Breaking down all the exes at all. It's Steve Lavera and Jake and salads. This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back touring the ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's Jay, and now we have one with breaking news.
This is I on the Ball, Breaking news on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
That was really loud.
Okay, sorry, every Friday and everyone every Friday?
Do you want? It's football season? Damn it?
Yes, mister greedy two shoes is a happy matter right now.
I am, I am, and you are too. Wait, who's Goody two shoes? You're me? He's Goody two. What do you call that?
Because he was said something when you first got here that kind of shipped me.
What would that be?
I don't know, I don't know what it was. It's lung ago. It stuck.
You called me at once. I stuck with ith. Okay, well, mister Friday.
You are you could not be called mister. There's not a miss. That's a miss identifier, all right.
Starting off breaking news with some unfortunate news the Columbus Blue Jackets winger Johnny Goodrye and saw him and his brother were killed in the car bike crash.
The d u I thing.
You oh, they were riding a bike.
They're riding bikes and and uh and they got run over by a d d u I. It's an alleged d UI driver, which is like, throw the key away, man, if that's the case. I hate that. Zero reason for that. And the you know, guy might have guy, you know, incredible future, probably doing some good out there, and then you do that. I hate that.
It's unfortunate. This is him, him and brother and his brother, his sister was about to get married.
To thirty well you know young. Yeah, they're awful. That's just awful.
To the NBA, the Indiana Pacers and the point guard. He's a McConnell former Arizona Wildcat, have agreed on a four year, forty five million dollar extension.
We knew he was gonna get his dough right.
He's got it twice a couple times down in the last few years.
I mean, did I see a number that his earnings now we're approaching like eighty eighty million.
Probably probably because he's this is a this is his tenth year, so he'll be up in the rafters with his and all this stuff and blah blah blah. Uh and who thought he was going to do this? Well, well, there's the only guy that I know is one no Sean Miller. Yeah, when he said that to us his senior years, she's gonna be in the NBA, we.
All kind of said, okay, okay, Sean, he's done.
That. Just goes to show you just be a good, smart basketball player exactly do the work, do the work, and kind of be a team player.
Do the work, be a team player, do what they ask you to do.
See how many dudes you think of the in the D League or have come through the last ten years thinking how better than him? How come I can't make it? A whole bunch yeah, and a whole talent wise wise, yeah, the whole bunch. But he does things that you say, how did he do that?
Yeah? Or I don't want to do that or don't want to do that?
Yeah, right right, you go for him.
Since football season that's coming up. He was thea before in my.
Opinion, Uh yeah, could you follow this? Yeah kind of Yeah.
He was just this undersized but scrappy player and well you knew.
How to and Kerr was the curve before mcnald was, yeah.
No, I hear you. That's that's that's a good ud. Good way of put that.
Uh to the NFL. The charge Los Angeles Chargers and Cameron Dicker, the Kicker, have agreed to a four year, twenty two point zero four million dollar deal.
I should have been a kicker.
Yeah, you you had the size for it.
I did you? Related to Das, Yeah, I could have. I could have been a kicker.
What happened?
I was still very short.
You couldn't kick.
Eight when you're five to two. You only have so much leg.
He's good for the ten yard.
I was accurate though, Speaking of did you see that they've got a true freshman punter Arizona does this year. He's a true freshman. He's a homie too. I think Hispanic kid. I remember his name, but uh, true freshman and he's the holder for for for place kicking, which would be really interesting first the first time he gets out there doing that.
Got his name right here, Michael, There you go, Michael.
Okay, I love that man.
It's a great name.
I'm behind that guy right now, right now. I want that guy to succeed.
He was like the guy the story that who was his name. He worked for the Cardinals through the Spanish radio Martina.
Whose guy for the car?
Yeah he was. We had him on the show. He did the play by player. He was the color analyst. He played here at ub.
Oh got a what like Diego something or other? No, no, no, I know you're talking about. I can picture. He's no longer with the Cardinals. He's not let him go. What the hell?
After a couple of years ago we had him on the show. Yeah, I talked to Francisco about it. He's no longer part of the I'm gonna look him out of theosition. I'll get his name, all right. He has a great story because his dad was like a wolf fighter back in Mexico. Okay, I'm sorry.
Uh.
Sticking in the NFL, the Dolphins extended their head coach Mike McDaniel through the year eight, so seems like they're sticking with him, sticking with him.
He's he's a he's a good story to a good character too, I guess because he doesn't doesn't.
Fit the mold right. He totally doesn't fit the mold.
Right, even just for being a the Miami Dolphins coach. He's just like that guy's the coach, right right, right, But yeah, I mean they still haven't won a division championship yet with them, but it looks like they have the confidence in him, that they're they're going too soon.
I'm I'm not a one hundred percent believer in in two of though. That he's just good enough to keep you paying him, but may not good enough to get you.
Where you need to go. That I like him, I like I like Lefty. Yeah, but that's what the coach. I remember he talked about two weeks ago. He was his old coach used to rag him and rag him and tell him he wasn't worth anything and blah blah blah. And I guess the coach, what's his name. He's Daniel No, no, no, the old coach before Brittennan who would rag him and rag him. And then he he said, yeah, I mean I've changed. I don't flor Yeah, I don't know.
I know about right, by the way, the Cardinals especial language.
Former farm Sorry, yeah, okay.
To the college football world. It was announced today by Pitt University at their leading restaurant. Rodney Hammond Jr. Was declared ineligible. Did not give a reason why how many?
Well by who?
So I'm assuming what would you first assume?
