All right, everybody. Can you hear me? We good. All right. Thanks everybody who came out for this, and for those who didn't cut, thank you for those who didn't come out for it. Well, you're in for quite a surprise. This is our first live Crimson cast in quite a while here in Bloomington. We're excited about it. If you don't know who Crimson cast is, we are a podcast. You can see our logo up there, where we cover IU football, IU, basketball. I use Sports in general.
I'm Gail and class. Bo my co-host of here is Scott Caulfield, and he is not here right now, but he will be at some point in the future. We're going to talk some IU football primarily. We're also going to have some basketball talk kind of in the middle. So thank you all for being here and letting us invade your space for a bit. We're going to get the show started. Thank you. Alright, welcome back to Crimson cast.
I'm Galen klaviyo along with Scott Caulfield and all of our friends here at switchyard Brewing Company, in Bloomington on North Walnut Street. We're excited to be here for our first live show in quite a while in the city of Bloomington, as we get ready to talk IU football as they take on the Bearcats this weekend at Memorial Stadium, a top-10 opponent coming to Memorial Stadium to play against IU in football and that does not happen that often particularly in the
non-conference are excited to talk about. All of that. We've got some great guests, joining us. We got some great folks here in the audience. We got the folks out there on Twitter and on Facebook joining us as well. Scott. I wish you were down here. It's awesome. I'm looking forward to having you come down for one of these, but we do have Scott on a monitor here on screen. So if you want to wave at Scott or something and give him, Some foam. Oh, there we go. That's excellent.
Scott. How you doing, buddy? Nope. Own and drive down. Oh, and now you can't hear me. I mean, I mean, I mean, but I unmuted you. So we're off to a great start already, please go ahead with that. Yeah. It's probably a good idea to meet me because I probably would have interrupted at some point. But ya know that then now the fear of fomo is even higher like you're mentioning the fomo and now you're muting me like at some point you're gonna put a cover over the camera.
Like how is this is awful. I was what a beer in front of my camera, please. I want to see something good there. That better. Got some orange blossom, fun. For you here. There you go. I was I was talked about this the other day. It's not really fomo. If you're already missing out. It's more like ammo, like anger at missing out, right? Yeah. Or ma'am. Go Mitten muted and anger. But yeah, I'm excited. I'm very excited for this. I'm happy to see everybody out there.
And let's go. Let's talk, dude. It's a game weekend. Let's again weekend. We got a lot of fun things to talk about and we're going to dive right into it. We've got our first special guest on the evening from The Hoosier Network and from assembly call, kind of all over the IU. Media, sphere, Tyler tack when joining us. How you doing? Good to see you. I needed you to be. There we go. We're off to an even better start here. Yeah. Well, I'm not used to having
live microphones. It's tremendous. Anyway, Tyler. Good to see you. How's it going? Now? I'm doing great. It's a man fall in Bloomington. Doesn't get much better than that. We have football going on basketball. Coming up there. Very exciting time. Now, you're not a native of Indiana. Your native of North Carolina. Correct? Yes. Yes Chapel Hill North Carolina know that might not go over it very, well. He don't boo. We pulled him out of there and
got him to come to school here. I'd say that's an accomplishment, but Tyler's done a tremendous. This job, not only fighting through the pandemic is a student but managing to write some tremendous stuff and you're covering this IU football team. This year. Let's talk a little bit about what you've seen so far on the season, you know, an interesting start to things, obviously. And the Iowa game didn't quite go the way that people thought
it would. We're going to talk about that a little bit as we go through things. But from where this team was two months ago in terms of their attitude, in terms of what they're thinking versus where things, Are at. Now what's the same? What's changed? Where your thoughts on this? I mean, I think, two games into the season.
It's almost like a lot of the questions that we had going into the season are still kind of remaining, you know, you know, they lose the best team that they're playing against an Iowa and then they take care of Idaho which they should. But I think there's still a lot unknown of if this team can compete at the highest level. There's just a lot of questions with Michael penix jr. And and I, You know, that's obviously been a talking point, the entire offseason and a now.
But I think one thing that we talked about a lot is just him coming back from season-ending injuries. And I feel like the gravity of that is a little, like, understated, like a kid as 2021 coming back from three season-ending injuries and what, like, what that does mentally and physically to someone, and I think that we've kind of seen the toll that it takes the first two games, because he hasn't really gotten into a rhythm. But I think that we will at some
point this season. See them like appendix that we saw last scene. It's just a matter of when that ends up coming around. Scott you and I have talked about this, a bit, The Narrative is changed somewhat over the course of the first couple of weeks. I mean, first it was well, the play calling is not good and then it was the offensive lines, not good. And then Scott a kind of felt like everybody is now settled on will Panic. Just isn't quite there yet.
Like where are you at with all of this? Well, first off, I'm excited for you to go home and meet your wife. That's gonna be fun when you're just like, yeah, we're meeting everybody. I would never well. And by the way, like, I don't think that the play calling is bad. Something that's gone away. Like I think that's that's a reoccurring theme after two games that we're going to keep talking about. No, it's definitely been, you know, penix did not look like the penix that we had seen in
the last couple of years. So, yeah, I mean II think, you know, I think Tyler's, right? That's going to be a Action until it's answered. And even the Idaho game. It's like, he looked good. He had a lot of completion. So we talked about even have a lot of yard. So it was kind of a non-answer in that game as well because he played well, but he didn't have a lot of yards. You kind of left that game being like, okay was that like he didn't really take a ton of shots down the field.
Like the past was look a little bit better. But I mean, it's always going to be one of the main points for this team because I think we can all agree if penix is playing at an Ohio State. State type level from last year. Our ceiling just has another level, you know, the elevator goes up. One more floor that it would any other way with this team. Tyler.
One of the problems is teams run into is the schedule and it's it's hard to overstate how hard the start of the season is for IU. You have to go to Iowa. You have a top 10 team at home in Cincinnati that when that was scheduled, that was not a top 10 team look. Fickle was not the head coach. You gotta go to Western Kentucky, who looks sneaky got to go to Penn. Date, I mean this is maybe that may not be the toughest schedule overall in college football. But it may be the toughest start
that any team has. You know, how do you combat that? If you're this Indiana team and what do you try to lean on? I mean, I think it starts with the the game on Saturday because I feel like that's going to really be a telling sign of the trajectory of Indiana's season. Because if you win Saturday against Cincinnati, then most likely you have three wins in a row going into Penn State.
And assuming that Indiana would be Western Kentucky, but then you have some momentum rolling, you know, you put that that I will office, is far behind you and I think you have a much better chance of potentially sneaking into Penn State. But if you lose lose this game, this Saturday, then you're kind of trying to gain any sort of momentum in that Western Kentucky game. And I just don't see them really being able to beat up Penn State to beat Ohio State, even at
home, go to Michigan to win. If they, if they can't win the game on Saturday. It does kind of beg the question with this team. How, how much do we look at the beginning of the year and try to extrapolate, what they're going to look like in the middle of the end? Because what we've seen under Tom Allen so far is teams that tend to start slow. I mean that 8 and 5 team that went to the Gator Bowl didn't come out of the gates that
strong. They struggled against Ball State. They got blown out by Ohio State, they lost at Michigan State. They're only three and two at that point, and they picked up steam in October and November. And, you know, while last season wasn't entirely like Think you could save it up until penix is injury. They did really start to play better a little further into the season that they went.
