It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's Nick coffee.
All right, let's get it started hour number two Here on a Monday afternoon coffee and company fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven ninety. Make sure you sign up if you have not yet, to become a member of the Refreshment Awards program at Thorntons. You're gonna save money every time you get gas, including twenty five cents off your initial fill up after signing up, and then you're saving every time you go to the pump. In fact, I need to get gas when I leave here today.
My light came on on my drive down here, so I'll be stopping in at Thornton's on my way home, probably heading inside. Give me a six pack or something for the Monday night football action tonight, looking forward to to that matchup between the Falcons and the Eagles.
You got anything in tonight's game at all? You?
I mean, are you calling it? A week after having a successful wagering weekend.
To get successful in terms of college football and nearly a successful NFL parlay. But unfortunately the Chiefs couldn't get it done for me, at least in terms of covering. But tonight, my biggest concern is I need Kyle Pitts to do well for my fantasy team because you and me both brother.
In fact, he's I want badly to include Kyle Pitts here in my picks for the underdog fantasy play that we're going to put out there a little later. And I love Kyle Pitts. I's he's an easy guy to forget when he was a tight end at Florida and a forgotten season that was the year where we played college football, but like it was just weird twenty twenty one.
It was twenty twenty and he was unguardable. I mean, you could make the case he's best player in college football, and most people like remember that when you bring it up in the NFL. It just hadn't worked out. And I don't know if it's because he's had bad quarterback play, but I'm hoping that because I still think there's value in there in the in the in the pick as far as him going over, rather it be his his receptions or even yards. But uh, yeah, was he was
he your first tight end pick? I assume when you drafted like I believe, Yeah, I believe so. I mean I think he would Taysom Hill. Okay, I think he would have to be. But that's what's like again, he should be a weapon, and like in Atlanta, just hadn't worked out. And I kind of feel like if if for some reason, with Kirk Cousins there and Kirk Cousins stays healthy and this guy still is not really an option, you got to wonder if maybe it is whatn't meant to be for Kyle Pitts in the NFL.
But anyways, we'll get back into that a little bit later on.
Some some news here locally that I'm sure a lot of you care about, at least I hope you do. If you're a Louisvillion, you would want to know who your police chief is. And Louisville has named Paul Humphrey, I should say not Louisville, but Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg has named Paul Humphrey the Louisville police chief, citing he is a proven leader, which I would agree. I've always been really impressed with Paul Humphrey, Louisville native from right
here in me. This is his hometown. I believe he went to sant X High School. I think I saw Terry posting that. So congratulations to Chief Humphrey. Not a good look that there's been so many different chiefs within the LMPD office in the last I don't know however many years. Yeah, he's the sixth person in four years to lead LMPD. But I'd say, of all the leadership that they've had, I don't see why he's not worthy of an opportunity to get things good.
Things had it in the right direction. So congratulations to Paul Humphrey. All Right, So.
On Louisville, they're getting tested on Saturday, and I'm excited about that. I try, I am tried my best to not make it, to make it appear that they need to prove something to me again, Like I'm not bothered. I mean, why the hell will I be bothered. I'm a Louisville fan. I love seeing Louisville in the top twenty. I love seeing Louisville being listed as a team that's still like realistically has a chance to maybe make the playoff. I mean, nobody really knows just yet. It's still early.
But like I think anybody that looks at Louisville as a legitimate top twenty team right now, no one they have not been tested yet, is justified with that opinion based off of the coach who's proven to be a pretty damn good coach, a team that was good last year and brought back a lot from last year, and in the areas that they didn't bring guys back, like the quarterback position, they appear to be better in that regard. So I don't wanted to make it sound as if, yeah,
I'm out on them. They got to show me something on Saturday against this Georgia Tech team, because That's not where I'm coming from. I'm just selfishly, as a fan, feenan to see what my team does when they play a real team, not Jacksonville State and not Austin p It's all you can do is take care of business.
I mean, look, if Louisville would have gone through the motions against Jacksonville State and not covered twenty eight and a half points, probably wouldn't have meant anything long term, but it would have given some naysayers an opportunity to say, yeah, I mean they struggled against Jacksonville State and Ridge Rodriguez, So they've taken care of business. I think the best word to describe the first two weeks for this group solid.
Not perfect, nobody is, but them being ten and a half point favorites here against Georgia Tech, I think is justified and I see no reason why they won't cover. Now we'll see how it all plays out, but I am excited to go watch this team play Saturday and again a real game where you see where you stand against another ACC team and you get a chance to
start one to zero in league play. And right now, this Georgia Tech team, they they've probably got, they've probably got some fire underneath them, knowing that they came out and beat Florida State, made a statement, got themselves in the top twenty five, and then slipped up a couple weeks later, lost to QS on the road, and now two other teams have beaten Florida State worse than they did.
