were talking. Yeah, you didn't talk about that. I know because we're smart. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. So you were right. Our conversation, you never heard it.

[00:19:32] Like, I just – I've never been big on Kawhi, the team difference maker, versus Kawhi, the really good player. I think Kawhi and DeMar DeRozan probably have more in common without the championship. Yeah, and word is Toronto might be trying to bring him back too. I mean, he has – like, I mean, like, that's – as far as, like, listen, I'm not trying to disparage any of these guys' talent.

[00:19:58] Like, they have more talent in their pinky toe than I have in all my basketball years I've ever played. Yeah, I think – I'm not trying to diminish what they do. But as far as, like, at that level, when we're talking about the A-level guys, the top eight to ten guys in the league, I just – I don't see many teams in the East being able to just – granted, the Philly thing is just – it's all hypothetical

[00:20:26] until we get these guys on a pick and roll, down one, eight seconds left. Who takes a shot? How do you manage that? How do you manage if you start the season off seven and six? Which I think could happen. Yeah. You know what I mean? I think that could happen because there's going to be an adjustment period. You know what I mean? And that's not because of LeBron or anything wrong that he's doing. That's just the natural makeup of a team. I mean, the Heat started out six and eight that first year when he went there.

[00:20:53] So there's an adjustment period that's going to happen. But I tell you this. You ain't going to want to play them once April comes around. You know what I'm saying? Once the whistles matter, you ain't going to want to play Philadelphia. You know what I mean? It's going to be tough. It's going to be tough to... Like, we're talking about Philly and LeBron. And it's like, they also have Jalen Brown. Like, Jalen Brown had...

[00:21:22] If we compare Indiana to Boston last year, Indiana lost their start in the NBA playoffs the previous season to the Key Leagues. Boston lost their start. Indiana, the bottom fell out. Granted, it had other things going, but the bottom essentially fell out. Rick Hall is a good coach. You couldn't tell without Tyrese Halliburton. Missoula, Joe, not Mike, Joe Missoula is probably a good coach.

[00:21:49] But Jalen Brown, in short, we still believe he's a good coach. It's like, because what you were able to do without your star who tore his Achilles compared to Indiana, like I said, literally in the same time frame, Jalen Brown was a catalyst of that. And now he's in Philly, which makes that Paul George trade even more. More, just an indictment on every contending GM in the East.

[00:22:18] That you could make these two moves. Every other team that's contending. Cleveland could have made that move. Boston could have made this move. Miami probably could have made this move to get either Jalen Brown and then subsequently get LeBron. Because it didn't seem like it took much. I mean, that's assuming these teams want LeBron, though. Like, you know what I mean? Like, that's easy to say, like now that he's signed somewhere. But a lot of times I don't think he... But in the conversation at Cleveland, in it?

[00:22:47] Cleveland was in the conversation. Miami was in the conversation. Essentially, Golden State was in. So the teams that were in the conversation had an opportunity. And it looks like Philly turned Paul George... Well, no. Well, no. Because LeBron gave those teams different objectives. You know what I'm saying? Which is what I was talking about earlier. Because he told Cleveland, you gotta... I mean, not you gotta, but allegedly, you know, according to the reports,

[00:23:14] according to people like Benny Goodwill, you know, like Cleveland, I want Kyrie there. Golden State, I want AD there. You know what I mean? Like, whatever the case may be. Like, Philly didn't have to do that because Philly already had a squad together. And they got a dude that LeBron knows, the president of basketball operations. I'm not talking about what LeBron wanted. I'm talking about the first domino of the Jalen Brown piece. I think Jalen Brown to Cleveland for...

[00:23:43] Say Cleveland... No, I'm saying the Jalen Brown piece was the precursor. I think that changed the course of action for LeBron. He probably thought initially, yo, get AD to Golden State. I'll go there. Not thinking, because none of us thought that Jalen Brown was going to be on the move to Philly. I get what logical point is. I'm making a different point. What the conversation was saying, like, yo, so if Cleveland could have made the Evan Mobley

[00:24:10] or James Harden or even both of them to Boston for Jalen Brown and some picks, I think Cleveland gets LeBron today. See what I'm saying? I think the Jalen Brown piece... No, I agree with you. But what I'm saying is... But that's what I'm saying. Inside 2020, yeah. That goes back to the puppet master thing that people don't like about him. Is that, like, you know, it's basically like, you know, I'm a free agent. So I can do what I want, right? I can go to whatever team I choose to go to.

[00:24:40] But I will only come to you if you stack the deck in my favor. If you stack the deck... Like, these teams probably wouldn't even want Kyrie anyway. You know what I mean? Like, these teams probably don't want AD anyway. You're not the same LeBron James that... You're not the same LeBron James that is going to make me jump to make those moves to get you, is what I'm saying. I'm not saying whether it's right or wrong. I'm not saying, like, you know, any of that.

[00:25:07] I'm just saying that, like, when you just look at it from the macro standpoint, this ain't 2018 anymore. I'm not getting that LeBron anymore. So I'm not moving heaven and earth to get you here. Yeah, I understand that piece. I'm talking about the Jalen Brown piece. Because I think that was more impactful than wherever LeBron wanted. Because wherever LeBron wanted was fantasy. It was like, yo, you do this, I do this.

[00:25:32] But it was like, the fact that Jalen Brown was available and conversations were being had amongst GMs. Right. The fact that Miami didn't engage... Because I think Miami gave up with Tyler Hero, Raquez, some picks, and another player for Giannis, correct? Like three players and three of them picks. Yeah, it was Hero, Raquez, the picks, and Khalil Ware. Okay. Okay.

[00:26:01] I think that Boston was so pissed off with Jalen Brown, you might have been able to go straight up Tyler Hero and some picks for Jalen Brown. Well, they were trying to do straight up Jalen Brown for Giannis. That was the original what was on the table. You know what I mean? Which would have been crazy. I think the ball got dropped there. But like I said, the universe works in mysterious ways. And LeBron said in his little Twitter post that he was contemplating retirement.

[00:26:27] I thought last year we talked about this, that this was going to be his swan song. But Luka coming back healthy. You can't go out hoping you get the retirement thing. Be nice, Rez. Yeah. But yeah, so two years, $8 million. I don't know. It's just, it's like, listen, it's called the 99 slap theory. You asked 100 women to go out with you, 99 might slap you. All you need is one.

[00:26:56] So Philly was like, listen, LeBron, hey, I got a deal for you. Two years, $8 million. What do you think? You know what? Fuck it. I'll do it. What? Really? Because there's nobody thought you could get him for two years for eight. So if he does win, if they do win this title or whatever the case is, because I can't commit to he's going to play another year on top of it. But so just in the here and now, if they win the title this year, what does that mean overall?

[00:27:28] It would, I'm trying to think. Because you know, this is for us. Us? Well, personally, being here, being in this, you know, greater Philadelphia area, I think it would be great. I think it would be great for the Knicks to win it this year, obviously. And then Philly, I think the whole area is buzzing. The World Cup was buzzing. I think the sports atmosphere in this region would just explode. And I'd be excited for that.

[00:27:58] I don't know about legacies. I think it would go to the parity. I think it would give a lot of credit to Bob Myers and whatever, whatever swag, negotiation skills he has. You'd have to put him in the rafters of GMs and just, you know, front office personnel. I think he'd be huge. I don't think it would move the needle as far as, like, the GOAT debate.

[00:28:25] I don't think people just, like, I don't think he would usurp Jordan in this proverbial conversation where it seems a dominant conversation as Jordan's a GOAT. I don't think it moves him above. But I think what it does for the argument, if you are just a pure LeBron fan, it's like, yo, where are you going to find who can replicate what this guy just did? It's that conversation of itself. Like, you can lose the GOAT conversation because it's a hypothetical thing.

[00:28:54] But it's like, if he ties a bow in his career next June and there's a parade on South Street, and they're doing their speech around the Rocky statue, there's nothing you can say about any other player that's going to come into the league that's going to be able to lay out his career that's going to be on par with what he did. And I think that's huge.

[00:29:22] Because I already think his – I think most of his records are probably almost unbreakable. I think the amount of years he's playing is probably unbreakable. I don't think – Especially at this level, yeah. Yeah, I don't think Luka's playing – what are we looking at? 14, 15? I don't know if Luka got another seven in him. I don't think Jokic is going to play 18 and 19 years. I don't see him be playing over.

[00:29:45] I don't see many of these players playing longer than 15 years at the level that keeps them, like I said, in this A tier. So that would be the only thing for me is like I think it would just kind of just solidify any argument. You would have to be – you would have to nitpick like little shit from like 2011 next year. Any argument like, yo, Doug, you know it's 2027 and you're bringing up shit from 2011 and they just want to say it.

[00:30:14] No, like if he can be the conductor. No, if he can be the conductor on a championship run at this stage, forget the scoring and all that stuff. That doesn't matter at this point for me. But you know what I'm saying? If he was the conductor in legit, like I was saying how Maxie gets to play off the ball a little bit more and he were to do a little bit more of that, and then you would have him – Yeah, or then you would have him, like I was talking about him potentially playing small ball five,

[00:30:41] of, you know, whenever Embiid's out or Hurt or whatever the case may be, filling in like in that Magic Johnson kind of historical role or whatever you want to call it. Like from that standpoint, like there ain't nothing you can really say. Like you know what I mean? Like he would be the ultimate best Swiss Army knife that you've ever seen. Grand opening, grand closing. You know what I'm saying? That's what it is.

[00:31:04] So I can't like, you know, I'm not a LeBron guy by any means, but I respect the hell out of him. You know what I mean? You're a smart analytical thinker and that's what you understand. You understand it's not just, oh, he don't have more chips. Like it's a big – No, because you know what would happen? You know what would happen? Like if somebody like Jalen Brown won finals MVP, people would say, well, Jordan was never not the finals MVP.

[00:31:34] Yeah, that's true, though. Like honestly, since I've stopped, since I've kind of deleted a lot of those groups I was in, I don't see it at all. And I don't really – I don't have that conversation. I don't have it at work. Right. I don't see it on social media. I don't see it even in sports groups. There was a couple of groups that I was in where if I looked it up today, God, they would probably be killing him. And it's like why? Like why do you still have his energy? All right. So last question. If you're the – well, it's two-part kind of because I'm talking about two teams.

[00:32:04] So if you're the Knicks or the Celtics, what do you need to do now potentially to compete with this team? If you're the Knicks, you figure out if there's a guy currently on your roster that can give you what Mitchell Robinson did. They picked up Andre Drummond. On the offensive rebounding end. I know Drummond still kind of thinks he's a scorer.