So, you know, I keep going back and forth on this because on the one hand, I don't want to get too over sensitive to that Iowa game. But on the other hand, I don't know, is like, is this a grower of an IU team? Like we normally see nor have we already descended agree. Seen the most of what they can do on offense if I mean, that's scary if that's the case, but I'm curious your opinion. Yeah. The thing is when I look at the offenses, there's just too many weapons.
I feel like Like, for it, not to work. And that's not to say that it definitely will work. But they just have so many guys that could potentially On Any Given night. Go off and you have Ty. Fry Fogle. Potentially. One of the, you know, the best receivers in the Big Ten and Michael Pena. Junior doesn't even need to be
perfect to throw it to him. We saw so many times last season where trifocal just goes down the field and you toss it up in the direction that he is and he'll go up and make a play. But you also have DJ Matthews. We saw a flash of what he is able to do and that punt return against, Idaho. And then miles Marshall, who's kind of been a guy that's always had the measurables in the potential to make impact plays, but, you know, he's been kind of silent.
And then obviously, Stephen Carr, Tim Baldwin Peyton Hendershot to, you know, he hasn't really made much noise at all this year and coming off of a season last year. That was kind of underwhelming. So there's just so many potential pieces on the offense that it makes it difficult to see it, not working out. But, you know, so far in the first two games, it hasn't really worked out at all. I mean, back to the schedule thing. I will say it's I'm just searching it like it again.
It's a quick search. But like yard Barker has the top 20 got toughest college football schedules this year. Indiana's not in the top 20. So like, you know, first off like a few yard Barker, secondly, like the number-one toughest schedule is arguing. Wait. Did you just call out yard Barker? I didn't even know. Yard Barker. Hell are they still open? Like are they competing with blogs fought at this point? Go on go there? No FM. They're not invited to switch
yard and no beer. That like they're cut off like they get nothing, no pints for them. No, like you look at Arkansas schedule which has a tough schedule like they play at number 7. At least rut not right now. Like am is 7 the country, Georgia second of the Mississippi 17th offers 22nd. Like I did I did a, the Crimson cash this afternoon with James
and we were talking about this. Like you forget we have four of our first seven games are against top 10 teams in the country and at least right now things can shift. But it, it looks like You know, we I think we can all agree, Ohio, State's not going to suck. I mean, they didn't lose a game.
It looks like Iowa is legit. I mean, these are top 10 teams that by the end of the year, could still all be top 10 teams, which a lot of these other schedules don't have but Galen, to your point on the Iowa game, you know, whether it was an aberration or not. It helps they beat Iowa state. That makes me feel a little bit better. But to me this week kind of helps answer the question of what Iowa's game was that if we lose like 4210 to Cincinnati. I think we can look back and say, okay.
We're not in the same class as these. These four teams that were thinking about. If we play Cincinnati, really tough, then you can kind of chalk up that Iowa game to all right, maybe we just had the Jitters. It's kinnock. I was really good. And same thing. We beat Cincinnati. I think you're in the same
thing. So to me this weekend, I think it's going to help kind of answer some of those IO questions, but also, it'll do some projecting, I think to what we can expect for Penn State and Ohio State. We're live here at switchyard. Brewing Company in Bloomington, Indiana. Hope, Will you get a chance to come out and sample some of their brews, some excellent stuff. The food is awesome. Given that the pizza here at switchyard.
You're absolutely missing out or the bread sticks, which is like 19 orders of breadsticks on the tables in front of us here which rightfully. So, I would say also wanted to mention a couple of things real quick. We will actually be back next weekend where we doing a live watch party for the IU Western Kentucky football game. That'll be. Yeah.
That's right. Applaud that absolutely what will be here 7:30 for the pregame podcast and then we'll do a half time and then we'll do a post game but you can sit here and watch with us, which let me tell you, that's, that's an experience that you then, if you haven't done before is worth having, But be sure to come out for that. We'll be right back here at switchyard.
We're looking forward to that. We appreciate everybody here, allowing us to Sully their stage and and sit under these beautiful White's that they've got. As we Are you football also wanted to mention next week. We'll be talking about Big Brothers, Big Sisters. The 2021, duck dive is going to be happening in October. You can buy ducks for that. We'll talk more about that next
week, but be ready to do that. They'll have a table here during that game and we'd love to love to have you come in and contribute to that. So Tyler, you know, one of the things I've noticed and we talked about this in the preseason, a lot of hype about this. I you football team and people were concerned.
They were like, well, they don't come out and beat Iowa of a Don't beat Cincinnati. They're going to lose all of these fans that have come forward and if you are excited about IU football, and certainly, I think they lost to Iowa. We haven't seen that fall off too much because there is a packed Stadium coming up here on Saturday. I don't know if you check Stub Hub, but tickets are going for like significant amounts of
money. I have parking passes in the green lat and I could sell one of those right now for 220 dollars on StubHub. If I wanted to which I do not get that kind of money for my parking passes. I'm not going to sell them, but it doesn't feel like too many people but jumped off the bandwagon, as a result of that. I will lost. But what do you think happens in in either event? Like, if they win this game? If they lose this game? Like what are the forking paths
that come out of that? Either result. I think the biggest evidence is, is looking at the student section in the Idaho game. I mean, it was near full probably an hour before kickoff. I mean, it was packed in being down on the field. You, I mean, you could feel the energy when the Guys, were the players were coming out and hyping up the crowd and I know we have Matt coming on later talking about benches being pulled off of the stadium.
But you know, it's hard for me to say but I don't think that a loss against Cincinnati is totally going to Halt, all the momentum and kind of excitement around the program. It will obviously help if they win, but, you know, I think that this whole season, you know, we're going to especially because there was no fans last season that we'll continue to see Hannah. Passion from the fan base. Yeah, I would be great if that were the case.
And we talked about this before. It's like, if you're coming to IU football, expecting it to be easy. You've come to the wrong place, General. I mean, it's just historically speaking and I say that as someone who's come, you know, watch out you football for decades. My dad used to bring me two games in the 80s and you know, it makes the Great Moments that much more exciting. It's what made that Penn State
win in the Michigan winter? Last year as enjoyable as they were the win at, Nebraska. Two years earlier, but, you know, it's almost unfair because if they could finish eighth and for very easily this year and it's just the order of Dave's if they lose to out of their first three and then win 8 of 12, you know, overall on the season. That's a great year. That's a top 5% season and IU football history.
So a lot of it really does come down to expectations and when things are happening and if you're not playing top 10 teams at the end of the season, instead you're playing with the beginning, it can be able to difficult. I'll leave. I had to get out of here with this. Is there a player offense or defense that you're expecting for IU to have a Breakout game or a really important game for IU against Cincinnati? I'll kind of take that as a guess a defense as a whole.
I think I won't name like one specific player, but I think Desmond Ritter, the quarterback for Cincinnati is a really proven guy. He can do things on the ground and throwing the ball and there was two games last season, he had over a hundred yards rushing. Um, three touchdowns on the ground in both of those games, but the thing that I liked schematically for Indiana's defense going into this game is the Husky and the bull position because those offer to just versatile positions.