So not to say that they're I mean, but again, they probably feel disrespected knowing their double digit dogs here because they were taking it to Louisville last year when they played this game in Atlanta until halftime and then Jeff and his staff made some adjustments and then Louisville kind of came out and really took over. But I'm excited for Saturday, no doubt about it. But again, when I keep talking about this first test, it's not because I have doubt, and it's not because I think that
they're undeserving to be ranked where they are. It's just usually you don't get to this far in the season where you've got a chance to see some teams play multiple games that have you know, meaning and value and other than them just being two wins in the column. There's no value in playing those two teams that you played. Somebody's fault. That's just the way it is. So two thirty will be when we start the pregame show hosted
by yourself truly. The Louisville Football Pregame Show presented about Pellow, Windows and Doors of Central Kentucky and Jefferson Animal Hospital is going to start at two thirty, kick off at three thirty, and then as soon as it ends, as soon as the clock strake zero, we go live right here for the Louisville Football postgame Show presented by Alex Rowhite Lawyers, sou Distracted Driver dot Com Anxious to see what the reaction is. I'm hopeful that it'll be a
lot of people celebrating. Wouldn't be shocked if we get some fans calling in leaving to make the short trip from the stadium to what's the what's the place?
Zack Brian at Bourbon and beyond? Yeah, what's it called though?
The Highland Festival Ground? Like people in louis are gonna call it that.
I think that's more of like a an outside Louisville thing because everybody just calls it the Expost Center the fair Grounds.
Yeah, here here, Like if you're a if you're a louivillion, you just kind of know they just use that land over there next to the fairgrounds, right be the executive in right, Yeah, we don't call it anything. But like if you go to ticket Master or stub Hub to like try to get tickets, they've got to have a venue. They can't just say it's it's in the field at the Fairgrounds, right, Like, They've got a list, an actual venue.
So when I see it called that, like it's gonna be at this place, I'm like, wait a second, where the hell's that? And then I'm like, oh, yeah, that's where they just decided to use that big piece of land and have the music festival there. But like, if you're in town and you're like, can you take us? Like, can you take us to the uh? Can you tell us the quickest way to get to the something?
What is it called again? The Highland Festival Ground? Can you take us to the Highland Festival Grounds?
Like?
People like, let's say you're bartender at the hotel, Like, they'll probably know where you're, why you're there, if you're wearing like you especially if you look the part like you're going to the music festival. But like I think a lot of people in Louisville, if they're asked by visitors to help them you know, what's a good place around the Highland Grounds, festival whatever, they'll look at you like, what the hell are you talking about?
So finally, they have built that up super fast over the last four years.
Each time I drive in in the last few weeks, I can tell that there's more and more added to it. So look, I'm a little worried about the traffic situation just for everybody involved. But I do think we we we we really will have people that will leave the game and try to make it over there for the concert because you know Zach Brian will be He's the headliner right for Saturday. Yes, yeah, so, and then there's great great action or great enter action they call it action at musical festival.
There's there's a lot of great action.
Actually, I've been to some of these music festivals and seen some action, but that has nothing to do with the actual music. So look, I can't I don't want to be a poser because I'm not somebody that's really into music festivals. I don't plan on going to Bourbon and Beyond at any point, just because it's not really my thing. If I was going to go, it would be Saturday, but obviously because of the game, I'm not
going to do that. But it is cool to see for two straight weeks like we are as far as music festivals having some of the bigger names in music across the planet, and in two weeks, for two weeks straight, there's going to be people from all over the world here to see that. And you know, Louisville when it makes the news nationally, I kind of feel like, more often than not in recent years, it's not been for good reason. It's not been for things that really shine
a positive light on our city. But you know, we all know that's not how we are three hundred and sixty five days out of the year here. There's good things that go on in this city. I mean, clearly, we got our issues like everybody else. And usually with the way the news cycle works, you're more likely to be on the news and make newsworthy, be a part of newsworthy the headlines if something bad happens.
But I think we do.
I think we are becoming a music festival city. I mean, again, who am I to judge that. I don't go to a lot of them. But when you consider these two events specifically, and then you throw in I mean, Forecastle is still a thing, isn't it.
No, it's actually been gone for a couple of years. What am I thinking of? You're thinking of Forecastle? It's just gone.
They did something this year called Gazebo Fest. Okay, I don't know if it was by the same.