[00:32:28] I don't know if he's really ever been a role player and like thrived in that role. I know he's been on teams where he's been positioned as a role player, but I don't think he's ever – I don't think he's ever played the role of Mitchell Robinson. I mean, like a guy that's like, listen, that offensive rebound he got in game five off that missed free throw,

[00:32:53] the Knicks – if the Knicks can get a guy on a team that's capable and willing to do that, then I think they'll be fine with guys and their roles playing well. Boston – I think Boston just has to be able to make in-game adjustments when the three's not falling. If they could just simply say, you know what, next six possessions, it's we're passing around the horn, and then we're going to get the back cut and get an easy layup. Good luck with that.

[00:33:22] But that's all – that's literally – I wouldn't say that's all they have to do, but that's probably the primary reason they lose games in those big moments that we talked about over the last few years, even in that championship run. The games were like either the number one seed and the eighth seed. I think Miami beat them one year because they missed like 23 threes. Yo, bro, just miss 16. Just take seven layups instead. Get to the free throw line.

[00:33:51] Did you see that LeBron is a big fan of sports reports disorder? It better be. They said that he told Marcus Smart in one of the playoff games that if I'm in Thompson ever develops a 15-footer, the league better watch out. It sounds like 2-5 to me. But, you know, say – but as we transition on, you know, it's that time of year again, you know, say some college football to get into. You're all red.

[00:34:19] So it's the logical – so it's the logical, you know, time to talk some Big 12, and, of course, that's where Coach Prime resides. We'll get to that in a minute. But as we sit here right now, there's a certain hierarchy that exists that might not be reality. So most perception goes SEC, Big 10, ACC, Big 12, you know.

[00:34:45] And I think we might be at a point where you can put the Big 12 above the ACC, you know, because the ACC, I think, just has the sexier historical location names, Florida State, Clemson, so on and so forth. But if we're looking at current times, you know, I think that BYU is better than them. I think that Utah is better than them. I think Texas Tech is better than them. So the Big 12 is just in a different place.

[00:35:12] But public enemy number one, Texas Tech, you know, is the preseason favorite again. They won the conference last year, ran roughshod over everybody, and then they ran into Duckzilla in the playoffs and got shut out. So Brendan Sorsby was obviously one of the biggest stories of the offseason with his gambling situation. So he's officially gone. It's up to Will Hammond or Kirk Francis to keep the ship going, if you will.

[00:35:42] Oklahoma State is now the Oklahoma State mean green because, you know, they went and got North Texas' quarterback. They went and got the running back. They went and got some receivers. They got the head coach, so on and so forth. You know, this is year two of Rich Rod back at West Virginia. How about this, Mr. Logical? Kyle Whittingham, head coach at Michigan. Took a lot of players from Utah. Morgan Scali in after being coach and waiting.

[00:36:11] And do you know what I hate about coach and waiting? It circumvents whatever Rooney rule that the NCAA has. No, I hate the fact that Ralph Fregion wouldn't step down so that James Franklin would have been the Maryland head coach when he was the coach. He's been waiting. You know what I mean? Then you got DJ Lagway, you know, said, down at his dad's alma mater. He's at Baylor now.

[00:36:41] You know, so that's going to be interesting to see if he can help Dave Aranda save his job. Is it just me? Or has it been really quiet and bolder lately? Well, it was going to be quiet after Shador's second year no matter what. We talked about it. You need – no matter how good of a coach, motivator, personality,

[00:37:09] pundit, player, call the flame, whatever it is, you still need players. You know, X's and O's, Jimmy's and Joe's. You still need Jimmy's and Joe's to execute your play calling. Dion is a gigantic personality. I think he has gigantic expectations, but I think he has those expectations levied upon players

[00:37:36] who aren't going to get him what he desires. And then when they give you the best they can give you, it's still not good enough, and then they transfer out. And I think that was going to be his problem. I'm going to predict now this is his last year at Colorado. Okay. I don't know if they part ways or if he gets fired. I just – I don't think they keep the talent.

[00:38:05] It's like you got to be the best somewhere. I don't think they get the best transfer class. I don't think they get the best Big 12 recruiting class. I don't think he recruits a certain area well. I don't think he recruits a certain position group well. Like if you think about Penn State linebackers, you think about Florida State DBs, they always seem to have like great defensive backs.

[00:38:32] The Big 10 schools, Big 10 schools always have hogs up front defensively or offensively. You know Michigan is going to – you're going to be in a dogfight in the trenches. I don't know where Colorado threatens you as an opposing coach. And I think it's been like that his entire time there. He just has had magic in the legs and arms of certain players that he's not getting now.

[00:39:01] Well, see, I think that that might change just a little bit. We'll get into that later obviously as we're previewing. But I don't dislike your point about this being his last year. They do have a new AD. So the guy that originally hired him is on his way out. Who had to find the money. Yeah, who had to find the money. He's on his way out.

[00:39:27] So from that standpoint, I can totally see that. I just think that it's going to be a better year than people expect. I think that with it being so quiet and bolder, outside of Deion shitting on the athletic yesterday for no apparent reason at all, he didn't have to embarrass that reporter that way. You know, the problem with Deion is – but that's a problem. I love Deion. He's my favorite player. But, like, that's also something that, like –

[00:39:56] you need results. He was – the way – sorry to interrupt. But the way he performed in the NFL and the way he performed on TV is because he could do no wrong. You couldn't present any evidence that says Deion Sanders isn't that guy. At any level that he was at, no matter what he was doing professionally, even in hip-hop, the man has songs with Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy. Like, he was like – he was everywhere. He played baseball, football.

[00:40:25] He was everywhere. Winning championships, NFL, everywhere. Hall of Famer. There was not a chink in his armor. The last few years, there's been chinks in his armor, and they're just getting bigger and bigger. And it's unfortunate because this is a results-based business, and the results are not fitting with his history and his character and what he has done for the sport of football. Well, see, the problem is that when you hear great or good head coaches talk,

[00:40:55] they talk about what needs to happen. You know, they might – and sometimes it's cliche, right? We need to execute. You know, we need to take what the defense has given us. You know what I'm saying? Deion gets up there and just goes, well, like he did yesterday. They better win. And that's, like, it. Like, it's just kind of like – or else what? Like, you know what I'm saying? Are you going to walk around with the paddle? They will transfer. Like, you know what I'm saying? What are you going to do? And you know what I mean? But we'll get to that.

[00:41:21] And then, you know, the Big 12, you know, it's kind of crazy because we talk about the Big 12 years ago. As the pinball conference. You know, throwing the ball up and down the field. You know what I mean? Like, that's not true anymore. The home is Mayfield. Yeah, that's not true anymore. You got LJ Martin at BYU. You got Utah running the ball. Kansas State. You know, Houston. Like, this is a running conference now. You know what I mean? But let's jump right to it.

[00:41:50] So, Texas Tech, as I mentioned, is the favorite. So, here's question number one that's the logical. After everything they went through this offseason, with the whole quarterback situation and everything, do you feel that there is or has been enough time now that they know he's not going to be there to where it won't hurt as much? Because when I first found out that he wasn't going to play,

[00:42:18] I was like, ooh, do I got to not pick them to win the Big 12 now? Or do you think that enough time has passed to where they've been able to adjust and they're still the most talented team in the league, so they still run away with the league? No, because we talked about who should have made the playoffs last year and why Texas Tech should have made it, because the only game they lost was a game where they didn't have their starter

[00:42:46] and then they got it. So, it was like the quarterback plays such a major role. And we all know every team has a fluky game. Either the quarterback gets sacked early, strip sack, fumble, bad pick, they're down double digits early to a team like, let's say hypothetically, like Baylor. And then DJ, so certain teams kind of have,

[00:43:15] they've got their transfers in there, things are ready to go. BYU is always a solid team. For multiple reasons. One, if you had to measure focus and a team that is devoid of distractions, the BYU Cougars are that team. The guys don't drink alcohol, they don't party, they don't have premarital sex, at least they're not allowed to. So, I think a lot of those guys are older,

[00:43:43] they've done their mission between like ages 18 to 20 or 19 to 21. So, you have a handful of guys who are more mature, abide by the rules, and can just wear you down. Because not only are they focused, they're just talented, very big. We talk about the Polynesian and the Tongan and the Samoan relationships that are throughout the state of Utah. Utah has a lot of those guys on their team as well.

[00:44:11] So, you just have a physical dominance, then you have a mental preparation, I think, that will allow them to be one of those teams that presses the new Texas Tech quarterback that wasn't the original guy into a mistake. I think you win games there. I think Utah is one of those teams. Like I said, same thing. A lot of guys post-mission, a lot of transfer guys. Utah gets a lot of JUCO guys from Texas and California. So, you get a lot of 21, 22-year-old guys in there.

[00:44:41] I just feel like not having a quarterback established, having the offseason that they did could hurt them in one or two games or just fluky, where you just end up giving up a game that you shouldn't because you don't have the top tier quarterback play. Yeah. So, looking at it here, Texas Tech lost a lot. You know, they lost David Bailey early in the NFL draft.

[00:45:07] Jacob Rodriguez, who was there to kind of do everything guy. He even took snaps at running back and played quarterback from time to time. They lost a lot, you know, to say the least. Now, Cameron Dickey's gone. Jacoby Williams. But they get Quinton Joyner back. He came in from USC a little while ago, 7.6 yards per carry at one time. He got injured last year. He's back.

[00:45:36] They're going to have to replace some receivers. I think they probably have the best secondary in the conference, but I don't think you can lose guys like Bailey and Rodriguez and still maintain. Your secondary is really good because the front seven makes the ball come out a half second or a second early. Yeah. And looking at the schedule here, you know what I mean? You know, they get started. First five weeks, looks like it. Yeah.

[00:46:03] Like that Houston game would be tricky if it was at Houston because last year they went into Houston and stomped them out. But this year it's on a Friday night in Lubbock, so they should be fine there. They go to Boulder right before the bye week. So do you think – here's a different question. When people talk about the altitude when they go play the Nuggets, do you think it's that same effect? Like do you think that football has a bigger altitude effect because of the physical nature of the game?

[00:46:32] If it's a tough game. If you're in a battle and you can't bring – if you are in – if you're constantly being pushed to the brink 8, 9, 10 play drives by the home team being Colorado – because I think the elevation of Boulder is probably what, like 5,900 feet, something like that? Well, I know Denver is 5,280. And Boulder is about 20 minutes or so.