The bowl is the defensive end linebacker. Hybrid husky is a linebacker safety hybrid and the best way to keep Ritter on his toes is just to be able to use different. Looks use the versatility up from guys like Jerry and handy Marcelino ball.
We saw last year A lot of times bringing guys off the edge Taiwan Mullen. He has led you know, one of the one of the leaders in sacks, but I think using that versatility to Indiana's best interest to just to give him different looks and not let him get comfortable and the comparison I made a week or two ago was it's almost like position was basketball in terms of what Indiana is doing with those two positions. If Miller cop is bringing the ball up the floor.
You have to be potentially that he could. Pull up for three. You have to put a handle but he could also drive past you. So I think with those two positions, just being able to be versatile and put Ritter and different looks, I think, you know, could allow for Indiana to have the opportunity to kind of slow him down. All right. We'll see what happens. It should be a lot of fun. I love that point though.
I mean the position was positions that I use got have the potential to disrupt things and that's really what this IU defense likes to do. Tyler tackman from the Hoosier Network joining us on the show. Thank you so much. Really? Appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you for All right. So Scott, let's let's talk a little bit more about things here is we kind of transition out. So some things to keep in mind with this football game.
Obviously, you know, Indiana is a three and a half Point Underdog over unders 49 and a half. I have not had a chance to listen to Crimson cash yet. So, can you give me? Give us the cliff notes? Like what have you and James talked about as far as which ways the spread going? What do you thinking on over under? Like, where is it? Where you at with things on this? And I think the line, Line either the line moved or if we had it for when we did it. I think the overrun there was
like 50 at the time. You know, the thing I think we both agreed on is I think that you know, the the idea is that Indiana is probably not going to win like 34 to 28 just from what we've seen from this offense, if they win is probably going to be like a 17 to 10 game or a maybe a 22:14 game. You're going to need your defense to step up. Maybe the defense gets a couple of you know, turnovers.
But so definitely I think the under might be a way to go in the game unless you just think Cincinnati is gonna blow us out which by the way, you know, you and yard Barker nothing. Hopefully, you don't think that way but you know, so I think the under is the way to go. Unfortunately, I'll give away, you know, both James and I kind of like Cincinnati to cover by for. I think that's that's a very high possibility of what could happen.
But definitely the under I think is the way to go on this because I just don't think I think Cincinnati can put up some points. I think we've shown the ability to put up points if you think Indiana is going to win. Like I said, I think they're gonna need to hold hold Cincinnati under 10 under 20 under under 20 points. It's interesting and we'll get into predictions and all that
here in a little bit. But I think one of the things that is fascinating to me about this game is I don't really think anybody knows how good Cincinnati actually is. And here's why I say that they are in the top 10, they Played one power Conference team in the last season and a half. They they lost to Georgia and that bowl game.
And they played really well in that game, but they basically played nobody else the entire season that the other team that they played that had any kind of pulse was Tulsa and they only beat them. I think by like three or seven points there, two wins that over the course of the first, two games of this season, or Miami of Ohio and Murray State, neither of whom are good and And you even go to last year, you know, they they struggled on the road at least in one game.
They only one 3633 at South Florida. They did play pretty well at Southern Miss, but I just I, you know, as much as everybody looks at this Cincinnati team and says top 10 team legitimate playoff Contender. We really other than the bowl game that they played and look, they played really well in that bowl game. I don't think we've seen the evidence that says that game in
and game out. This is a team that can compete against Power 5. So this Indiana games are real interesting litmus test for them this in the game that they have against Notre Dame in a couple of weeks because it is really the first time that they've had to play that level of competition on the road. And as hard as it was for Indiana to go to Iowa and win. And look, we should have known that. That was going to be a tough
game. It's going to be hard for Cincinnati, to go into a pack Memorial Stadium. And when I mean, it's not just how it we have a tendency to under radar, selves a bit here at IU, but it's not necessarily A Walk in the park. So I am really curious about how good Cincinnati actually is and watching them have to measure up against a higher level of talent, a higher level of coaching. Yeah, I'm just I'm adding it up right now in Ritter's career. He has played Seven ranked
teams. And again, we're going to play for in the first seven weeks of our season. Not to two of those, two of those risks to those ranked teams were Memphis. But anyway, go on great. Go back to back which heat, which they lost, and to your point. Yeah, I mean, in 20, I mean, it's 2018 is a while ago, but, you know, they lost the only ranked team. They played UCF, 2019. They played Memphis twice, lost to him. They beat UCF, but they got completely Smoked by Ohio State
42 to nothing. So I think your point is very valid. And, you know, this is something that this is partially. Why? I at the time liked Indiana against Iowa, which I kind of reciprocal. But you know, I do think this is where we have an interesting spot where you know, Ritter is their number one strength, our number one strength.
I still think, as our defense, our defensive secondary, so you have kind of a strength, vs. Strength going on here where you know, you hope that Our secondary Taiwan Mullen coming off a good game against Idaho, can keep that going and you know, I think that's something you also haven't truly seen is if a team can put the clamps on Ritter and they're unable to get him going. Now. What is Cincinnati have to do and does it all fall apart there. It could very well be a
defensive battle. I mean, any time you see an over under under 50, it's an indication that they're not expecting a huge number of points to be scored. And really, I was talking about this. I made a Rise appearance on mind your banners earlier today. And, you know, we were talking about this, the defense is might end up being what rules the roost in this game for both teams. I mean, Cincinnati's defense is ranked number one overall in the country and ELO.
Indiana's is not ranked as highly but largely that comes off of that, Iowa game and certainly they had a great game last time. It's really interesting thinking about, if you're going to have a defensive Showdown, we don't see a whole lot of those in IU football games. But this is kind of where we're at right now, and until Michael penix in the offense, really get their legs under them.
The defense for I use going to have to carry things and I feel like this is just the right type of defense that could give Desmond, Ritter some kind of problems largely for what, Tyler, just talked about. Because you've got so much speed because you've got, you know, defense, that isn't so reliant on an interior defensive line. Like you're expecting to play quarterback runs. You're expecting to defend the passing game and I think for Cincinnati. It's a similar thing. We're that.
You know, they've got my Lysander, my J Sanders. I think, his name is seven sacks last year, Ahmad Gardner, who's actually taller than Thai fry. Fogle was playing cornerback. Probably going to be that primary matchup. They've got really good defensive players as well. So this could be if, you know, a stalemate to some degree for large, portions of the game, is these two teams.
Try to figure out how to play against the other and it may end up being the defense's that have to set the tone for both sides. Yeah. Thanks for that. That's appreciate you adding on to that. That's great as well. Said, couple other things to keep in mind. I think as we go into this game, I don't know what the crowds going to be. Like, it's good. First of all, the weather is going to be awesome. It is going to be, I think, 84 degrees 85 to get what 87°, I'm hearing from the crowd right
now. Sunny most likely to might be a little bit of precipitation very early in the morning. That's passing weather. But we, then, again, we've talked about that a couple of times already this season over necessarily makes that much of a difference. What's this crowd going to be like, it's actually early, which I think helps the student section that, you know, the student section when they don't have 12 hours before kickoff is
generally fresher. And even the people out in the, you know, the tailgate Lots. Yes, some of them are going to get there early, but having only three to four hours to be in the tailgate lots and then go to the game and it's noon and You're locked in. This could be a pretty raucous atmosphere. We don't see a whole lot of games like that without you, but we've seen a few in the past and it can be good. I that's going to be a big thing
though. And I think for IU we don't talk about home-field advantage that much at Memorial Stadium, but this is one of the few instances where all the stars might align and it's like, hey the crowd and the stadium, make a difference and end up making this a difficult game for Cincinnati to play. If everything goes well and on my pot Hood, As we were talking, he was talking about you. He just said, like, well hopefully on the crowd rules a day and pushes Indiana over the top.