People or not.
I think that was Jack Harlow, wasn't it. He was there, Yes, I think that was his music festival. It might be he put on I remember seeing a bunch of flyers for it around time.
Don't we have another big music festival that the Real Bird.
Yeah that's not obviously a Louisville festival. You're thinking of Forecastle, but.
I know Forecastle's been gone for a while, and yet I feel like there's been something in place of it. Maybe I'm just you know, having a brain far because yeah, I've known that they kind of called it off for the last couple of years, and I don't know, maybe I'm maybe I'm just be Hometown Rising, which has been gone for a few years. They only did that once,
and I don't know why. Like I know, is it Danny Wimmer who puts on all these events, Like I'm sure he could give a reason that makes total sense, But I don't know why you would. Maybe it just wasn't as profitable. Maybe it costs more money to get those kind of acts.
I have no clue.
From what I've heard is that with the country artists, a lot of them tour separately and don't do the whole festival thing. As much as you mentioned the money, I do think that is a part of it. There's more expensive in general.
It just it wasn't, as I guess, financially friendly to put on the festival because it's really they're all the same thing.
It's just different genres, right.
And Bourbondon beyond his kind, they kind of have their own country flair now attached to it.
It's kind of I mean, because heck Zach Bryan.
I mean, and Tyler Childers. Oh, Tyler's there too, he is He's Sunday. I think he's Sunday.
Now.
I'm kind of now, I'm kind of thinking maybe if I can grab a ticket from somebody here at Ilheart onmego Sunday. I don't know it'd get in the way of NFL, but if he's playing at night, like I can make it work. I love Tyler Schilders and he's somebody that like I will always I will always have a level of interest in seeing him live, just because I'm such a big fan and I love him. But he's he's he's another case study at least for me
that I don't know why. But the fact that he's way more famous than he was when I was really starting to get into his music doesn't make me think any less of him.
It doesn't. You know.
I'm not saying he's a sellout. I still think the new stuff he puts out sounds amazing. But he he's somebody. He's the first guy that comes to mind for me at least right now when I think of like, I just don't, I don't get up. I don't get as excited for now that he's like super famous, and I don't. Again,
that's nobody's fault and nothing's changed. It's just there's something about really being into a music, a musician or an artist or a band when you feel like you're kind of in early and you know eventually they're going to be big, but right now you kind of you don't have him to yourself, but it kind of feels like you do in a way. Like I saw Tyler Childers open up at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Not open up.
I'm sorry. He's made his debut at the Opry. He you know, the Opry is a weird set up anywhere.
He only got to play like four songs just because of how they you know, what a what a typical night at the Opry, What that show really entails as far as how many different people they feature and whatnot, just different than like a concert, but like to be there, seemed like everybody that was there was from eater ingk Tucky because the knew big of a deal it was for him to be there making his debut at the Opry to hear how nerves he was and him acknowledged
it after one of his songs like that was something that I think is really cool that I got to experience as a big fan of his. And I still listen to him all the time, like there's a guy and I don't even know if this was on the up and up er not meeting I'm not sure if
you're supposed to do it, but he performed. I want to say he performed at headliners like six seven years ago, and the guy who did the sound like yet, who was running live sound for his show, recorded everything that was coming from you know, the board, so you know, he ended up hearing me talk about how much I love Tyler Childers and how like I'm gonna go see him at at the Grand Ole Opry. And he emailed me and was like, hey, what your you know? He
DMed me It's like, hey, what's your email address? And I sent it to him and he sent me. He sent me a dropbox link that is basically an entire live performance of Tyler Childer's playing like what seems to be like thirty songs. In fact, he has to break up a fight in the crowd by yelling at people to stop fighting mid song. Like but it's it's it's just him unplugged. It's like the it's I was going to see him. That's how That's the kind kind of setting i'd want to see him at. Not necessarily again,
it'd still be fine. And I'm literally interested in going Sunday if I could make it work, but like hearing him in a smaller, more intimate setting with just really his guitar and his band and his vocals, Like, that's what That's my kind of jam. So anyways, it's cool we're having these events, man, I really they.
Need to stick you up in top shelf VIP for Tyler Childers. Yeah, somebody.
If somebody wants to do that, I would be I'd be more than fine with that. I really would, all right, So again Louisville Georgia Tech. Will get more into sort of the specifics of this Georgia Tech team a little later on in the week, but I do want to get back into the Kentucky stuff here, just because obviously they they had an impressive showing against Georgia to say the least. I mean, it doesn't mean anything when you lose. I mean you can still take some positives from it,
as every fan of Kentucky should. But I mean they were back against the walls as lifeless as I can remember their fans being under Mark Stoops following that loss to South Carolina.