[00:47:01] Yeah, and when we were at Peterson, I think they were closer to 6,000 because Utah's at 5. I remember that was – just that 1,000 foot difference was tough. So if it's a tough game and you can't make mad substitutions and you're just in a dogfight, probably. But if you're out there just getting three and outs, working the ball up and down the field, and you're getting every wide receiver, every tight end, every running back, that's, you know, your first or second string guys in the game, I think you'll be fine. Especially if you're dominating the game.

[00:47:31] If Colorado makes it a tough game, then I think that's when the elevation, the lack of oxygen, getting tired, the mistakes come in. But if you're moving up and down the field and it's 17-3 starting the second quarter, then I don't think the elevation matters at all. Then after the bye week, they get Arizona State, who was that one team that beat them that Mr. Logical was talking about. Go to Cincinnati, play Arizona.

[00:47:57] So the problem here is, Mr. Logical, is I know, like I said, the regression thing. But I don't know if I see a loss on this schedule is the problem. This schedule is very favorable. They definitely got, if you're using the NFL analogy, they got a fourth-place schedule. Yeah. This is not a first-place you won the conference last year schedule. So, like, maybe one of... That's why there's going to be a slip-up.

[00:48:24] Maybe one of the Oklahoma State or Baylor could get them just off of being back-to-back, being late in the season. So by then, that Oklahoma State offense with the North Texas makeover should be humming. Yeah. You know, DJ Lagway should be settled in by then. Same thing with Baylor. Yeah. But I don't know, man. Like, I wanted to pick somebody else to win the conference. I'm still going through my mind right now. But this schedule just looks like 12-0 to me.

[00:48:53] The schedule says 12-0. The schedule says 12-0. And we know, like, a lot of teams don't go undefeated. We predict it every year, and there's always a game where, like, Florida State just beats Alabama. And then, you know, has a very mediocre season for the rest of it. But it just... These games just happen. Thursday night games, primetime games. Like you said, we're using elevation as a potential. The payback with Houston.

[00:49:23] You know, so, like, there's always something that could trip a team up. So, 12-0 being just a given is tough. But it's hard to pick out a definitive loss without, you know, I give you two coin flips. Arizona State and Oklahoma State, if they have turned it around. We've seen college teams basically get a new coach, a handful of new players, Indiana.

[00:49:52] And all of a sudden, it's completely different. You know, so... That's always the key. But looking at it right now, if you told me 12-0, I wouldn't stand up here and pound the table and tell you 9-3. Yeah, so then you got Brigham Young. You know, BYU. You know, LJ Martin is back. 1,300 yards last year. Kalani Satake was on his way to Penn State, it sounds like. And then BYU came through with the dump trucks and the Brinks trucks.

[00:50:22] And their last two years, 12-2, 11-2. Last year, the only team they lost to was Texas Tech, twice, by a combined seven touchdowns. Now, with that being said, you know, they were the team that got punished. Because remember, the committee said, we don't punish you for losing in your conference championship game. But BYU didn't make it in.

[00:50:47] You know, said Alabama did after Alabama lost their conference game by 21 points. BYU lost by 27. So I guess you just went with, hey, they lost by more, so keep them out. Bear Bachmeier is back for his sophomore year. 65% passing, 3,000 yards, 15 touchdowns. You know, LJ was also the Big 12 offensive player of the year. So where BYU, it gets interesting early.

[00:51:16] Because they get Arizona early. It's at home. It's at home. They get them early. They go to Fort Collins. You know, they should win that game. But then coming off the bye, they get TCU. So that could be tough. But coming off the bye, I think BYU is the better team. Okay. Iowa stayed on a Friday night. But it's at home. But Mr. Logical, do you see what I see?

[00:51:42] I got to see Notre Dame play a – I don't want to say a tough – I just don't feel like their pedigree year to year, whatever – I just don't feel like they dominate anywhere.

[00:52:05] Where I can put my fingers and say, this thing that Notre Dame does every year makes other teams fear them. I think they always get talent. So if that's the thing you – hey, they're always going to get four or five-star talent every year. And they're going to be funded well. For me, it's the trenches. I do like CJ Carr. They lost Jeremiah Love both and Jadarian Price, so the running game.

[00:52:34] But I can't remember the last time, to your point, even though I just said the offensive line, I can't remember the last time I looked at a Notre Dame wide receiver and said, oh, yeah, you're going to have a long day. You better strap up. Notre Dame's had some good corners. They've had some good secondaries. They're going to have talent all over the field. And I think that – I think they have a great head coach. I think he has a great temperament.

[00:53:02] I do not fault him for not playing in a bowl game last year. I understand the bowl games make believe when you're Notre Dame. Right. You don't need the extra exposure. You don't need the extra money. And you need to get these guys who are, a lot of them NFL ready or guys who plan on coming back. Why expose them to a Sunkiss Raisin Bowl trophy or a Pop-Tart trophy? Like, I understand that completely.

[00:53:30] But I don't know where – I don't know where they strike fear. Like, Bama, even if Bama has a down gear, I know for sure the five offensive linemen they have, you will not beat them off the snap consistently. I know that for sure if I don't know anything else about Bama. LSU, their wide receivers are going to be hard to cover. I know that without a doubt, no matter who the coach is. With Notre Dame, I just don't know definitively.

[00:53:57] Like, this is nothing that they do better than everybody else other than just kind of stockpile talent. So what's interesting is, because we're talking about BYU, but since we're talking about Notre Dame right now, one thing that I will point out, they do get Miami coming to South Bend this year. You know what I don't like about it, Mr. Logical? It's the week before the BYU game? No. Notre Dame plays Navy the week before they play Miami. Don't like it. Don't like it.

[00:54:27] That's two different sets of practices. Not only that, but just the style of Navy and the chip blocking. There's always that injury potential. You're going to be beat up regardless coming out of that game. You know what I mean? But no, I think BYU has a chance. The game is at Lavelle Edwards Stadium. So I think they have a chance to beat Notre Dame. They go to UCF. And that's the problem with these conferences, right?

[00:54:53] Is that they're so spread out that you just don't know what a team is going to do when they fly to Orlando. You know, I saw USC lose a game at Maryland two years ago. You know what I mean? Like, teams come to the East Coast and lose the Rutgers. They're in LA. Right. Like, so this travel thing. So I think BYU should beat UCF. But you just never know once you add that travel into it. You know? So then after the UCF game, they get Arizona State.

[00:55:23] They go to Salt Lake City. They get Baylor. Go to Kansas and finish with Cincinnati. So I could see 10-2 here. Like, if they lose that Notre Dame game and maybe they lose either the Utah game or the TCU game. One of those two. I don't think they lose both. But I think they lose out of one. I don't care what the record is when they play Utah. Yeah, I don't care what the record is. Oh, they going down? They lose the Utah game. Okay. Okay. I don't care what the record is.

[00:55:51] Y'all heard it here first. Y'all heard it here first. All right. So the Utes, speaking of the Utes, you know, Morgan Scali, you know, say he has the job that Mr. Logical does not want. Do not replace the legend. You know what I mean? Now, he was the coach in waiting. He's been there for a majority of the time that Winningham's been there. So he's not a newcomer. The love transfers.

[00:56:18] That's the biggest thing for him is that being there, the love of the fans transfer. I was talking to him because I just went to Utah a few weeks ago and I was talking to a good friend of mine, Matt. I was talking about my son's college recruiting. He was like, hey, man, call Morgan up. See if you got a spot for him. So, like, they already are, like, excited about the new coach. It's not like, oh, we don't know what we're going to do without Whittingham. So being the coach and waiting to replace the legend is different than being the guy that came from somewhere else.

[00:56:48] So, like, the love, the intrinsic love is already there for him. So I think it will do well. Well, I'm interested because from what I've been reading, it sounds like we might see a more downfield game from Utah this time around with Morgan Scali at the helm. They'll still be tough. They'll still run the ball. They'll still be physical. But they might take some shots. You know, Devin Dampier is back at quarterback. He was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last year from New Mexico State. You know, so, of course, like, you got to look at it, right?

[00:57:18] They get BYU and Houston at home. You know, last year they got beat by BYU in a nail-biter. They got blown out by Texas Tech on a big Saturday, big noon Saturday. But 10 of their 11 games, they won by double digits. So Utah still is what we know Utah to be. If Utah can get a passing game that is effective, that's a dangerous team.

[00:57:45] You know, now, to the other side of that, you know what I mean? If you look closely enough, you could probably still see Kansas State running on Utah. So that run defense has got to get improved. Man. Yeah. I was like – I was watching the TV like, yo, fill your gaps. Like, just – it was just guys not doing their job.

[00:58:12] And with Scali being the former D coordinator, I think he'll iron that out. But that was – like, it was like they probably could have – it could have been fourth and 20, and Kansas State could have ran the ball and got the first down or a touchdown. It was nuts. I think I was texting you. Yeah. Are you seeing this? Yeah. It was ridiculous. It was like a video game. Yeah. And you got Daly transferred to Michigan, their best defensive player.

[00:58:41] So that's going to hurt. Yep. Yep. And then you got the three-headed monster at running back. You know, Parker, I think, is going to be the lead back. But I expect to see a lot of Daniel Bray after what I've been hearing out of camp. So for the time being, let's look at this. So you got – they open with the Vandals, not Boise State, Idaho. Then they get some SEC, Mr. Logical. They get the Razorbacks coming in, you know, with their new head coach.

[00:59:11] Razorback defensive line. Not as Mississippi State doing a little dance. Oh, yeah. I saw that. Yeah. I'm focused. Utah State tough. Iowa State, whole new team. We'll get into that later. Kansas off the bye. They go to Boulder. The Houston game at Cincinnati. BYU at Arizona at TCU. So that's the tough one, the back-to-back there. At Arizona and at TCU. So if I'm looking at this.

[00:59:39] Their travel is not bad, though, if we look at that. Right, right. I don't think they have a Florida game. No, they don't. They go to West Virginia by the end of the year. Well, no, that was at home. That was at home. Oh, so it's at home? Yeah. Yeah. So at Cincinnati is furthest east that they go, looks like. So here's the question. After looking at what we looked at, you know, we talked about Texas Tech schedule. So I'll ask you. They don't play each other.

[01:00:06] So is Utah more likely to go 12-0 than Texas Tech? No. Okay. I think Texas Tech schedule, per, like, the position that they finished last year and how they kind of retooled, especially in considering, like, the very deliberate money that this Campbell guy is putting into the program. Yeah. They definitely reloaded.