And I was like, well, I like that idea but I'm in this is something for you to think about Galen like, has that ever happened? Like, how many times has there been a game where you're like, oh, the memorial stadium that the crowd helped us get over? Like a lot of times. He joked James joke of a steel is joke, but he was like, you know, it's normally the Ohio State crowd that's in there. The pushes out of state over the top. Well, but no, I that's that's that's that's kind of the point
though. It's like what is the last time there was a sellout crowd for anything that In an Ohio State game. I can't remember one. And, I mean, it's like being with a lot of their fans, you know, I'm with you. And I said it before, I'll say
it again. I was so impressed with the student turnout at the Idaho game, just, the overall fan, turn out, you know, the way they were singing the National Anthem, the students were like, it was, it was an electric atmosphere for really a non-electric game. I'm that's what I'm most excited about on Saturday. Is it? Feels like things are building much like the year I keep on Going back to is coming.
It was Bench Apple's, senior year twenty twenty twelve or Twenty ten, I 2010, but that mystery that the Michigan game that you're talking about. We start of the season for it. Oh, and then we had that Michigan game with a Desmond, the shoelaces Desmond, Denard Robinson, did our Robinson. Yeah, and you know, he throws a obvious holding called. Anyway, we only go to the Litany of IU, bad losses, but everything felt like it was building. Game and it was really an electric atmosphere.
But there was a lot of Michigan fans there to, there were this, this does feel like it's going to be a lot of IU fans, a real moment. And you know, again, my biggest fear is that we have a game like we had against Iowa, we can lose this and we're not going to lose fans like to me. One of the things that I'm just tired of talking about is like how this affects fan and tendons like whatever we have our fans like they're going to show up and if we lose it's not like
that's the end of the The world. But it would just, it would be a bad. Look at they come out and just get completely crushed. But no, I think this could be one of those moments where the fans can really make a difference. So I'm very excited to see that. I'm excited to see the student section. I think it's going to be exciting and I'm I'm getting there early. I'll mention it again at the end of the Pod, but I'm going to do one of my first little tailgates
and bringing both of my kids. So it's going to be a very friendly tailgate, but I have an 8 and 5 year old as many of you listen though. I bought four dozen donuts from White. Those donuts here in Westfield. They're fantastic. I'm bringing them. I am in. I have $500 here. Gate 9. I just checked on StubHub. These are going for 500 apiece. I'm not selling it. But gate 9 Ro 40, space, 15 come by. Hang out with me. Get some doughnuts.
Get some coffee. We're leaving here by hopefully 7:30, which means eight o'clock because I have kids. So I will be in the lot. Hopefully by 9:30 10:00 and I'll get an hour of a handing out Donuts to anybody who wants something kind of Scott's actively recruiting people away from my tailgate. Now, it's Andis. So, it is what it is. You can do both, you go to galen's to get the food and the good stuff. And then, on the way income, get a doughnut.
Okay. Well, we're going to take a little change in Direction here and switch over talk. A little IU basketball. We're going to come back and finish up our talk about IU football. If we were wrap things up. We've got Gracie Barra joining us from inside the hall and assembly call. And that whole conglomerate covering basketball this, you're going to see you again. Thank you for having me.
Yeah, absolutely. Let's, let's talk a little bit of hoosier Hoops. We're a ways away from the start of the season, but the buzz is slowly starting to build. And, you know, as we as we think about the fat, when is, when is the first practice of the season, it's not that far away. Is it? No, I think what mid-october media days coming up? Super soon. Big-time media day, Tyler and I just put it our credentials for that. So that's really exciting. Yeah. It's it's close.
It's fascinating. How close it is. The teams had an interesting off season so far. In a lot of ways, a lot of new pieces have been added not just in the coaching staff, but also on the on the roster itself. So as you look at this roster and where this team is at going into the season, where would you say that? Everything's at? What are you most interested in seeing as far as like, how it manifests going into the start of the year? I think.
I think the most thing that I'm excited about is the chemistry, I, you know, we don't get to see a whole lot especially because, you know, I didn't get to go to the Bahamas. Tyler was the one in the Bahamas, but I haven't gotten to see them play yet. Just the way they interact with each other. I don't see that in person a whole lot but on social media and the way in which they care about each other, a little bit of like that Elio spirit that we
see on the football team. I'm saying to carry over into the basketball team, which is in the three years. I've been a student here at IU. I haven't seen, right. So to see the way that that chemistry off the court will manifest in the way that they play on the chord is I what? I'm most excited. Cited about. It's one of the things Scott you and I have talked about like there's been talented players on this side, you roster for a while like not just in the Archie Miller error, but the Tom
crean are. But gosh it's been hard to get a feeling of familial loyalty and you know, that kind of the bonds of being a team. It's always at least for the last, several years felt like guys are just kind of there to play ball. They're not really there for each other to the same degree that you would expect. I mean, it's I'm sure some of this is probably a little overblown, but it is interesting.
The camaraderie that we're seeing right now in some of these things with IU. It just, it does feel like something has changed in the way the program is conducting itself. You mean, you didn't feel camaraderie the year that like Devonte green, which is going in Jack and threes, and it would get benched, and then come back out and Jack threes and play. A totally different style of asked if it was a different. It was a different era. You know, who's different? Yes, different. Are ya? Yes.
No, I I like everything. I'm seeing and this goes back to his fun. I was having breakfast with a friend this morning. We're talking about, you know, he was like, I've never been more excited for IU basketball
like fire about. But what's in it and what we were talking about was I think this goes to the idea of you I was never a guy who felt like we needed and I you guys a higher but now that we have Woodson and you have five packet, it feels like yeah, this does feel right at this does feel good. And I think that has to push itself out on to the players, like there is a real camaraderie here. If we understand what Indiana basketball, About and almost kind of like, we can circle the wagons.
Like, I've been where you've been and we understand it, and I think that that can't help but just bleed into the players and they have a different feel for, like, what they're playing for. It. Just changes a little bit than it used to underneath other coaches, where, you know, looking back. And again, when played a game yet. So we'll see when we start playing games and you'll get punched in the mouth.
But, you know, there was always a feel that, you know, under the under crean and under Archie, you know. No, there we were Indiana but we were Indiana just in kind of name. Only like there wasn't like a real title. Like, oh, like that's the way we play or like, it could have been any other program. So, I think that the Indiana way thing really does have an effect on the players Grace, the schedule came out. I think, what was it last week, I've lost that last week
already. I've lost girls, like, it's been two months, the schedule came out recently, and it's an interesting schedule because it's there's a lot of games at home in the non conference, which is held. For, but you go down that list and there's not a whole lot of really, really terrible tease. Those Tom crean specials, like, the sub 300 can pom teams, and you got, you know, Max school and Eastern Michigan to start, and he got Northern Illinois, another Max school. You got st.