I mean it. I mean even people.
That I know that love Stoops were actually starting to throw out the name John Someraw. And I mean people who like I value their opinion, not just knuckleheads on the internet. I mean people that I know that I never thought would actually start thinking about life after Stoops And here he is coming out a week after that
and has his team ready to play. If you did not know anything about either team and just watch that game, you would believe that those two teams are similar, like they're on the same level, and we all know they're not. If they played ten times, I don't think that game's close another time. But it was on Saturday and that's the only time they played. So credit to Kentucky. But the decision for Mark Stoops to punt when it's fourth and eight from midfield down one to Georgia with three
minutes left. His kicker's got a great leg. All you need is one first down for that kicker to be in field goal range and you punt it away only to then get it back with nine seconds left on the clock on your own twenty five. I mean that's just that stoops having not enough stones to go for it because you have nothing to lose, Like, who would? You'll always find critics no matter what happens, right, Like, I know I said this earlier, so I guess I
am being you know, I'm backtracking a little bit. But when it comes to the well if he you know, would he have to lose if you, if you go for it on fourth down and you don't get it, Like, who's gonna be upset at you?
Honestly there'd be somebody, like somebody would say that was stupid, why they do that?
But it doesn't change the fact that ten out of ten times, given the circumstances and everything factored in with you having nothing to lose, it's Georgia, you're down one, you're already at midfield. You could get the ball back with five minutes left and it wouldn't be a shocker if you never got back to midfield because you're playing Georgia. So like everything about that situation said go for it and just see what happens. And he didn't even have the stones to do that, and it you know, it
cost his team, it really did. And it wasn't like one of the most egregious things I've ever seen a coach do as far as a decision. But like, I just don't know many other coaches because clearly Stoops is a conservative guy. I mean, we know that clock managements never really been his strength, but he's super conservative with a play calling. I'll stand by what I said. I think the offensive coordinator was a Busch Hampden or something. The guy they brought in from Boise State. He may be great.
I don't know.
He's only been around for a few games here in Lexington. But to me, that's the kind of higher that Mark Stoops makes, so he can actually still have great influence. Now, I'm sure even if it is a coach, like for example, I think he clearly handed the keys over to Liam Cohen. Let Liam Cohen call plays, but like Stoops could step in and tell him, hey, we're not going to do that,
Let's do this. Instead like you're going to always have to say so, but this is a guy I just feel like Stoops felt was And again, just just an observation from my end, Like I think, Butch Hampden's a guy that probably wasn't getting a lot of calls from SEC or Big Ten's coaches that wanted to bring him in to call the offense he was at Boise State, Stoops hired him, and you know, I think part of it's because he still feels like he could probably not
bully him. I don't know what word to use here, but if you're a Kentucky fan, I think you know what I mean. Like Stoops has never really let the cuffs off of his ocs. That seems to be the case, so, you know, as conservative even though he's conservative. And again, I think the best way to describe it is what I said earlier, at least the best way for me
to describe it. If he'd have gone for it on fourth and eight instead of punting, I don't think it would have been like, Wow, can you believe this guy, mister conservative decided to let his hair down a little bit here. Maybe he had a fireball shot at halftime or something, because he's loose now, man, he's out here going like nobody would have had that reaction because to me, it was such a logical thing that like, yeah, you
go for it here, you got nothing to lose. It's fourth and eight three minutes left, you give them the ball back. I mean, and here's what's crazy. We'll never know this, but like, stoops, do you think he really had confidence he was gonna get the ball back? I mean, I know you were playing well, your defense had been lights out and they looked really good, and Georgia had
no momentum offensively really the whole game consistently. But to me, it just seemed like a really weak thing to do, and it's an easy way for you to still lose and say, hey, you know, we play hard, like you didn't have the stones to really take a risk there. So again, if you're a Kentucky fan, I don't know how the hell you feel, right, I mean, that was certainly a tough way to lose in a game where you had a chance to win. You were right there with them, and you fell short and your coach didn't
even have the gonads to go forward on fourth. It just seemed like a really tough way to lose, especially knowing that you are coming off of a terrible loss and you needed to win in a major way. And now you're one and two and you know you could realistically say you could be three and zero. I mean, now, had you beat South Carolina and let's say you beat them bad, maybe Georgia comes in a little bit with
the different mindset. You never will never know. It's you know, hypothetical, but like, I don't know how Kentucky fans feel, because you absolutely can look at this and say, yeah, if we can compete like that with Georgia, we should. We should easily be able to get to six wins and go to a Bowl game and maybe not off one of these teams we're not supposed to because if we can play Georgia that close, maybe we beat Old miss or something like that. Like that, that's not a that's
not a crazy thing to say. That's that's not a wild way to look at it at all. But also, aren't you more pissed off about South Carolina like I would be? And that's just me. I guess it's personal preference, Like it's all subjective. I would be mad knowing that, Hey, if you can come out there like because again, that's what That's why I'd be a liar if I said out predicted Kentucky to compete the way they didn't have a chance to win the game against Georgia. But I
know they have better players than South Carolina. If they played South Carolina ten times, there's no way you get that same result again thirty one to six. So with all that said, like, how could you come out in a game that everybody knew was a must win that you really needed to have to kind of set the tone and lose in a bad, embarrassing way to South Carolina and then come out like it's just like it's gotta make you want to pull your hair out. So again, if I was a Kentucky fan, which I'm not, I
would choose to look at this subject. I would choose to look at this from a positive standpoint and say, look, or wanted two should have beat South Carolina and they kicked our ass.