[01:00:31] And to reload and have subsequently easier schedule, probably one of the easiest ones we've reviewed so far out of the three teams. I just think that Utah is just kind of susceptible to maybe a bad loss at Kansas, like Kansas, because Kansas runs the ball well. You said that back-to-back with a TCU. At TCU and at Arizona. At TCU and at Arizona.

[01:01:00] Especially if the downfield passing game isn't float. Like, the first four weeks is where you figure out, do we have a bona fide downfield passing game? Are we 270, 300 yards passing per game offense? Those first four weeks you figure it out. The SEC talent, because, yeah, Arkansas, for what it's worth, they're still an SEC team. They're going to get talented players. They're going to have fast players.

[01:01:27] They're going to have guys who are 6'3", 215, that play corner, that can run 4-3. That's a tough ask. First road game for a new head coach, though. It's all in a new system. If you can get your system there through Idaho, you can get a tough win in Arkansas. Yeah, I think they... Coming back to Utah, Iowa State, I think you're good to go.

[01:01:55] But if you're 3-1 after those first four games, then I think the rest of the season, some of those games could be a coin flip. Well, I think Utah is going to start 6-0 heading into that Houston game. So, you know, and that's at home. You know what I mean? Yeah, so... You know, like I said, I talk about the proverbial slip-up. I don't want it to be against Arkansas.

[01:02:26] You know, they get the suey and all that stuff down there. Well, it's in Salt Lake. Wait, so... Well, yeah. I keep getting the... So, I got to get the... Okay, yeah. So, bringing on the Salt Lake, you might have an advantage. Yeah, so then you got... I'm so worried about my teams. Like, I just can't be like, oh, we're definitely going 12-0. It's like... Got to have a little trepidation every once in a while. Yeah, so I think Texas... I think Texas is going to go 12-0. I think BYU loses to Utah. And maybe Notre Dame.

[01:02:55] And then I think Utah probably goes 10-2 as well. So, okay, Mr. Logical. So, you remember, I used to say this all the time when I was talking about the Tennessee Titans. You know, I love so hard. And last year, I fell in love with Kansas State preseason. You know, picked them to win the Big 12. They started out the year ranked number 17 in the AP. They went over to Ireland. Lost to the Cyclones.

[01:03:23] Then they lost to the Army team that lost to Tarleton State. And then it just kind of went awry from there. So, Avery Johnson is back for his senior year. You know, Kansas State has brought in Colin Kline as head coach. He was the office coordinator at Texas A&M. He is also, you know, a former Kansas State quarterback. So, there you go. You know, a Bill Snyder disciple, if you will.

[01:03:50] They get Joe Jackson back, who we've been kind of talking about indirectly because he ran for 293 yards against Utah, which was a school record. You know, so I think Colin Kline and Avery Johnson are a good fit. You know, he's coming from coaching Marcel Reed. So, I think that will help. But Kansas State's offensive line is going to be being remade in this process. So, that's going to be tough. But I like Jerron Timbs at wide receiver.

[01:04:20] The other thing Kansas State needs to work on and what might help them this year is that they went 2-5 in one-score games last year. So, generally speaking, that kind of balances out a little bit. So, maybe they get a couple of those this year. Three-score area. Yep. Yep. They went out in the portal and got Wendell Gregory and Elijah Hill from Oklahoma State and Kennesaw State, respectively, to shore up the defensive line. Combined, 29-and-a-half tackles for losses and 13 sacks.

[01:04:50] So, they just got to get used to each other, but the talent is there. So, looking at this, Mr. Logical, I think they got it easy until their Houston game. So, that seems to be the theme. You got it easy until you play Houston. It seems like a lot of teams have very favorable schedules. Yeah. Like, Nichols State, Wazoo, Tulane, all at home. And, you know, Tulane, you know, is not the same team.

[01:05:19] You know, their coach went to Florida. They made the college football playoffs last year. Yeah. Yeah. And John Summerall is now the head coach at Florida. You know, they brought in Neil Brown from West Virginia, former West Virginia head coach. So, then from there, Kansas State goes to Cincinnati. Get the bye week. Get Houston. Get Kansas, who they've beat 16 straight times. They go to Arizona State. So, call that a slip-up.

[01:05:49] You know, they get, go to Colorado. Oklahoma State at TCU. Arizona, Iowa State. So, I think Kansas State is looking at 8-4. Possibly 9-3. But, I think they get got at Arizona State. I think they lose to Houston as well. And then, I think they get clipped at TCU. Yeah. Some of these teams, like we said, as of right now, we've done four. Well, you said four. Yeah.

[01:06:19] You got undefeated Texas Tech. You got 10-2, 10-2 BYU and Utah, respectively. Yeah. Okay. Then, you have 8-4. Yeah. Kansas State is probably one of those teams that's susceptible to that 7-5. They are. They definitely are. Because of a – we talked about the game they had over in Ireland last year, which I have no idea. Kansas has, like, no ties.

[01:06:49] Like, I saw at the bottom they're playing another game in London. Like, I don't know why people in the U.K. care about college football. But, that's neither here nor there. Well, you remember the Ireland game that's happening in a few weeks, right? Who is it? This is like – North Carolina and TCU. If it's Notre Dame, then I give you a pass. If Notre Dame played a game in Ireland every year, I give you a pass. Maybe even Boston College just because of the Catholic thing.

[01:07:16] If the game was Notre Dame versus Boston College in Ireland for zero week, I'll let it fly. Call it good. But it's like no one else has an allegiance to Ireland or their fans. They just – I mean, they love sports. The island of the U.K. loves sports. But, yeah, Kansas State, I just feel like they're one of those teams that will just kind of slip up. You know, a game where the quarterback will throw 45 passes when he should have run it more.

[01:07:47] Going forward on fourth and three from the 50-yard line, not converting, giving up a touchdown. Like, I think, like, they're the type of team that makes those kind of decisions and subsequent mistakes, which has them looking – every year looking good preseason. Someone's picking them as their sleeper. And then the year ends and they're 75. I just feel like it's one of those kind of years for them. Yeah. And you got Houston, year three of Willie Fritz.

[01:08:15] You know, like I mentioned last year – or I mentioned how they had a lot of momentum. And then, you know, Texas Tech came in there 35 to 11, primetime ESPN Saturday night. And then Houston still maintained, but it just kind of took the wind out their sails. Willie Fritz might be the best coach in the Big 12. You know what I mean? But it's still going to be a long road to hoe, if you will.

[01:08:40] So Houston, Connor Wegman from Texas A&M, 2,700 yards, 700 rushing, 36 total touchdowns. But even he's looking over his shoulder at Keyshawn Henderson, who's going to be the future quarterback of that program. Amari Thompson, all Big 12, wide receiver is back. Makai Hughes from Tulane is in at running back. Patrick Overmeyer from UTSA, the 2-1-0. You know what I'm saying?

[01:09:09] Going to be one of the best, you know, tight ends in the Big 12. Will James is all Big 12 corner. They got both safeties coming back. They all started 13 games last year. You know, they started 4-0. So Houston is their name. Speed is their game. The problem is they go to Utah and Tech. You know what I'm saying? But they will have one of the best linebacking cores in the league.

[01:09:38] So we'll see how that goes. But looking at it, Mr. Logical, you know, they get Oregon State. All right. Pop Quiz, who's the head coach at Southern? Marshall Falk. Correct. Correct. No, I did. Correct. All right. Didn't they go to Texas Tech for that Friday night game? So there's your first loss of the season. They go to State's Pearl. Is it, though? It is.

[01:10:06] You just named a lot of returning talent for Houston. That's continuity. That's confidence. Yeah. Yeah. It's, granted, it's a completely different size of the state. And they got the best coach in the conference. Texas is like a two-day drive. So it's not like it's like, whoa, they're both in the state of Texas. It's a completely different state. Yeah. Lubbock's six hours from me. Yeah. So it's like it might as well be Florida and Tennessee.

[01:10:34] Like, I think the distance is probably that far apart. But Texas Tech, like I said, that's probably going to be their first test. Granted, it's at home. It's on a Friday night, you know, under the lights, primetime television. Is Will Hammond ready? Is he ready for that moment? Is the linebacker core going to get to him? Or is just the fact that he's being at home, you know, going to be able to carry them?

[01:11:02] So I think that's the linchpin. And they win that game. I think they're very confident going into the Utah matchup. I think they – you beat Texas Tech. I think that probably puts you – I don't know. They don't do PowerPoints. But, like, if you beat the team that won your conference the year before and you're still undefeated, I think that – I think the conversations from week four, five, six, and seven,

[01:11:29] oh, if the eight when you match up with Utah, if you're both undefeated, I think that puts Houston in position to, like, you know, really feel like, you know what, this is our conference win, especially if you take out the king, being Texas Tech at this point. Being going 10-3 last year, I mean, 6-3 in conference, you get over that hump? That can be huge, especially for, like, the guys who were turning who know what it felt like the year before to go 10-3.

[01:11:55] Well, for some reason after that, they're going to go to Statesboro, Georgia. I have no idea why to play the Eagles and Clay Helton. Then they host UCF, go to Kansas State, so there's another tough roadie. You get Oklahoma State at Utah, so Salt Lake City, Cincinnati. They get Colorado on the road on a Friday night. They played them at home on a Friday night last year. Then you get at West Virginia, and you close with Baylor.

[01:12:24] So Houston, to me, is one of the bigger variance teams in this conference. Like, I can see them going anywhere from 7-5 to 11-1. You know, like, I can see them losing to one of Tech in Utah and beating everybody else. I can see them losing to Tech and Utah, you know, and lose at Kansas State, and then just kind of have no momentum after that.

[01:12:53] You know, this is year two, and I know it's early, but, you know, it's year two of Rich Rod, so that trip to Morgantown can be freaky. And it seems like all the schedules that we've seen so far have some kind of weird trippy back-to-back on the road. You know, there's always – right at the end of the year, there's like that road back-to-back that you've got to watch out for. So, you know what I mean? But I'm going to go 7-5.

[01:13:22] I like Houston a lot better than that. I just think those are tough road games to pull off. I'm going to be a little bit more – I'm going to go on the edge. I'm going to call on my sleeper team. I know everybody can't go 10-2. I'm going to give them 10-2. I'm going to give them – because, like I said,

[01:13:50] I just think Texas Tech has to – like, I don't think you can make the changes and lose the players that you lost and then just kind of just – especially when you're not a perennial power in the conference. If you're a staple at the top of your conference, so you're one of these programs that just continues to just reload and just deliver every year, year after year, no matter what, then I can give you that credence from year to year.