John's who's tricky as a big East school. They're certainly not in the upper echelon, but still a decent team Louisiana who's always a bit of a problem, you know, and then Jackson State Marshall and then they play their first road game at Syracuse and then they got their first two. Big ten games. I mean, on the one hand the schedule looks promising in some ways. On the other hand.
It's gonna be a little tricky and this team's going to have to be ready to go pretty much from the start because there aren't a whole lot of just complete throw away games. There's no exhibitions. I guess there's just closed scrimmages. What was your impression of the schedule? Well, I think that's kind of playing to their advantage in that situation because you don't get to come and start out the season.
Easy. You have to come like you said, ready from the get-go and that prepares you coming into the Let's Play part of the schedule and you don't get to kind of just put it on. I don't even know what to say. You don't get to autopilot it into the season. You don't have this exhibition games and you have to come ready to play from the jump and kind of touching back on what Scott said. I love Tick Tock.
I want to make a tick, tock reference here the situation of back on Mike Woodson, which I think is hilarious. And I think it's really illustrates the way at these players look up to him and are going to be ready from. You know, the second that season starts to play their hardest even in Conferences as so funny. I saw it on Tik-Tok that someone asked, Miller cop, who is favorite NBA player was and he replied like in a video and said, Mike, Woodson, no
question. And there's no way Mike Woodson was ever his favorite NBA player. I don't know if anyone would answer that, that wasn't an IU fan, but it's amazing to see the admiration they have for him and the respect they have for him and just the way they've all kind of rallied around him. Not just the current players on this team, but his recruits people that have Mitted and it's
promising. Like when you said going into this season, that they're not going to have those parts where they can kind of let off the gas. Right? Well and I think what you hit on something important, which is one of the problems that NBA coaches have coming to college, is they tend to autopilot everything we've seen that over and over again where that's Eddie Jordan at Rutgers or Chris Mullin at st. John's or some others. And Woodson hasn't seemed to do
that like he's out recruiting. He's doing those things, but he really has seemed to buy into this whole idea of fostering a program in an image of what he was here with as a player and but augmented with what he's learned through his time in the NBA. And so I am really fascinated to
see how that plays out. And it does at least for the moment seemed like there's some pretty good vibes around this program and that's that's such a huge difference from what we've seen the last several years that I've had. I am excited about that. Let me ask you this. I will get you out of here on this. Question, it's I can't figure out who is starting lineups necessarily going to be on this team at this point.
Like if anyone has several directions, you've got guys who started a lot of games not even getting mentioned is like second stringers in some cases. So outside of Trace Jackson Davis, which is kind of a given. Who would you guess would be the four other players that comprise the starting lineup when we start the season? What I mean, do you want to Foster? Some kind of an opinion on this?
Oh, this is a tough question because I haven't even put much thought into it. Yet, I think, you know this next month is going to be really telling to that and seeing how the new faces coming into this program are going to mesh with the old ones. But oh, now you're going to put me on the spot. I won't necessarily put you on the spot, but think I can just it's probably not even be five guys. When I say more than five guys, I think race in his, what? Senior season.
Now, I can't believe that gets crazy times leadership. Really showed out last season. Xavier Johnson. I feel like half To be in that starting lineup. I haven't seen him play a whole lot. But I don't know. Just the leadership there in the guard position. Is something that I you hasn't typically had his strong guards, you know, that's tricky too because then you have Rob there as a senior and then you got competition, the Johnson. I mean there's a lot of
different. The this is ice to some degree. I asked the question because every time I sit down and think about a piece of paper, there are so many different combinations. Actions and without knowing what Woodson is planning from a strategic perspective. It's really hard to get a full sense of like, what is his offense going to be? We don't know yet, exactly. So a lot to work on here in the next month or so and I'm quite curious to see how it goes. But we'll see.
The good thing is there's depth because if we're struggling right now to sit here and think about who are the Five Guys, he's going to put out on the court. The first game of the season that's a good problem to have it. Is your bench is your bench is good to go. We'll have a lot more conversations on. This is Through the next couple of weeks. And as we get ready for that first game, which I think is the 9th of November, first game of the season against each other, than we think.
I know it's coming up. Its that is obviously less than two months away at this point, but we're rapidly get to the point where it's only a month away, and that's going to be really interesting. Anyway, Gracie Barra. Thank you for joining us, as always. We'll talk to you again soon. Scott, little, we're going to talk schedule as well. When you looked at the schedule, you had a different opinion than I did.
I looked at it and I said, I think something like What was I 22 and nine or something like that? I forget the exact number, but I I was like 11 and 9 in the conference or something along those lines. 22. And ten, I think is my overall record. You were a little more pessimistic if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. I've not done the full like what my records going to be call out yet. I will spend a weekend do that. I mean, they did two things.
When I look at the schedules, first off, like I sort of looking at it. Scheduled. I was like, Hey, Bloomington Bloomington Wilmington Bloomington. Yeah, we had a Syracuse schedule and then it's like, the next game on the road is Your cues like God's Great. Like that's we have the, we're
playing the Syracuse schedule. Our Only Hope Road game at Syracuse, but, you know, in a, it's an interesting complement to the IU football, discussion that the IU basketball schedule is, kind of the reverse of the football schedule, where, you know, you look at the back, half of this schedule.
We have a back-to-back home game against Purdue and Michigan on the 20th and 23rd of January. From that point on, we don't have back-to-back home games, the rest of the year, and our road games in the Big Ten are at me. Maryland at Northwestern, okay, but at Michigan State at Ohio, State at Minnesota, at Purdue, you know, and again, you can look at however, you the positive way to look at this is this is a team that needs to kind of get on a roll.
And I think if they can get a little bit of momentum and get a nice record and kind of get some gel you're playing together with a new coach kind of everyone understanding their roles. This is a you know, as a fan base, I could see people really latching on. Is team and if they come out of the gate, just kind of getting their way and figuring it out.
But getting some W's along the way I do think that this is a team where, you know, we could come into some of those home games in, you know, February against Illinois or Wisconsin, or Maryland and really make a big difference. So, II have not done the full schedule breakdown, but I just I love the fact that we basically play two Road games in 2020 making, we're out of Indiana twice in the rest of the year.
As you can see here, he used to play with gotten the rest of the games were in the state of Indiana for 2021. As you told me very Bay Haim like schedule, like just never leaving the state and just just you know, playing everybody at home. It's a good stew. Way to go these days. You might as well. I will say this. I think that one thing you hit upon there is a big key much like Indiana last year in football, where they won those early games. And got everybody really excited.
If I, you can go on a run, if they can go eight and one in their first nine, or if they could go. Like one loss in the non-conference. I think the hype machine will be in full effect is particularly with the students, but I think especially like just with the fan base in general the in a lot of sports and we talked about this with football last year. We talked about a little bit
this year. So much of sports is belief and being able to play games and win games and have people believe in what you're doing and have the team believe in what they're doing is such a key element of things.