We know we're better than them. Georgia.
Man, when do you get a chance to pull off a win like that? Not very often. We had it and it slipped away. But at least now we know we've proven to ourselves that we've got a good ball team that should be able to go out there and get six seven wins. Like that's a good way to look at it. However, there's another way to look at it. The other way to look at it would be clearly negative pessimistic, which maybe that's how some fans would naturally lean.
I don't know, but what you did on Saturday really wasn't that crazy. In fact, what makes you different than Auburn last year?
In Missouri? The year before.
Last year, Auburn outplayed Georgia from start to finish, just like you did in fact, Auburn. I feel like that game as I remember it, Auburn hosted Georgia. It was Georgia's first row game in SEC play last year, and Auburn was the better team and still somehow lost. Uga held on just like they did against Kentucky, and Georgia went on to have a phenomenal season, only to lose to Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Auburn had a losing record and went on to lose to New Mexico
State just a few weeks later. Missouri twenty twenty two, two years ago, same situation. I remember this game too. I watched it as a sportsbook. Missoo outplayed Georgia, had all the momentum. Georgia somehow held on one twenty six to twenty two. Missouri went on to have a losing season. So just because you played Georgia close in Georgia's first road ACC game of the road SEC game of the season, doesn't mean you're about to start mowing down everybody on
your schedule that's not as good as Georgia. In fact, again, there are two examples of teams that did exactly what you just did, and they stunk.
Let's be real.
They did Auburn last year terrible, especially for their standard. Missouri, I don't know they're terrible for their standard, but again, they had a losing record, lost him an ACC team in a bowl game.
I think that year, all right, we.
Gotta run quick break. We'll come back on the other side. Keep this thing rolling along, and we'll make fun of Florida State. That's fun to do, right. They paid Memphis over a million dollars to come in there and put them at zero and three. Why is it so satisfying seeing Florida State crumble?
I love it.
Stick around right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. I don't know if this is just the genre, but like I didn't hear I couldn't hear any words like I could hear.
Something dance music, dance music or something not a whole lot of uh steering. Is this a test?
But that is the question you're asking though, right, Is this a test for Louisville with Georgia Tech this week?
So this is the title of this is a test? Yes, okay, makes total sense then checks out. It's mean it's good energy here. I like it's good gym music. I'm thinking like I could see this being the music used for like a pump up, you know video, good stuff. All right,
it is Coffee and Company. We are feel about Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety Nit coffee, that's me the comp But hey man, mister John all on alongside is I've tasked him with finding songs that have something in the title chorus about being tested as Louisville is going to be tested on Saturday for the first time against Georgia Tech.
I did.
I didn't even see who they played or what their schedule looked like this past weekend, but they did play VMI in a game they had no trouble winning. Fifty nine to seven was the score in that one. So somebody asked him the text line, and I wish I had an answer.
I don't.
I can certainly do some looking and maybe somebody can even help me out. But what Jeff Brohm's record is coming off of a bye? I could probably I mean, that wouldn't be that hard to go back and look. But you know last year coming off the bye, you
bounced back in a major way. Unless my memory is off, I'm pretty sure Louisville last week or last year unfortunately had a terrible timing with their bye and they ended up playing losing to pitt right after they beat Notre Dame and then had a week off, which, again you want to me weeks off sucked during college football season. Again, everybody has them in they're two now because of the playoff expansion, and you got to keep guys healthy. So like it's not new, but like I think even players
would tell you they don't like bye weeks. You want to keep that rhythm going. And again, if you can get healthy, then yeah, it sets up well to have a bye week happen at a certain time. If you've got some guys banged up. But yeah, last year Louisville, Yeah they lost to Pittsburgh on the fourteenth of October and then didn't Plagua until the twenty eighth, but they bounced back and beat Duke, who was top twenty at
the time, twenty three to nothing. So I don't have that information for you, but it is a good question. And now you've got me curious. I'm gonna have to look into that because you know, I don't know if I believe in that.