[01:14:19] But the fact that they aren't that caliber of a team, I think it could be a 9-3 year for them just because of that, just because they're working in so many new pieces. And now they're the hunted where they normally weren't. Their schedule does lay out to be very easy, but there's a trip up here. I think the Houston game is going to be a tough matchup and then with a couple of short missteps.

[01:14:42] So, like, yeah, I like Houston 10-2 better in this, you know, overall. All right, then we go out to the desert. The Arizona Wildcats, you know, surprised everybody last year. Noah Fetida, senior year. You know, he's a small guy, but he plays big. You know, he's the first Arizona quarterback, the first,

[01:15:09] to be first team all conference since some dude named Bruce Hill in 1975. Jesus Christ. Arizona has good high school football talent. You can't recruit any of those quarterbacks? He broke, last season, he broke Nick Foles' school touchdown record. And he's less than 1,000 yards from breaking the all-time yards record held by Nick Foles. The defense was seventh in the nation against the pass.

[01:15:38] You know, their defensive coordinator, Danny Gonzalez, was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award for the best coordinator in the nation. They were second in the country in interception. So, question, when you have a team that forces turnovers in that way, do you feel that that's something that you can maintain, or is that also a year-to-year kind of thing? Depends on your trench play.

[01:16:08] Like, if you brought back a majority of your front seven, because a lot of it on the back end is just being opportunistic. And a lot of that comes from the front seven creating opportunities where there's passes in the double coverage. There's plays where the quarterback doesn't see the safety and he has to get rid of it because the blitzing linebacker

[01:16:38] is barreling down through the A-gap. So, you get those kind of plays. If you don't get the pressure up front, it's rare that the quarterback's going to make a mistake on the back end. So, if they brought back enough talent, if they feel the talent that they have up front can recreate that, I think that's a sustainable year-to-year aspect. Because teaching defense, I want to say it's easy, but if you teach see ball, get ball, and then you have the players and the playmakers that understand that

[01:17:08] and fly to the ball, then you'll create those opportunities. You know, guys who are opportunistic at the point of attack, you'll create opportunities where you're going to knock the ball out. You're going to jump that RPO bubble screen where now that pass, the incomplete pass is really a fumble and you're scooping and scoring. But you have to be on it defensively to do that. But that requires the front seven being able to apply that pressure.

[01:17:36] Yeah, Arizona had Trayden Stukes and Genesis Smith back in the secondary. They might be the team that I would pick to choose or to challenge Texas Tech. But look at this schedule, right? You know, so obviously you've got to go to Morgantown on October 10th. You know, and I'm only highlighting that game because I think you should be five or you could be four and one headed into that game. Maybe I think you lose at BYU. So you could be four and one heading to that game at Morgantown.

[01:18:06] If you get that game in Morgantown, the sky's the limit. You know, you get Iowa State, then you get that at Texas Tech. And that's why you need that game in Morgantown because you've got to go to Texas Tech. So you can't slip there. You can't lose BYU, West Virginia, and Texas Tech. Right. Unless you just want a good bowl game. You want a good bowl game, you're going to have a good season. If you're going to win, then nine and three overall is not a bad year at all.

[01:18:32] But if you have championship aspirations, you've got to win two out of those three games. But look at these last five. At Texas Tech, TCU, Utah, at Kansas State, and then your rivalry game against Arizona State. That's a rough finish. That's a rough finish. So this is a team that I think is going to end up six and six. But it's based on the schedule more than anything else.

[01:19:01] Like, the Vita is just going to have to be lights out every single week. Let me see their road games. I just want to see something. Because last year they were three and two on the road. Let's see what they got this year. So on the road. So their first road game is the game at BYU. So that's an L, I think. BYU. That's a tough one. Yeah. Then they go to Washington State. Washington State is the tough. Uh-oh, uh-oh. The first time this year. Here it comes. Arizona is going to the Palouse. Going to the Palouse. Yeah.

[01:19:31] There you go. I missed that. I didn't even see that. You know. But yeah. So they're going out to the Palouse, which is a tough environment. It's a tough place to travel to because there's nothing there. But Washington State, they don't got nothing for them this year. Then they go. West Virginia. Yep. Go to Morgantown. And then you go to Tech. Texas Tech. Go to the Little Apple. You know. So. So five road games. You're calling three of them tough.

[01:20:02] One of them a bona fide win. And then the Kansas City is a corn flip. I'm going to say two and three. Yeah. I say they go two and three on the road. Yeah. That's tough. That's. That's. Those. Playing Texas Tech and BYU and West Virginia. Yeah. On the road. And then you throw in, like you said. Kansas State has the. The. The. The. You know. The talent to be a nine and three. A ten and two team. But then you get. But then you get that. But. So the problem. Like the thing that I don't like is that.

[01:20:31] So not only do you go to Lubbock. But even though you go home. TCU is going to be a tough game. Even though it's at home. It's still going to be a tough game. Short week. You make it through that. Then you get Utah coming in. So it's not necessarily. Hey. You're playing TCU. Hey. You're playing Utah. It's you're playing. TCU. Utah. And Texas Tech. And then you go to Kansas State. You know what I mean? Like. It's just. It's just a lot going on.

[01:21:00] Whereas Texas Tech got favors. They were given favors. When the schedule was written. Arizona did not get that. So that's six and six. Based off the. The back to back. Yeah. Back to back is tough. Like the back to back to back is tough. On top of the five road games. Three of them being very tough. Yeah. And then after you come out of that stretch. But then after you come out of that stretch. Texas Tech. TCU. Utah. K-State. Then you get your rival. You know what I'm saying?

[01:21:30] Your better conference opponents. Yeah. And rival. Yeah. So then you got Baylor. You know we mentioned it in the beginning. You know DJ Lagway is coming to town. You know where his daddy played for the Bears. Dave Aranda in year seven. You know job on the line again. They went five and seven last year. You know what's crazy about that Mr. Logical? They had the Big 12 leading passer last season.

[01:21:59] There are three running backs combined for 1,577 yards. And they still only won five games. How bad was their defense? Their defense was pretty bad. Which is crazy because you know Dave Aranda is the defensive guru. So that's tough to take on. Now obviously they went into the portal. They went and got Jose O'Wheeler from Indiana. The national champs by the way.

[01:22:29] You know they went and got Jamal Weiss Jr. From Marshall. So I think they'll be okay on the defensive line. You know Devontae Tazzino. They picked up you know for. He was there playing tackle. LeVar Thornton I think is one of the best corners in the Big 12. The good news is is that Dave Aranda is giving up defensive play calling. So now he can be a head coach again. Maybe that will help things out.

[01:22:59] That's normally a sign that a rough start and you get a new head coach. Maybe. And you're going to be. Those kind of responsibilities normally means that someone had a conversation with you about your ineffectiveness at that position. So he might need seven or eight to keep his job. I don't think I see it. DJ Lagway has to put it together. You know at Florida he had moments that you saw why he was ranked where he was ranked in his quarterback class.

[01:23:29] But then you saw other moments where you said how did this dude get to Florida. You know so you can't have that especially in this conference that isn't necessarily known for having the greatest defenses. But looking at this. He used to be able to thrive in the Big 12 if you are. He was number eight quarterback right coming out of his class. I want to say he was he was first or second because he it was him and Julian Sand. Yeah.

[01:23:57] So but Mr. Logical. Ladies and gentlemen we have made it to that part where I haven't said these words yet. I'm about to say it. Mr. Logical knows what it is. It's the two words that he hates the most in college football. Neutral site. Baylor is going to open the season at the compressor. A.K.A. Mercedes Benz if you didn't know that against Auburn. See he's already mad. You know what I'm saying.

[01:24:26] But yeah they opened the season with Auburn again. They lost last year 45 to 31 to Auburn down at Jordan here. They I'm sorry it was actually here. I'm sorry in Waco. Then you get Prairie View A&M. Shout out to Jack. You know Louisiana Tech and Colorado. So maybe you can start three and one if everything goes right. But more likely I'm going to say two and two. Then you go out to the desert to play Arizona State. Get your bye week.

[01:24:56] TCU at Kansas. And then you go to at UCF on a short week. So not only going down to Orlando. But going down there on a short week too. Yeah. So you know so that might be as as Max Kellerman would say that might be a scheduled loss. Iowa State at BYU. Texas Tech at Houston. Mr. Logical who came up with that three game stretch right there. Somebody who doesn't like Waco, Texas. Somebody who doesn't like Waco, Texas.

[01:25:26] So guess what. I'm going to go. That's tough. You got the road game Kansas. Go back home to Texas. Next game short week flying out to Florida. Playing that game. Iowa State always a tough team. Tough game. And then your three. Three headed monster. They're probably the top three betting odds to win your conference back to back to back. Yeah. So this is what we're going to do right here. Mr. Logical.

[01:25:56] This is what we're going to do right here. Let's go ahead and get them that quick four and eight. L. L. L. L. It's like that four and eight. Let's go ahead and pull your kids out of private school. I'm going to give them five and seven. You're not making it through the season. I'm going to give them five and seven. And, you know, the thing about Auburn, too, and we'll get to this in our SEC preview next week. But, you know, they're bringing in Alex Golish as the head coach. He was the designer of what Josh Heupel does at Tennessee.

[01:26:25] You know, he's bringing Byron Brown with him, his quarterback from USF. So, like, I don't know, man. Baylor's in trouble. TCU, you know. Auburn's having more coaches than the Raiders. I know. You know, and paying them all. You know, paying them all. You know, three years removed from a 65-7 spanking in the national title game. TCU's still tough. They lost their quarterback to the national champs. You know, no shame in that, I guess.

[01:26:55] Yeah, a lot of turnovers according to Sonny Dykes. Yeah, he does. 71 touchdowns, 33 interceptions to be exact. I only remember that because I did the Big Ten preview the other night. But Jaden Craig, they brought in Jaden Craig from Harvard. You know, 5,299 yards, 48 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions the last two years. You know, they have a new offensive coordinator, but their best wide receiver, Eric McAllister, is gone.

[01:27:21] They did beat SMU and Houston last year. They returned three starters on the offensive line. But on defense, they lost Bud Clark. They lost, you know, all Big 12 linebacker Caleb Elarms or Nadi Ob. I don't even know. I ain't even going to try it. The defensive line is pretty much intact.