And that's the one last thing. I'm not totally sure about with Woodson is We easily and how well can you Galvanize his team to believe in what they're doing and if he can do that and if he gets the fans behind him, early kind of the sky's the limit on things and because I think it's a talented IU team. It it's is it going to win the Big Ten this year? No, but could it compete for the top four or five spots? Yeah, I think actually it could. So let's keep an eye on that,
see what happens. But when and there's a real world, I mean this is not a logical and again, I'm I'm always reminding people. Like let's not give every single player the The best possible outcome. It's like not. Everyone's going to have the best offseason to become the best version of themselves. I think we get into that a little bit in the offseason. That said you could have guys, good and bad. You could be literally ate know going into that game at
Wisconsin on December 8th. Like it's not illogical to think that and you lose you, let's just say you lose it Wisconsin which Indiana has a but great propensity. We do in the last 30 taka. Is there some kind of rule that IU has to play at Wisconsin? In December, like of all out? Like there's only two games. You play in Big, Ten play in December and Indiana in the four years. They've done this will have play that Wisconsin twice. Like what is going on that mean anyway, sorry, go ahead.
No, like in return. Can we at least trigger warning football? Yeah, Haley's paranoid Football.
Let's just give us a win somewhere else, Nebraska, please like, you know this point God, you know, it's just disgusting anyway sports, but you know, if you lose that game trigger warning for Galen, but you could Then theoretically win your next 6 and B. If I got it, right 14 and one going into that home game against Ohio State, January 6, and much like a joke with Michigan football like they're going to be 7 and 1 and not be any good.
I'm not sure how good in Indiana is not going to be a top ten team, but they'll be 14. And 1 & 2. Both of our points. You're going to have as fired up student section. You're going to have it in DS, 14 and 1 or in 13 and to going into a home, you know, home and home against Ohio State and Minnesota on a Thursday and a Sunday. Assembly Hall is going to be rocking in those early January days. So that's and then you can get some momentum and you can kind
of keep pushing that forward. So yeah, getting 14 wins by January 6. Could you know, that's going to be a very cool place to be. We're live here at switchyard Brewing Company like to thank the folks at switchyard Curtis and Dave everybody hears help to set this up. We're having a great time up here. Be sure to stop by next week. Again. As I mentioned we're going to be live here. The entire Western, Kentucky game will do a pregame halftime. Postgame wrap-up will be here to watch the game.
You should come join us. It'll be a lot of fun. We'd love to have you here. And then we're hoping to come back and do some of these Thursday night pre-games throughout the course of the football season, and then we'll see what happens with basketball little weirder schedule with basketball, but we do enjoy coming down here and hopefully, you'll all get a chance to do so, as well.
And if you're not in Bloomington, the next time you come to Bloomington stop by switchyard Brewing, Company, get yourself some good food, some good. Beer, it's a good place to be. We got Matt Cohen. Will Galen. We're tailing away real quick. What is your what is your beer review? Give us what you're drinking and like wow, this is a real quick. Beer review why I'm doing. I'm having the orange blossom blond here. As I do the podcast, always a big thumbs up. It's a nice easy drinking
orange. What? What is it? A what Blossom of orange? Thank you, gentlemen, I appreciate that. But I would still Eiffel. The Just came out and I haven't had a chance to have any yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it. What did you have? Matt? Wait, there you go. Have you? Hello there, die. I am happy to comment on switchyard br-2 and I got a obb also. It's one of the best bits out there and you know, the Oktoberfest is great too.
I have had that a few times. I think I've experimented with and this the project gratitude a lot. That was great. Very good. I miss that. You have a favorite though. That isn't hasta. It's the Hopscotch coffee and it's not here at the moment. That is oh Okay, that's a tasty one. There's there's there's so many really good ones that they have in the mix and so definitely if they're all good. Like everyone that I've had has been good so far Scott, so that's that's my review.
Well, I would say we have a lot of good student media here. I would say somebody there's an article here. Let's do an SP plus rankings of all the switchyard beers and get that posted some done. Indeed tremendous that, but throw that out there that on your darker, Scott.
Car. Hi. I'll pitch it to Zach's Vision that you know, hey, if we're if we're if you're doing stories on bleachers getting ripped out of Memorial Stadium, surely this that's that's just as good a Content. Anyway, Matt Cohen joining us. Matt is riding for the Indy star now, but if you read any of the coverage from the Indiana Daily student last year about covid, he was the lead reporter on all that.
Did a tremendous job. He's covered pretty much every major sport here at IU. It's great to have you once again my friend, how you doing doing great. It's good to be here that you know, I can You know, the opp before coming on the pods. I was a good way to start off. Absolutely. You gotta gotta calm the nerves a little bit. You know, I think it's an important part of podcasting. You got to kind of just chill what exactly you're good. So let's talk first about the
story. You wrote this week. There was an incident that occurred in the Idaho game and I was sitting only a couple of sections over from it. You know, I look over at one point. I think it was the second quarter. Yeah, and there's a large metal bleacher being carried like down the crowd and it ends up down in the tunnel and then Taking it out and all that. And you, you saw this from the Press Box, or like, what is going on here.
So you go in and you discover a much larger story than what you expected to. Once you dive into that a little bit for us. So I saw the bleacher being carried down. I was myself and the Griffin Gonzalez from the Hoosier Network, both caught on to it pretty quickly. He tweeted about it. I saw his tweet and then I saw it kind of happening at the same time. And my immediate thought was what the hell is going on right now, which often happens during IU home game for anyway, Go ahead.
And I you know, my immediate thought was like did they, you know, steal a bleacher? Like how do you steal lie to? Someone has one someone already leaving? It's the first quarter. Like is a people already leaving the game too. How do you steal a bleacher like three? Are we passing it around our, we all stealing it? How are you going to get past security guard in the ushers that are out the gate? And I really wanted some like bleacher Heist tail.
That's what I really wanted. That's not what I got a caper. All right, and I thought, Getting that we did not get that. But it turns out that the Memorial Stadium, they have have some of the least supportive bleachers ever there and, you know, their Breakaway bleep. Yeah, like Breakaway rims. It's same sort of deal anything. Go on the bleachers that like everyone is the same story with
everyone. So I put out at we kind of asking for people to like, you know, to like DM me or send me, you know, your bleach, your story. If you, you know, we're around that at the time, was I thought it was just a one-night incident. Did you ask them for a Bleacher Report? Art, Sarah. Sorry. Go on. That was crying. It's okay. Come on. I do have two. I do have to give credit Griffin told me that when I was turning doing the story. That was the headline I had to use.
Yeah, I did not end up using it. However, I have to think there might have been a trademark issue there. Yeah. Yeah, there's probably some legal issues, you know, and the so I got just a flooded with the ABS. I wasn't expecting it. But as people just over Decades of IU students, that all had the shares the same shared experience of the jumped up celebrating, man, the bleach. And boom. It was gone. And then instead, their
immediate thought of is not. Oh, I'm in pain because my head just fell on concrete, but it's, let's lift. This dang thing up and carry it around the stadium and see what happens, one person, who was at the Ohio State game in 2015.
It's again that I do not personally remember where I don't know if I watched that game, but there was I think there are saying something like Zander, the Ahmad have like a 79 yard, touchdown run in the fourth quarter and they saw just like six or seven bleachers, all being lifted around the ATM different parts, and then they landed on their own bleacher jumping and celebrating and there's cracked and they left it up to and they crowd surfed it. And they tried to actually they
try to legitimately steal it and they I do not think we're so poor at the time and they're and they're always, I mean, it's an
IU football. You can probably shouldn't be sober for going in there and they they, they're brilliant plan was that they would pick up this bleacher and not take it through the gate because there'd be a security guard there, that would take it from them, and instead they would pick it up, have to And leave the stadium, clear some area outside the stadium walk up to the top of the student section and Chuck it over the side out of the stadium.