I don't.
I don't believe in trends as much as people do. Like I'm just somebody that when I hear guys out there given their lock of the week for their picks when it comes to gambling in the last ten meetings in the last ten years, these you know, this coach has if he farted before the game, he's gonna score thirty or more points in the third quarter. Like because he did it five years ago has nothing to do
with day. Like it might speak to like history of performing well, but like statistical statistical trends from previous seasons have nothing to do with the current season. So like and they're even more puzzling to me when you bring them up about coaches, coaches aren't even out the aren't even like if you're bringing up a stat and citing a coach as teams that have done this in that over multiple different eras, Like, I don't really see the value in that. But anyways, I'm gonna look into that,
because again you've got me curious. All right, back to the texta lin and this text line says it's crazy to me, or this text on the text line, I should say, Ellen n Federal Credit Union text line five O two six five three zero s of a nineties the number if you'd like to text end. But this textas nigga's crazy to me that notreed Aim, with the lost in Northern Illinois, still has a better percentage chance than Louisville among many other teams at making the playoff.
If they still somehow make the playoff despite that lost to Northern Illinois, would that encourage other teams to be independent and make their own schedule?
No?
I mean, I don't mean to be so dismissive of your question, but the answer is no. Notre Dame is unique for a variety of reasons, but the most important reason is that they have value that really none of no other school could have as far as the national
reach with their national television deal. So Notre Dame is not in a conference because they don't need to be in a conference, right the ways, you know, the biggest check, the biggest source of income I should say revenue that universities are making from their athletic department are their revenue sharing within these conference grain of rights deals with the TV networks. Right like the money the Big Ten is sharing. The biggest bit of money that everybody's getting is from
the TV deal. Same thing in the SEC, same thing in the a SEC, even though it's not as lucrative as what's in the Big Ten in the SEC. So yeah, I mean Notre Dame is independent because they can be. They don't have to follow any conference like. They can be independent and make relatively the same amount of money as a lot of these Power five schools power four now because NBC will pay them that and they're not, you know, in NBC for their investment. You know, they're
not in bed with an entire league. They're in bed with one school and all their games are going to be on NBC. And clearly that has been a very good investment from NBC or they wouldn't continue to have their television deal with Notre Dame. So Notre Dame is just they're rare nobody, and I don't even see a scenario where anybody else would be able to do that, because again, it's never been more important to have a
lot of money aside within your athletic department. For I mean, that's always been the case, but it's I mean, whenever you end up having to start paying these student athletes close to twenty two million dollars annually, you know that not a lot of schools just have twenty two millions sitting around. Not a lot of schools probably just expected
one day we're going to be here. So let's make sure we annually have twenty two million set aside just in case this day comes, so you get a little time to.
Get prepared for it.
Some schools will be able to do it just because they'll have the resources to bring in that kind of money. Others won't. So Notre Dame can be independent because NBC pays them enough money for their television deal to where they're not needing to be in the SEC or the
Big ten. And I'm not I may look and I don't know, see if you can pull something up here, John, I'm curious to see what kind of money Notre Dame is getting annually from NBC comparatively to what like Ole miss is getting from the SEC, because obviously everybody gets the same share, because I would imagine that the SEC and the Big ten schools as of now are probably getting or probably making more money than Notre Dame. But Notre Dame is still getting a big chunk themselves from NBC.
And there are benefits to where they can do their own thing. They they don't need a league, They can schedule whoever they want, and they have this great arrangement that the ACC I think stupidly has continued to honor, which is letting them essentially be in the league but not you know, you get to play what three or four of our league members every year in football, and then you're actually in the league in every other sport,
like you know. I still go back to when Swofford had the ability to hold their feet to the fire and say, look, if you want to have a season this year and you want to play in our league, you've got to join. And one thing that nobody ever brings up is that it wouldn't have been in all a crazy request to do that, because here's the thing.
They're already in the league in every other sport. They already are like halfway in the league in football, and Swafford had no interest in doing that, it seemed, And you know, I think that was a big miss.
I don't know.