[01:27:44] But the back half of the defense, the back seven, needs to get right if TCU is going to actually do some damage. So they start out in Dublin against Carolina. You know what I mean? We'll see what North Carolina is, but I think TCU should win that game. They get Grambling and Arkansas State before they take the trip to Florida, but at least it's not as long of a trip for them.

[01:28:10] So I feel pretty confident that TCU is going to be 4-0 heading into the BYU game. You know, I think that's their first loss. They get their bye week. They go to Baylor rivalry game, so you never know. They get West Virginia and Kansas at home. Both of those should be wins. They go to Arizona on a Friday, play Kansas State at home, and then guess what they get, Mr. Logical?

[01:28:44] I know they put these things, like schedules used to be like handwritten back in the day, and they had to like coordinate it. Now they just put it in a, you know, a computer generator and it splits out the schedule. So when you see that, you're like, listen, we got to, we can't just be jamming these teams up having them play BYU, Utah, and Texas Tech back-to-back,

[01:29:08] or playing their Utah, BYU, and then a rivalry game, and then a game in London all in the same month. It just seems a bit unfair. But listen, you got to be prepared. You got to be prepared for anything when you're going to be an athlete. So, yeah. It's a tough stretch, but somebody has to be middle of the pack in some of these teams. Who better than TCU?

[01:29:34] Their schedules are making them middle of the pack teams, even though, like you said, you're going to preview all the transfers and all the players that they got and they lost. Sometimes, like you said, Max Kelton, that's a scheduled loss. And I think some of the scheduling, because football is quick. College football is quick. You can lose a game very early. Once, like we talked about the Kansas State game.

[01:30:00] Once they realized that BYU was not playing the gaps properly and they were not seeing, it was like there was nothing they could do. Even BYU, Utah was coming back and scoring. Kansas State was like, that's cool. We're going to run this counter trap again. And you know what's going to be in the hole and my guy's going to streak down the sideline. Yeah, and if this quarterback hits. That's one of those games.

[01:30:26] If this quarterback hits, you know, and doesn't turn the ball over like he hasn't been, TCU is going to be a factor in the Big 12 race. But I think they're going to be more spoiler than contender. You know, they might just be the team you don't want to play at some point because those three games are tough. Arizona State, you know, the 15-ranked portal class this year. No Sam Levitt. He's at LSU. Jordan Tyson's in the NFL now with the New Orleans Saints. But don't sleep.

[01:30:55] They're bringing in Cutter Boley from Kentucky. I like him a lot. Saw him in a few games last year. If he had started some more games at Kentucky, maybe they would have had a better season last year. But they bring in Omari Ann Miller from Colorado at receiver. Reed Harris from B.C. And Raiden Vines Bright from Washington. So a lot of people are excited about this receiving core. You know, we'll have to see. Kyson Brown back at running back. He missed last season with an injury.

[01:31:23] So there was a lot of hype going into him last season. So it's almost like you're getting just an extra bonus player, you know, because he wasn't there last year. So this one is one of those things, right? I think they have talent all over the roster. I love the head coach, you know, Dillingham. Secondary. The secondary is going to give up big plays.

[01:31:49] But Mr. Logical, the problem for Arizona State, of course, as with most of these teams, is their schedule. Let's look at week two. Going down to College Station. Whew. That's a tough one. Top 10 team. That's a tough one. The college football playoff team. Yep. Coming off the playoffs. You know, they get Kansas. So two and one start isn't bad. Kansas game is in London. Going down to the bottom is that one next year.

[01:32:19] Yeah, it's in London. Yep. Which makes no sense. But whatever. Two and one. They get Baylor. I think they can win that game. That Hawaii game. If it was in Hawaii, I feel a little better. I'd be concerned, yeah. Yeah. They got Mike. Because Mike Alajato, the quarterback for Hawaii. That guy is the truth. If you haven't watched Hawaii, make sure you get eyes on him this year. But then comes the fuckery, Mr. Logical.

[01:32:48] Texas at Texas Tech. Kansas State at BYU. And then you could be beat up enough off of that to get got by Colorado. But, you know what I mean? So, like, even if you win two out of three. You win Texas Tech. Luckily for them, I think Colorado might be so desponded by that point of the year. Like I said, I'm just not. I just don't think they have the horses to contend.

[01:33:16] So, I think coming off the BYU, you might be able to regroup and finish strong. Yeah, maybe you could win out. Yeah, you can win out after that tough stretch. Like I said, it's all predicated on if Kansas State can really, you know, move mountains the way we're expecting them to. But, yeah, it's tough. It's tough to be one and one on your way to London to play Kansas. No home field advantage. And you're not going to be up for Kansas. I don't care. Like, you're not going to be up.

[01:33:46] Like, I mean, granted. You're up for London. Or maybe you're up if A&M beats you by 21. You know what I mean? And you're just ready to get back on the field again or something like that. I don't think A&M will beat them by 21. I'm just making a point. I think A&M beats them by 14. How about that? All right. UCF. Hashtag UCFacts, the 2017 National Champions. You know, year two with Scott Frost.

[01:34:15] You know, they lost a lot. You know, first-round draft pick to the Cowboys off the defensive line. But where they made up for it, Mr. Logical, they went out and got Alonzo Barnett, who was the Sun Belt Player of the Year and Quarterback, for the playoff, James Madison Dukes. So, you got some speed there at quarterback. You know, a guy that's dangerous with the ball.

[01:34:40] You got Duke Watson, who was hurt last year but went to Louisville prior to his injury when he got hurt, you know, from the year before. He was averaging 8.9 yards a carry. That's damn near first down. You know what I mean? That's damn near first down. We can hand the ball off to him and easily get a first down. With Duke UCF last year, they only put up 24 points a game. They only converted 55% of their red zone trips into touchdowns.

[01:35:10] You know, I think that their defense will be fine. That'll change with a mobile quarterback. That'll change with a mobile quarterback. But then again, you know, saying, I'm a Florida State fan, it might not. But UCF, you know, they open up with Bethune-Cookman. Then they go up to what used to be Heinz Field. I think it's a century or something like that now. They play the Pitt Panthers. So, ACC contender.

[01:35:39] They get Georgia State, who's going to be a good team, surprise team in the Sun Belt, I think, this year. They get TCU, and then they get the back-to-back at Houston, at Oklahoma State. You know, they get BYU, Baylor on the Friday. We talked about that. They go to Kansas, get Arizona State, Iowa State, and at Colorado. So, this schedule does not set up bad for UCF at all. You know, once you get past, you know, the Pitt game, I'll chalk it up as a loss.

[01:36:10] So, they can start 2-2. 3-3 after that Oklahoma State game, potentially. Lose to BYU, maybe. Well, you know, they might make a bowl game. They might be right on the brink of a bowl game. Yeah, and I think some of the expectations for some of these programs are, let's get a bowl game. Let's get bowl eligible and see where we can go from there.

[01:36:37] Like I said, that 255% in the red zone with the quarterback that, you know, made it to the college football playoff, you would think him, his ability to use his legs. And he was big time in those, like the last couple of those playoff games where he just was like, wasn't throwing the ball well, but he just was making plays, making the chunk plays, getting the touchdowns. So, I like it, but like I said, somebody's got to be middle of the pack.

[01:37:05] I believe UCF is going to be that team. TCU, they're going to be all kind of that same mix, that 7-5, 6-6. And maybe one of these middle of the pack teams surprises us and goes 8-4. Well, that team could be West Virginia. You know, this is year two of Rich Rod. You know, they did beat Pitt in Houston last year, even though they went 4-8. Nope, no backyard brawl this year, unfortunately.

[01:37:32] They got Scotty Fox back at quarterback, but they also went into the portal and got Michael Hawkins from OU. Now, you know, Michael Hawkins probably fits the Rich Rod style better as far as being shifty, being able to use his legs, making the defense pay for opening up gaps. So, from that standpoint, they could be better. They went and got Cam Cook from Jacksonville State, 1,659 rushing yards, you know, 16 touchdowns.

[01:38:02] You know, so from that standpoint, West Virginia might look a little bit more like the West Virginia we saw when Rich Rod was their coach the first time. They do have a top 20 recruiting portal class or a transfer portal class, but this is the part that's the logical. You ready to feel old? Let's hear it. They got Noel Devine's son on the roster. Yeah, we're old.

[01:38:34] So, the defense is going to be the question. The defense is going to be the question. And, of course, I got to say it again, those two words that Mr. Logical hates. Neutral site because they're going to play Virginia and Charlotte, which makes no sense to me. Like, I would rather you play them in D.C., you know, but. At least it's in the middle. You know what I'm saying? At least it's somewhat sandwiched between the two locations.

[01:39:02] Charlotte is substantially further south than both. Hey, listen, I don't make the schedule. I don't make the rules. If I did, it'd be a lot different. All right. So, 2-0 after Coastal and UT Martin. That Virginia game is probably going to be a loss. Then Oklahoma State, that's the toss-up of all toss-ups because I think that one of these two teams is going to crash the party. It'll probably be the winner of that game. By crash the party, I mean to your point about one of these teams going 8-4.

[01:39:32] That might be a bit. You know what I'm saying? Appreciate you, Rez. You know what I mean? Then they go to Ames, Iowa. You know, we haven't got to Iowa State yet, but that's a team that's going to be hurting. You know, lose to Arizona more than likely, but it's at home at least. Cincinnati, lose at TCU, lose at Texas Tech. And then you go with this closeout again. You know what I'm saying? But the game against Kansas.

[01:40:00] So, like, West Virginia I think could be 7-5, 8-4 with a break or two. But they could go 0-4 in their last four games. They very much could go 0-4. And this is one of those things, right, where how much do you respect a coach, right? Because I think Rich Rod's a good coach. And sometimes, you know, you just can't envision it. You know what I mean?

[01:40:29] Like, I mean, they did go 4-8 last year, though. So this isn't necessarily a team that you could have faith in in that way. Now, you know, but we'll see. We'll see. We'll see. Oklahoma State, you know, the other half of that that I was talking about, like I mentioned, right? They got Drew Bestemaker at quarterback, you know, big NFL potential. You know, he was the leading passer in college football last year.

[01:40:55] At running back, they have Caleb Hawkins, who broke the FBS record for rushing touchdowns by a freshman with 29. You know, they have Wyatt Young at receiver, you know, who had 1,264 yards at North Texas, of course. They have a veteran offensive line. You know, they lost a lot in the secondary. They're basically, yeah, they're basically the new Oklahoma State made green at this point.