That seems like it was a more noticeable idea to me. I mean, it's well thought out it work. It did not work. They did not even get the bleacher off the ground again and bring it over. Okay, the security guards tuck it there's been II. Ask everyone that I talk to you for this. Did you get any souvenirs and it was a consistent photos and memories but there was no physical like nuts and bolts or anything but to take might be for the best. Yeah, because again unless you've got a truck.
I don't know how you're getting that figured out. You might be. So things are heavy. Strap it to the roof of your Corolla or something, but it's probably not happening. It's interesting, though, because it is, it is a consistent thing over time. I've never ripped a bleacher out or anything, but I've seen things in Memorial Stadium along those lines. So it was just fun kind of watching that whole thing,
started Soph over again. And, you know, if you're a 15 year old and you're thinking of coming to IU, this is a good reason to Because you might end up with your own. Like I landed on a bleacher and then carried it out of the stadium story. On top of that. They don't get new bleachers. It's the same bleats there. Yeah, they just welding. Weld it back down again, which are, you know, I mean points for like, you know ecological Kanye Justin see like you want that? Let's recycle as much as
possible. But yeah, the problems are going to sustain. I don't think that right. So I just want to know how I want to know. I wasn't able to figure this out or have the time to ask about it, but I want to know like what percentage of bleachers in the stadium have been had to be replaced. Laced or replaced in air quotes because that's the same bleachers, but probably every single one in the student section hobbling, over the course of the last 30 years.
Because that student section hasn't moved. Yeah. In the, since I was a student, at least, the stadium least on, on the, on the side, on the east and west sides, haven't changed and Scott, it's Scott. Have you ever did you ever break a bleacher at Memorial Stadium? If you carried any metal out of the stadium, I have I have not but I love the story of the people trying to flip it over
the top. Was my thought as you're talking about it was like as Matt was saying, like that's how I'd get it out of there is just showing it over the top and then just, you know, hope for good luck, but it is. It's an interesting, you know, for as much history as IU has with its facilities, and it may be like, Memorial Stadium.
Assembly Hall, like it's interesting, the IU facilities set up where I forget who did the story, but wasn't it a couple years ago that the, the basketball goals that were like the iconic bob Knight goals, kind of had the weird. Arch in the back and they like they were just like rotting out in a field somewhere and I think like, didn't Greg Boyle. Try and find the chair that night shock didn't like they
can't find that. It's like there's a lot of historical things are just kind of like there. And like I mean, we're well, it's all building stuff. Well, hold on, hold on, like if you saw the scenario like somebody tweeted yet, double-decker bus yesterday, but the double-decker bus, which is indeed sitting on off of Indiana, 43 after no one County. There's also Well, if you go toward Monroe Lake there is if you go out that direction. Yeah, I don't know what street is.
There's an old IU football equipment Truck. Yeah. Sitting in a few years. I can tell you exactly where that is. That is at the corner of Harrell Road and Moffat. So if you go down, if you go down Harrell, which this is deep like little 500, practice wide territory. But yeah, there's a bus just sitting out there. I forget. What's that? Little town called down their names? Like Smith know, something like that? No. No, we talked about where the
equipment. Buses off the road, either South it like a White House. On the west part of the county. Is it? I think a Smithville name of the town. But Smith is all like the sandals Dolan or something like that Dolan's East. We'll figure it out. This is, this is great great video for the folks that are watching at home. But anyway, point being you're right, Scott. There's a bunch of I you Memorabilia, I guess. I don't know. Buses memorabilia, exactly.
But there's a bunch of that stuff just kind of out in the community and it's almost like it's like a, it's like a scavenger hunt to some degree. Like if you'll be driving through Monroe County or some of the surrounding areas. You'll find something there that you're surprised about anyone and, and Shout out and shout out to the IU Surplus. I don't know what other universities do that. Maybe they all do, but it's just odd to me. I love going to the Surplus Store.
The IU surplus store, or I follow their Facebook page. I think I bought A game used helmet there. They had a bunch of them, you go there. Now. They have just jerseys and you just tons of football jerseys. And at one point last year.
They were selling one of the, you know, if you again, the bob Knight era, the Big Score boards that were above the bleachers, they were selling one of those and I mean, I would have bid on it. If I had anywhere to put like a 50 foot by 20 foot scoreboard, but I'm like, put it. That's awesome. But put it up having Warehouse. What are you doing? I mean, you Brian Cardinal lives in your neighborhood. Like point it in his Direction. No way. No way the city.
I was the town. I was thinking of The name is Handy. Just just. Yeah, so it's, it's right there Moffat and, and Harrell Road, the the village of Handy, Indiana. I mean, and I would and, and I would add to that top of all of that. Like, even, you know, on campus. Like I think the, you know, I think one of the few things that was done correctly in the IMU renovation was, they brought back a ton of really cool artifacts and like the original. I am. You like the initial?
I am you sign is now in there now, it's less like BP or photos. But now cool old photos of Campus. I just, that's all I mean, even on Sports is all really cool stuff. Do you not like the IMU, Renovations? Okay, so I know it's what has been added now. Let's take it in and take bit that I have that. I am very anti GrubHub right now, but that's a whole different thing. I'm just looking forward to the pub opening up, whatever, that's going to be called The Vault, I
think. Anyway, quick thoughts on the game, this weekend. What does I you have to do to win this game? I think Michael Penance has to prove that he is the same guy that he was. In the past. And he's not, I mean, at some point has been something that, obviously, it's all speculation and talk about this, but at some point when due to ACL injuries, catch up to you. And it's, you know, I don't, it's, he has not look like the same guy to this point this
season. He's definitely has a lot of you seen him kind of overthrow. A lot of people with a lot of his throwing motion, kind of led to a lot of off-target throws. I do Wonder to an extent, you know, we've asked them a lot about. This is the thing that's, on my mind. I've been trying to kind of pick his brain on it, but he won't talk about it is, are you concerned about it? And I don't mean, I wouldn't blame the guy if he was concerned about it.
I have assumed he would like to walk for the rest of his life. Like and if he's torn both of his ACL and already had pretty his such, a previous injury history, three season-ending injuries. Like that's I don't know how you push that off out of your mind. Yeah. No. And you can't replicate that in practice. It's a tough one. It really is. And I guess I'm not, I am with you most of the way and I, this has become the narrative.
I'm just, I'm still not a hundred percent certain that it's just penix his confidence level. And that's the one thing that I have in the back of my head because if it's, if it's a combination of that and offensive line issues and play calling was all a disaster, right? All of those things are problematic. So I do think sometimes we have a tendency to Lop too much on to penix. Certainly, he's a key and when he looks good, I you looks good.
But I do wonder sometimes what he looks bad if it's penix alone, or if there's more to it. And so, that's the one thing. I'm kind of curious about as we move into this. I think we'll find out this weekend. There's something. I mean, I don't think that this is the end all. Be all like is paddocks the say ever? See not the same, right? But this will be a big step toward it. Yeah, Matt Cohen from the Indy star. Thanks for joining us. Thank you for having a lot of
fun. Thank you. So Scott, as we wrap up, I guess, one thing I want to say, before we finish up. I'm really excited about this game like in general. And here's why I say that because this is a rarity. So have I, you they're not ranked but they're close to rank. They were ranked at the start of the season to have a highly ranked team that everybody respects. A lot of people look at as a potential playoff team coming in to a packed at Memorial Stadium. Like, that's a big deal.