I mean, let's be real, if Notre Dame ended up being forced to join the league, everybody was making rash decisions during a global pandemic, and if Notre Dame thought they weren't going to have a football season and the only way to have a football season was to join the ACC full time, hell, they might have done it. I mean they probably would have done it, and that
would have changed everything. You'd have a much different view of the A. I mean again, you'd be able to go back to the table with ESPN and say, look, huh, we got some more value. Now, let's redo this deal. And Notre Dame. As much as people want to make fun of them and act as if they aren't as relevant as they claim to be, maybe not with big time wins. Right, they don't win in the playoff, they don't win when they get to the National Championship game.
But they still have a value in a reach that even if you hate them, you would know by adding them like they're Again, that's why when John and I have talked about the compensary alignment stuff when it comes to the power for the only like legitimate, and it's really not legitimate because I think there's going there's no scenario that Notre Dame would want to leave their independence.
But like if they did, every league would want them, and there's not really anybody's out There's not anybody out there for any other league or independent status that would that would garner any kind of attention like that.
Here's the answer to your question. So Notre Dame is raking in about fifty million dollars a year from NBC and then each of the SEC schools from ESPN is forty nine million, So they're okaking just a little bit more so very similar. So that to answer your question, that's why Notre Dame can stay independent. If you went independent, you wouldn't be able to pay for anything. I mean, where would your money come from? Again, you have you know, there's all kinds of revenue streams when it comes to
ticket sales, and there's all kinds of hell. Lear Field or IMG are paying you multiple million dollars a year so they can go and hustle and make money off your brand and all that kind of stuff as a university. So there's all kinds of revenue streams, but the biggest one has to be what you get from your television
deal in your conference. All right, speaking of money, how about Florida State suing the conference because they feel as if it's a crime essentially, that they are being forced to, you know, honor their agreement to sign the grant of rights and be a member of the ACC. They feel as if they have surpassed this league and now they're being held back. I don't have the legal jargon in front of me, but we all know what it is. They feel like they're better than the ACC. They didn't
even make any bones about it. I mean, Clemson is essentially doing the same thing as far as their lawsuit. But you know, Clemson wasn't as delusional. I mean, and really, Florida State viewing themselves as a bigger brand than the majority of the ACC is not delusion in fact, it's reality. But to assume that like now we're gonna We're gonna put it all out there. We're filing a lawsuit. We
know we're better than you. You all are beneath us, and we're gonna fight like hell because we are Florida State. We'll rack up legal fees and all that because we can, because we're Florida State. And then you come out and start your season zero to two against honestly two great examples. If Florida State has got their attorney in the courtroom and he's just you know, he's just riffing off the cuff about how Florida State shouldn't be held down and
held back because they just know they're better. Georgia Tech and Boston College might be the first two teams that he brings up as an example. And those two teams beat you, and then you lose to Memphis on Saturday in a game where you paid Memphis one point two million dollar i'm sorry, one point three million dollars and they beat you twenty to twelve. Now, ohen three, Florida State has now started oh and three three times in
the last fifty years. It happened in nineteen seventy six under Bobby Bowden and then it happened under Mike Norvel in twenty twenty one, and sure enough, it's happened again here in twenty twenty four. I mean, isn't it crazy to think about Mike Norvel losing his job? Even if they like, they're gonna be a bad football team this year, make no mistake about it. They'll win games like they're not gonna be oh and twelve. But they're a bad
football team. It's been evident since day one. I think the noise about how bad they are is only going to make things worse for them. But even if they went like three and nine. I mean, he's not getting fired, is he. It's just crazy the drop off from being a team that could have been in the College Football Playoff had Jordan Travis not been hurt to now being the laughing stock of college football.
Oh, and they are, make no mistake about it. It's just different.
He won't get fired because of what happened last year, But if it continues in the next season, then that's a different story. He might be the next billion apier, maybe getting fired in mid season.
I mean, he signed last year because he tried to make people think he was gonna he was that Alabama wanted him and they didn't. But he was like one of many coaches who were able to not many, but a handful of coaches that were able to parlay a good year that job opening up, and then your employer decides to open up the checkbook and really lock you down long term. So he signed an eight year extension with more than eighty four million before incentives, and that
is a fresh contract. So like the buyout, it cost sixty five million dollars to get rid of him. I mean yeah, I mean if you right now, he'd be paid sixty five million not to coach the seminals and it would be you know, like that's just you thought you were gonna have to worry about money for nil and money for paying the athletes. WI you're gonna have to start doing. You may have to worry about getting money to get rid of this guy again. If he
goes two to ten. I don't think they could even like they there's no way they can move on from him because they can't pay that.