[01:41:25] You know, like, so I think that there's a problem with. No one has a problem when the coach leaves and he takes all of the talent from his previous team. But if a player leaves and joins another more talented group, then it's a problem. I'm going to say that every single time. Hey, we're not talking about LeBron no more, okay? You know, but I think you're going to see a lot of 3-3-5, 4-2-5 mixtures here, like some 5-DB looks from Oklahoma State.

[01:41:55] The defense can't be any worse because if you don't remember, they lost to Oregon 69-3 last year. Remember Mike Gundy made the comment about NIL and how if we had the money that Oregon had, we'd be doing X, Y, and Z. And then Dan Landy was like, let me show you what that money could do. You know, so they did lose to Tulsa last year as well, who they happened to open the season with. But week two, they get the revenge opportunity.

[01:42:24] They get Oregon coming into Stillwater. And I will go on record. No, I'm going on record right now. I'm going on record right now, and I'm going to set the record straight right now. Oregon's going to only win that game 42-31. 42-31? Yeah. So you got that to start your season with. So you got them 1-1 at the gate, or you got them 0-2 at the gate?

[01:42:52] I got them 1-1, baby, 1-1. I got them 2-2 because, you know, they're going to beat Mary State. I got them losing in Morgantown. And then it's up. You know what I'm saying? I think they get UCF at home. They're 3-3 after Houston. They beat Colorado. They beat Iowa State. Kansas State's a toss-up, but I'll call it a loss. Tech is a loss. And Arizona State's a loss. And they beat Kansas.

[01:43:21] So at worst, 6-6. You know, with a break here and there, I think 8-4 is on the table because I think that that West Virginia game is a toss-up. But I'm giving it to West Virginia just because it's in Morgantown. But it is a toss-up in every sense of the word. We talked about this, I believe, at the end of the college football playoffs when Indiana won. I think our question either presented to me or we just saw it somewhere.

[01:43:51] And it was like, who could be next year's Indiana? And I was like, probably Oklahoma State because he essentially did the same thing. Well, the great news about him. Division I program, top-tier offense, took all of his weapons from his previous school and went to another school. What a little bit of money. Yeah, the great news about him is for the future, right?

[01:44:17] Because he was involved in either the recruitment or development of Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield. And there was one more that's escaping my mind right now. Cam Ward. There you go. He was the head coach down here at Incarnate Word, Cam Ward. So, you know, yeah. All right. Let's talk about these Buffaloes, Mr. Logical. Let's talk about it.

[01:44:43] So the Colorado Buffaloes, coming off a disappointing season last year. Now, this is the crazy part, Mr. Logical. Who is going to be Colorado's quarterback this year? Is it the young boy out of Georgia that they recruited? It might be, Julian Lewis. Yeah. But from everything that I've been reading, they went out into the portal.

[01:45:12] And during the spring practice, they were very impressed by Isaac Wilson, brother of Zach, of course. But with that being said, you know, he came out. And this is why people transfer from Colorado. And, you know, Juju came out. What was it? Last week? He was talking about how he didn't watch film. And, you know, he was basically just having fun. Like, word on the street is, Coach Prime ain't like that too much.

[01:45:42] But, you know, make him watch tape. So they brought in Brennan Marion from Sacramento State. They tracked that even at the high school level. Like, my son has that tracking. Like, the iPad, how much film do you watch? They tracked that for 14, 15, 16, and 17-year-olds. Like, you're an adult in college. I know you're young. But, like, watch film. That way you know where to go with the ball and where to be with the ball and all of these things.

[01:46:11] If these things help you, put it on while you're playing Call of Duty. At least make the ticker go up. But they're bringing in the go-go offense. You know, Brennan Marion from Sacramento State. So that's going to be interesting to see. You know, Deion doesn't have the best record with his offensive coordinators. Remember, he fired Sean Lewis in the middle of the first season after they came back against USC, and it wasn't good enough. They went and got some upgrades. You know, they did lose Amarion Miller to Arizona State, like we mentioned, that receiver.

[01:46:41] But they went and got Cam Perry from Miami of Ohio, 22.7 yards per carry. I'm looking forward to it, too. You know, they got Danny Scudero from San Jose State. So the wide receiver room, I am here for for Colorado. You know, the question is always going to be, can they run the ball? They get the talent, but Jordan Seton is in LSU. Never can run the ball. Yeah, Jordan Seton. Never can run the ball. Never can win the line of scrimmage. It's not at a regular amount yet.

[01:47:11] Yeah, Jordan Seton, who might be the best lineman in the country, went to LSU now. You know, so that's always going to be the question because they remind me a lot of my Florida State teams when Jeff Bowden was the offensive coordinator. You just thought you were going to walk in, out-talent everybody. You didn't care about the trenches at all because you're going to get the ball out and get people in space. It just hasn't worked for Colorado at this point.

[01:47:36] But where I like Colorado this year, Mr. Logical, on top of the go-go, I think they're actually going to have their best defense since Deion has been there. You know, they got Gideon Lampron, 123 tackles with 18 and a half tackles for loss. They went to Tennessee and got Boo Carter in the secondary. You know, and he might not even be the best one. They went out and got Cree Thomas from Notre Dame, who I like a lot. And I think that he's the kind of guy that Deion's been looking for.

[01:48:05] Obviously, he's not Travis Hunter. Not many are, but he's damn good. They brought in Chris Marv at defensive coordinator from Virginia Tech. You know, so the question about Deion, of course, when it comes to those quarterbacks that we were talking about is, are you going to let them play through the bumps? Because it felt like last year, anytime something, he pulled them so quick. Yeah.

[01:48:29] Caden Salter, you know, started the year, you know, wasn't probably a good fit there, but he was still a veteran. Deion pulled them out. Ryan Staub saw some action, and then they finished the season by burning Juju's red shirt. So that was interesting, you know, but the new AD's taking over. You already said that you think this is Deion's last year there. You know what I mean? So actually, let's open that up. So you said you think it's going to be Deion's last year.

[01:48:57] Is that his last year there, or is that his last year as a head coach? Well, depends on – we knew he loved coaching, and he constantly talks about how he loves to be a mentor to men. And raising young men. Right.

[01:49:18] With Shador going into his second year in the league, I don't think there's an opportunity for him in the league to coach Shador or being on that coaching staff. So I doubt that. So I doubt that would be his, like, motivation. I doubt that would be his motivation. But with the new AD, it's going to be so results-based.

[01:49:47] And we know, listen, they had a couple of Hail Marys that year with, you know, Shador that could change your season from being a game away from a Big 12 championship or being 7-5 or 8-4 again. So wins and losses don't always tell the story.

[01:50:06] But I think the story that he's kind of putting out there is that you can win when you have your hand-selected, like, core people who love you as an individual. But are you as good as galvanizing talent as those years? Or were those years outliers? So I think he has this year to probably prove that was an outlier.

[01:50:32] Maybe you get one more, but that depends on how poorly it looks this year. But I can see it being, like, his last year just because it's like – when Deion Sanders is an icon, like, he's prime. Like, they don't even call him prime time, which is prime. Like, any time your nickname gets shortened, you're an icon. I mean, it was Aaron Jordan, not just MJ. Like, it's just, like, certain iconic status.

[01:51:00] And I think there's expectation that you've got to turn that into – you've got to turn your icon into wins for us. Like, your status has to matriculate through the halls and the mountains surrounding Boulder, Colorado. And I think that's going to be very tough. So I think the thing with Deion, whether he gets fired or not, I think it just depends on how it looks. So say they go 5-7 and they're competitive. Then, yeah, you don't probably have that conversation.

[01:51:29] The money's flowing, all that kind of stuff like that. If you're sitting at 3-9 or if you're 5-7 but, say, three of those seven losses are by three touchdowns, you know, because this new AD sounds like he wants to win. And he wants to win the hard way at that by the schedule because Rick George was willing to put the cupcakes out there, you know, for Deion to be able to gobble up. But look at this.

[01:51:57] They're starting off the season at Georgia Tech. You know, like, so look. Haynes King gone. You know, Aaron Filo at Florida. You know, Cam Coleman gone. So, I mean, I'm not sorry. I'm sorry. That's the wrong receiver. Eric Rivers is gone. You know, so, like, Georgia Tech can be had. Is that Bobby Dodd on a Thursday night to open the season? Remember, they played each other last year.

[01:52:26] Haynes King had to have the big drive down the field, and Caden Salter blew the game, you know, when Colorado got the ball back. So, that game could be a toss-up outside of it being a road game. Weber State, they get the boys, you know, from Davis County. You know, they should win that. Go to Northwestern. Weber County. Or Weber County, whatever. There you go. Weber County. But, yeah, so there you go.

[01:52:55] So, Northwestern on the road at Baylor, Texas Tech. So, could that be a three-game losing streak? You know what I mean? And that's what I mean. So, like, the guy who commented saying that they keep the stands full, I think the stands are full if you're 4-2, 5-2, 5-3, 6-3.

[01:53:21] Like, I think people come to the games if that's how you're teetering. But if you start off 2-3, and then you go into a bye week, and then you got Utah after that. Like, granted, it's a pseudo-rivalry game. But if you're coming off a three-game losing streak, and like you said, Haynes King is gone. They lost some pieces out of Georgia Tech.

[01:53:48] If that's a nail-biter, but you're winning it 26-24 on the last second field goal, and then Weber State, you don't destroy. And then you have a three-game losing streak, and now you got Utah coming in. And I just feel like I don't know how many fans are filling that stadium. And if I'm the AD, that bye week in between Texas Tech and Utah.

[01:54:13] Once again, having Utah and Texas Tech back-to-back weeks for all of these teams is unfair. It's so many teams that have Utah and Texas Tech in back-to-back weeks. I don't think you fired Deion on a bye week, though. I think he's the kind of guy that you just let the season ride out just off of, like, the respect of who he is and what he's done for that. Because, I mean, people weren't even talking about Colorado, like, before he got there. They had won one game the year before, so on and so forth.

[01:54:44] And he had the rock out there in a Colorado jersey. Yeah. Like, he didn't go play college football in Miami. Right. And I think... He wasn't on his own college football team, yeah. If I remember correctly, before Deion's first year, their last winning season, you know, was 2016 or something like that. So, like, I think that he has brought them somewhere. They just got to get somebody that can actually coach it up. But I'm going to give them three and two.

[01:55:12] You know, I'm going to give them three and two. And then, you know, that Oklahoma State game becomes important, you know, at Stillwater because of what their offense can do. You know, Kansas State. They always play Kansas State tough. They don't always win, but they always play them tough. Then they go out to the desert. They get Houston on a Friday night, short week, after coming back from Arizona State. Then they go... I think they win those last two.