And, you know, I'm really excited about the atmosphere that we get leading into the game on Saturday. I'm excited about the game itself and I almost feel like people have gotten a little too tied up in the is Indiana good or not. Good. Like They're good enough that they're they've got a chance to be competitive in this game. They're not 15 or 20 point Underdog to a top 10 team. There are essentially a three and a half Point Underdog at home to a top 10 team.
This is an exciting set of circumstances that we've got coming in for this game. And I hope that regardless of how it turns out. I hope people will, at the very least, enjoy the atmosphere that comes from having a really highly ranked team, come in here and have and, you know, have them playing Indiana team. That's A lot of talent that a lot of people thought was a top 10 top 15, maybe caliber team coming into the season. Like we just we haven't had that
Confluence of events in a while. Yeah, I mean, when was the last time a top 10 team came in and wasn't a, was it down or more favorite and wasn't Ohio State? Yeah, fair enough, but I think that the thing has been mental times, like Matt just said it, you know, tomorrow's a real kind of a Bellwether test to wear this team, isn't it? When you look at the schedule, you know, this it is really one of the last test we're going to have for a while because you know the rest of the games.
If you kind of lumpy in a western Kentucky, Michigan State, Maryland and kind of like they should win games and the you know, Penn State, Ohio State Games as they're probably not going to win games, you know, from here on out. It's kind of like the either you do something.
We're really not expecting or they need to stub, their toe, along the way up until you get to that Michigan game or even that you, you know, I love to see but, you know, at Michigan and can't you can't just throw that in the. Oh, yeah. A win that. I mean, we do that one, you know last time was in the 60s. So if you assume that it's kind of a you know, this may be the next, you know, the next real test might be Minnesota the second to last game of the year. So this is, there's a lot right?
Again, kind of the overarching, you know, feel of the season is, everything's kind of front-loaded. But this is a game that the kind of is going to answer. A lot of questions to be front loaded cuz everything else past here is either going to be, you know, you have the end of the
exam is really tough. It's a, you know, five page blue book or it's an exam you have the Others to for the rest of the Year. This is one of the few exams where you kind of, don't know what it is going in, but it's also it is a top 10 team in the country. Yeah. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I will say one thing on this, you know, a lot of times people don't get into the gambling or the wagering aspects, but Cincinnati is a bit overplayed.
Right now. That's what the one of the things I find fascinating looking at. Some of the trends, the like Pro Football, Focus, their college trends. When they look at Value Cincinnati's about a point over favorite in this game. Like this really should be about a two and a half point game that's in a three and a half or a for that might bode. Well and we might see not just the line drop, but just the overall perception of where Indiana and Cincinnati are in
relation to each other. Get a little bit closer by the time games time starts. And so look all the things that we mentioned but you know, up to this point. We're just going to see how they play out, but I really do think this is a defensive Showdown. I think this is something we're Indiana's defense. To have to force a couple turnovers, you can have to force Cincinnati into giving you the ball and advantageous field position.
I think this this could be a game where, you know, we really see Taiwan Mullen and Mike McFadden. And some of the new faces on defense, really remake their names for themselves for the 2021 season. So should be a lot of fun. Anyway, final thought and let's yeah, I was going to say this to, you know, it's kind of sorry, you know, it's kind of been lost in the eye. Ho game of like Idaho just isn't good.
But, you know, it was nice. Having a pump block for a touchdown and then a punt return for a touchdown. And you that's something where, you know, the weight in those were playing here. We talked about the DJ Matthews, one, that on our recap odd, but you know, that was a, that was a hell of a run. These great had a great scene. He ran against, he had a guy who stiffed, arming, that's those kind of things, feel like they could be replicatable against
real good teams. So that's something that, you know, I'd like to see if That's something we can get going, because that would be a unique wrinkle for an Indiana team that we've never seen a team. That's like, Hey, we're always gonna get some points on special teams, that would be unique, but it feels like maybe having Matthews be the returner. They might have unlocked something early on, and so, I'm excited to see that to gonna be fun.
Looking forward to it and looking forward to seeing all you folks out there at the stadium as well. They got to be a lot of fun. Like to thank everybody that joined us here at switchyard. We had a whole little group of people here. The fraction. What's my prediction? Yeah. Oh the hell with it, Indiana 22:17. I, there we go. I think it's going to be. I think it's either going to be that or Indiana's going to lose 40 227. I guess it's one of those too.
But I'm feeling I'm feeling the 22:17 one way or the other. I think it's going to be a lockdown battle defensively. The one thing I'm concerned about. I said this on mind your manners. Earlier today, if I you let this game, get away from them in the first five to ten minutes, like they did Iowa.
That's the thing. I'm most concerned about because I don't, I still don't know where the psychology of this team is when bad things happen because they didn't handle it very well against Iowa, but if they can keep that from happening, if it's a seven, seven game or seven three game,
middle of the second quarter. I like I use Chances, The Closer, it is the longer it is because if Indiana believes, and I think we've seen this over and over again with this team, when they start to believe, They can do something, they'll do it, and it's only when they start doubting themselves that you really start to run into trouble.
And so, we saw this in the Wisconsin game last year that game stayed close and, you know, Indiana made a couple of plays, they took the lead and even though that was a close game, the rest of the way they figured out a way to win it because they started to believe in themselves. And so that's I think the big thing, avoid allowing big plays at the start of things, get yourself to halftime within three to five points. Either way, and I think you're good to go. The 2nd half.
How about you? I, you know, I beginning of the year, I picked this as a loss. I'm probably, I'm still going to have to stay there. I just I need the offense to show me something. I hate to be the down kill. I'd love to but I give me, I was going to win, but I think it's gonna be a close game. I know it's great. You know, II hope I'm with you to me. The fear is if we go down 14 to nothing or like 13, not Thing real quick, that's going to kill fan enthusiasm.
It's going to probably hurt the team obviously being down by that much. But I see this being a really close game but the score might end up being like 2813 Cincinnati, but it never feels like it's that far out of reach but I feel like we're going to be a spot. A lot of times in the game where it's like our offense is putting our defense in spots where it's like got our defense is doing, all they can do and they're holding up in their whole.
It's like you can't continue to ask your defense to stop this this team over it. Over again. And then the offense comes out as a 3 and out and it's like we need more from our offense to help our defense. Then it's just going to be like they're just going to break a couple too many times and that's that's my fear. But that's why I think it plays out. Well when out, we'll see what happens. You know, I picked Iowa as a loss at the beginning of the year. I picked.
This one is Win. We'll see if my record continues or if you're right this time. We'll see Eddie way. Again. My thanks to the fine folks at switchyard for hosting us today. My thanks to everybody that listened in on line. We got several comments will try to get two more of those. My thanks to all the folks here who are present. We will be back on Sunday with our recap podcast. As we talk about what happened this weekend. We'll be back next week preview
shows. We lead into Western Kentucky right into our watch party right here at switchyard next Saturday, starting at 7:30. Come down. Join us. We'll catch you folks on the flip side. So everybody