I mean, they just paid.
I mean, by the way, I don't have the specifics in front of me, and I don't want to just ramble about something without having details and facts, but the belief is that Florida State's Athletic Department has been really in a bad way financially. I mean, that's why Vince Tyre was somebody they were really interested in because Vince and I think Vince was a fine ad here, but Vince was somebody that was viewed from a business standpoint,
specifically as far as numbers. What he did at u of L, especially during COVID, like it was impressive among his peers of athletic directors in Florida State. I mean, they've had a variety of issues over the years, but like, financially they just haven't made the best decisions. And that usually doesn't come down to just the athletic director. However, the athletic director is in charge of, you know, the
athletic department. So I mean, there's no way they could even like they're probably looking at if he goes six and six the next two years, they're not firing him.
They can't.
I mean I say they can't. I guess you can always find a way. They have been trying to get, you know, funding from other ways to try to buy out of the ACC but like, how rich would it be if in the end, like I don't if he gets fired and they ended up using like you know, I mean, let's just say they fired him because he
didn't win a game this year. Unlikely, but like if that played out, would that not be like the ultimate like proof that your lawsuit was silly and your claim of being I mean, you already you've already shown us this year that you thinking that you're this superior is really laughable. You're zero and three with losses to bad teams at least, you know, teams that weren't supposed to
be good this year. So I don't know, you never say never, but to me, it just seems like Florida State, they thought they were they were, they had re arrived, and now they get left out of the playoff. They gave their coach a bunch of money, he might actually stink, and they're stuck with him. Right, quick break will come back and wrap up the four o'clock hour. Don't go anywhere.
It's coffee and company. Feel about Thorn's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety quick segment here as we wrap up the four o'clock hour, and we've got all week to you know, look ahead to some of the big matchups in Week four of college football. Obviously, one that's being talked about quite a bit right now is Oklahoma
in Tennessee. Is Tennessee's just i mean, completely obliterating anybody they play, and they'll have a much bigger test this week than they did in their recent game against whatever MAC team. It was Kent State who they beat seventy one to nothing. But I got admit, I've been really impressed with Josh Hipel at Tennessee and it's been pretty evident that he's he's the right guy for Tennessee, and they made the wrong choice for head coach really since Phil former left, it seemed. But I had no clue
of his connection Oklahoma. Didn't know that he was a former Oklahoma player, didn't know that he at one point was let go by Bob Scoops when he was there as a coach. So you got to think he's I mean, he's going to want to win for obvious reasons, but there's a little something extra there. I would say for Joshipel to go back to Norman, and you know, I know Bob Scoops in the coach there anymore, But still there's something extra there no doubt.
Did you see the wake Forest and ole misscore I'm sure you know ole Miss took care of business those part of my parlay. There you go. Forty to six was the score.
I felt like it could have been worse, and uh after the game, which I do love that this came after the game, and maybe maybe we'll find out that maybe Lane maybe misled us a little bit. I'm not sure. However, like to get your ass kicked in then back out of the game after you get killed, that's weak because that's what's happened. So lank Keivin did did let everybody know in the press conference afterwards that the return game that is supposed to take place, which I think that game took place?
Was that in? Was that in? That wasn't net wake Forest?
Was it?
Surely that wasn't. I believe it was on the road to Wake Forest?
Yeah, I guess yeah, because that makes sense as to why they're a little upset, because, yeah, they're buying out Wake Forest after getting killed. Had their athletic director notify Ole Miss's athletic director they're buying out of the rest of that contract, and.
Uh, taking a page out of the n in a playbook.
But to give Indiana a little bit of credit, they did it before they played. That's true, you know what I mean, Like even if they would have won.
And they still played the neutral site matchup.
Yeah, so like you know they but we knew heading into that game in Indie that they had already decided they weren't gonna do it anymore. Yes, wake Forest was gonna wait and see, right, like, let's see how bad do we get killed? Then we'll decide if we want to make that trip to Oxford. And you know they decided not to make that trip. So again, we've got
the rest of the weekend. We'll get into it a little bit in the five o'clock hour here to talk about some of the big matchups coming up this upcoming weekend. But the NFL not over yet. We've got Monday Night football tonight. I've got some picks I want to share with you guys for underdog Fantasy. I've got what I'm gonna what I'm gonna put together and hopefully I win some money. I know I was happy to see that
that win yesterday on the Underdog Fantasy apps. So again we'll get to that in the five o'clock hour and finished strong. Here it's a Monday, it's coffee and company and we are feel about Thornton's right here on sports Talk seven ninety