[01:55:39] So, I think that I can conceivably see a Weber State win split Northwestern and Georgia Tech. I think you could beat Baylor. So, I think you could be sitting three and one before you sit three and three. And then that's where that Oklahoma State game comes in and becomes very important because you lose that game, then it probably slides off the rails like you're talking about.

[01:56:09] Yeah. You know what I mean? But if you win that game, you're going to lose to Utah. Now you're sitting four and four, you know, if you lose that Oklahoma State game. You have... Some teams have a little bit more of a margin for error because of cachet. In this conversation we're having now, a lot of schedule gives some teams some leeway. But there's many teams.

[01:56:38] Like I think those teams in that middle tier, their scheduling doesn't seem to really have done them any favors. We talked about that a couple years ago in the NFL with Pittsburgh where they had like eight... The last eight games had all six of their conference games. Yeah. It's just... You look great. But because of the way the schedule is set up, you can feel worse about a single loss because of how you got to look towards the next week.

[01:57:07] Like if you played Texas Tech, say you play Weber State, then Texas Tech, and then you go Northwestern, Baylor, then Utah. Losing to Texas Tech in week three, being able to regroup with Baylor, Northwestern, and then Utah, you could get the wheels. You can get everything back on track.

[01:57:29] But 49-17 loss at home to Texas Tech, and then Utah comes in off the bye week, gives you another 38-14 ass-whipping. That Oklahoma State game where you got to travel, it could just snowball so adversely for the team. And that's the problem because I think some of these teams are just... They have to get it right. Yeah. They can't have any gutter balls and expect to still win this bowling match.

[01:58:00] Yeah, so we're going to wrap this up with Kansas, Cincinnati, and Iowa State real quick. So Kansas, you know, Lance Leopold is in the same kind of position as Deion is as far as like they're not raking in the money in that way. But he made Kansas somewhat relevant. You know, he had Kansas 5-0 a few years ago playing a game against TCU where Jalen Daniels got hurt, and then it kind of fell apart from there.

[01:58:29] But they went 9-4. You know, so Mr. Logical from... He is 27-35 in his five years there. That includes a 9-4 record in that year that I was talking about. The previous 10 seasons before he came there as the head coach, they were averaging about two wins per year. So they brought back Andrew Kodanicki as the offensive coordinator who you remember that I loved when Penn State picked him up.

[01:58:56] He was the offensive coordinator at Kansas before he went to Penn State. So he has that history with Lance Leopold. Leroy Harris and Alex Bray help out the defense. They got Dylan Edwards at running back. So that's team number three for those of you keeping track at home. Colorado, Kansas State, Kansas for the Kansas native. Kansas has lost nine out of their last 11 one-score games. Cincinnati, you know, Brendan Sorsby.

[01:59:26] You know, we talked about that, the gambling, the situation. He's gone. So J.C. French in at quarterback from Georgia Southern. You know, they lost a lot on defense. They lost a lot on offense. But they're bringing in Nate Woody, who was the defensive coordinator for Appalachia State back when Scott Satterfield was the head coach there. Zion Johnson, you know, at running back is going to be a good pickup. I think Jabron Payne.

[01:59:54] He was supposed to be in the Jadarian Price role at Notre Dame, but he got hurt. So good talent coming in in the running back room. But I think Cincinnati just lost way too much. I also think that their head coach, Scott Satterfield, is one of those G6 coaches that's kind of cosplaying as a power six coach or a power four coach. Because, like, it's not that he's a bad coach.

[02:00:20] I just think he does better in that underdog role than being at the head of a program that's in a big conference. The hunter versus the hunted. Yeah. And, you know, they did get Kane Wood from Kent State averaging 26 yards per catch from the slot. You know, so they'll have weaponry. Yeah. They'll have weaponry. How are you not giving the ball all the time?

[02:00:45] How are you not drawing up whatever route concepts to where this guy is getting open more often than that? Yeah. And then over in Ames, you know, Jimmy Rogers is taking over, former head coach at South Dakota State, 33-9 as a head coach to include 6-6 last year at the Palouse. You know what I'm saying? He's the new head coach at Iowa State.

[02:01:15] The problem with Iowa State, Mr. Logical, you talked earlier about how they're a tough team. It's always a tough game. Yes. But they lost 50 players to the portal. And out of those 50 players, they lost 16 starters. And then out of those 50 players, 24 of those went to Penn State and followed Matt Campbell. So I don't know what the hell Iowa State's putting on the field this year.

[02:01:42] They did bring in the Mac freshman of the year, Cam Pettaway. He's going to be in the backfield with Aiden Flora. Jalen Rayner is the quarterback coming in from Arkansas State, 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns. But I have no earthly idea what Iowa State will be. So let's look at this real quick. We're going to start with Kansas. So they opened up with Long Island. That's a win. Then, of course, Mr. Logical is back again.

[02:02:10] The border war against Mizzou. But it's probably a loss. I know you love it. It's a loss. You know what I'm saying? Arizona State. Yeah, the game in London, Wembley Stadium is a loss to Arizona State. They beat Middle Tennessee. That's a nice – that's a nice – see, that's what I mean. So you got Arizona State and then a bye week and then let's get back on track. And then you get Utah. But, hey, remember what I said earlier, though.

[02:02:40] Kansas State thought that last year after Dublin they scheduled Army. Like, oh, this team that doesn't throw the ball at all, it's fine. Yeah, they just lost to Catalonia State and they came into Manhattan and whooped your ass. You know what I mean? So there's – Army's strong. Yeah. So where was I? There we go. So at Utah, at Kansas State, back-to-back who – you know, Kansas State, like I said, they haven't beaten about 16 years.

[02:03:06] They get Baylor at TCU, UCF at Morgantown, BYU at Oklahoma State. So if Kansas can win five games, I'm impressed. They win at least two – They win at least the two out-of-conference games, you know, besides Missouri. So they get LIU, they get middle. You know, maybe they could get Baylor or UCF. Yeah, that's tough. Maybe four and eight is more likely. Yeah, four and eight is realistic.

[02:03:35] Five and seven would be – six and six would be a shock. Five and seven is probably your most likely scenario. Then you got Cincinnati opening up with Boston College. Very winnable game, even though they do play hard for Bill O'Brien. They just don't win. Then they get Western Carolina, Miami of Ohio, the Keg of Nails game. That's the rivalry game. And that game, Mr. Logical, is at the soccer stadium, FC Cincinnati.

[02:04:02] You know, I don't know why that game is there, but that's where that game is. How many people can you fit? I think soccer stadiums are like 30,000 people, maybe 40 in certain regards. All right, let's see. Well, Nippert ain't big either, so let's see. TQL Stadium holds 26,000 people, and Nippert Stadium holds 40,000 exactly.

[02:04:32] So there you go. Cincinnati's just used to playing in small stadiums. They're playing their rivalry game at a smaller stadium. Well, I mean, hey, to be fair, that rivalry game is a MAAC team, so do with that what you will. Then play it at home. Then they get Kansas State at Arizona at Morgantown after the bye. And then what do they get, Mr. Logical? Bank-to-bank Texas Tech and Utah. I think it's a setup.

[02:05:03] Hold up. Hold up. Wait. Texas Tech and Utah. At Houston. They're the second team that had that, right? Something like that, I believe so. So this is all four losses I'm calling right here. They're losing all four losses. I think somebody else has that same exact four loss. Yeah. And then they close at BYU. So that's already five losses that you're starting with. You know, I think you lose to Colorado.

[02:05:32] This could be 2-10. I'm going to give them 4-8 as well. I'm going to give them 3-9. And then finally, Iowa State. And, you know, this is going to be the tough one because, like I mentioned, all their losses in the portal. But they get Southeast Missouri. Then they got to go to Kinnick. You know what I'm saying? I don't think they're going to survive Kinnick. They get Eddie George the week after that. Then they get Utah at home. That's a loss.

[02:06:01] They get West Virginia. They go to BYU in a short week. They get their bye week. Go to Arizona. Play Oklahoma State at Baylor. They get Cincinnati at UCF on a Friday night. And then they close with Kansas State. Now, if they were, like, if they were not completely depleted by the coach getting hired at another school and basically just scalping all the talent, this would be a favorable schedule.

[02:06:31] But since they are, what is it, 16 teams in this conference? Yes. Yep, 16 teams. Yeah. I think they were probably already at 16 talent-wise with the 50 guys leaving, the coach leaving. So you have to introduce a whole new staff, a whole new gang of players, and then playing, you know, this many conference games. Yeah, A.G. 10 is realistic. 3-9. A.G. got to go to Iowa.

[02:07:01] Yeah. And Iowa can score 20 points and beat you. Yeah. Yeah, hey, Iowa's doing big things. They got up to 119th in offense last year. You know what I'm saying? They're on their way. Absolutely. So, all right, so to put the ball on it, Mr. Logical, who do you have in your Big 12 championship game and who wins?

[02:07:29] All right, Hart, Texas Tech, Utah. Utah wins.

[02:08:03] Utah wins. It's a four-horse race. It's a four-horse race. Somebody out here taking my title pick. Oh, he beat me to it. He took my title pick. BYU in Houston is my title pick. I'm going with BYU to win the Big 12. That's where I'm sitting these days.

[02:08:28] You know, so we will be back on Tuesday with our SEC preview. And we're going to talk a little playoff. So, we're going to tell you who's going to make our playoff this year and pick our national champion. You know what I'm saying? So, that is on Tuesday. And then you know what comes after that? It's NFL preview season. Yeah, Falcons.

[02:08:58] Woo! Two of you, two. Taking it from the top with the NFC East. But, you know, but he is the one and only world famous, world renowned, cool, calm, and collected, unless you're talking about LeBron James. I'm even cooler. He goes by the name of Mr. Logical. You know, and just so y'all know, he was born in Texas, raised in VA, and he represents everything New Jersey, even though you couldn't tell with all that Philadelphia gear. You know what I'm saying? I don't know what that's about.

[02:09:27] It's a very tight-knit community out here. You know what I'm saying? We appreciate you. Yeah, we appreciate you. Thank you. You know what I mean? So, just like he did, just like Artistically Incredible did, like, review, subscribe, share, rate, do all the free things. Do all the good things. It's all free, I promise. You know, SEC preview coming up. Maybe some more LeBron James talking. We're going to have liquid depths in our hand. You should, too. We love y'all.

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