Academic exactly?
That's where I mine went to. I'm not sure where would you think he's ineligible? Could be taking money because.
They're saying he's ineligible, not he's suspended.
Yeah, ineligible. He's able to practice and be with the team. He's still a part of it.
He just can't play. Yeah, I'm thinking academics, because who's academically ineligible?
That's That's exactly where I was going to go with it, because we haven't heard that in forever, a long time. We haven't heard that in forever. Were people who have all these things available to them?
Right? Interesting?
Going off of last night's Thursday night game kicking off Week one, North Carolina survived off of he makes the field goal from Minnesota, but in doing so, their quarterback Max Johnson left the game with a broken leg.
He will be off for the season.
But what happened after that game?
What do you mean after the game?
After the game, you talked about it. I saw it.
Oh, but when they miss it, Oh, in Minnesota missed the field goal, they set off the fireworks. Somebody hit the button thinking it was good and it wasn't and the fireworks went off and they had lost the game.
I feel like that's something Arizona would have done by now, did you look, we haven't.
Well had they did have cannon blow up many years ago.
You remember that.
Seventy six, seventy seven, they used to that in the Okay, in the in the corner, the north west corner, Okay. So so there used to be bleachers. So there was a grassy area, you know, to you if you're looking at the at the field from the bleacher, so you're facing south to the right, there was a grassy area. Well, they used to have this cannon there and and they'd fire the cannon into one of those big metal oil tubs whatever whatever came out of the cannon, they'd fire
it into there. And every time he scored a touchdown, it was loud and it was cool blast his cannon. Well, one year the cannon blew up. I mean the cannon itself blew up, and a bunch of people got hurt and shrap and stuff like that, and you know, there's a big lawsuit in the end. That was the end of the cannon. Yeah, but I in fact, I believe again one of those stupid things that I remember. I think the cannon blow up during the Texas Tech game that airs.
On a plate was this pre freetwood b uh.
It's sort of been around the same time, right in mid you know, mid seventies, seventy five, seventy six, seventy seven. I'll have to look it up to see when the cannon blew.
Up, hopefully tomorrow. That's something that's something that doesn't happen. Just have a nice well.
You know, you sets off fireworks off the roof of the I would be concerned that they're gonna like set the roof on fire with the fireworks, even like they announced that they're gonna there's gonna be more power technics works, but.
I think the experience they're you're gonna try all they can to do things like that to make the experience better. I guess more cameras, more less commercial type of stuff, and we'll see yeah, more food. Yeah, yeah, he's ready.
For I was looking at pictures of some of that stuff. The notches that they came up, and he got that big giant hot dog with the big onion rings then on it and stuff. Yeah, I'm all about that.
Yeah, it should be should be good.
I can't wait for your next doctor.
Oh yeah, listener. Listener. Bill was standing by the cannon when it blew up. He said one of his friends got some shrapnel, and he said he thought it was against Wyoming. Okay, see Bill and I man, we're we're like, we're like bros, except for the fact that he's a Diamondbacks fan.
And it's just dumb.
Another game that happened last night. We've talked about it a lot. Colorado, uh survived North Dakota State.
Some people said that they got favorable treatment on the calls. I didn't.
At the end of the game and forth.
Yeah, I don't. I don't remember seeing it. I do know that the wide receivers fantastic. He came over that touchdown catch very tough.
Well, I'll tell you what though. Uh you know they North Dakota State, they had a chant they throw a hail Mary at the end and they caught it, but it was short of the if the guy didn't have the arm to get it through the goal.
Life.
But uh, you know that that was a close call for Colorado. Yeah, and I'm not gonna lie. I was rooting for North Dakota stayed really hard.
There was a miss targeting call the play before that, so give him the extra yard is Yeah, who knows what might have happened.
Yeah, I was rooting hard for Dion's not one of my I don't like him anymore. I don't like him that much to be but I really don't like him now. He's a big baby. Oh there was although that good Catholic guy. More proof he's not a good kill A go ahead.
Uh. Cameron Rising made his return in Utah's opener through five tds in the first half.
In the first half, you played Southern Utah.
Yeah, but still.
Forty nine nothing victory for them. I think it's good for them. Their defense again, but.
Has five touchdowns in the first half. I was gonna say, I'm not sure you want to see him in the same half.
You probably won't, I would, you know, you know, you get an opportunity like that, dude, you play some guy, but yeah, you gotta take it.
Yeah, stay, I got Week one college football. Some key matchups this week, Clemson Georgia, you got Notre Dame traveling to Texas A and m Penna State going to West Virginia. Just should be a fun opening weekend.
I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait get up in the morning and watch some game day. I'll change the channel when Pat McAfee comes on. You're not a fan, not a fan, not a fan of him at all. He brings just a World Wrestling Federation element to college game day that is not for me.
I don't know if I've seen him on the show at all. Maybe a little. I'm neither here nor there. I don't I don't mind, I don't care.
I just don't feel like they needed that.
You know, well, they needed your son to watch. Yeah, in that group to watch.
And what those guys are playing video games until the games, but you know, I don't. They're watching soccer.
That's said, that said. We're not their demogram. But but I'm not sure what I see. Do you watch it? Do you watch him?
What do you show you?
Both?
I don't watch the show I watched.
You don't watch you because.
He's He's not for me, so which makes I'm not saying he's bad or anything.
Well, your generation, that's what they love, and I don't know what that means. What do they love about it? He's just another dude who talks.
But see I don't don't.
I don't mind guys who talk. I don't like the way he talks. I don't like the loud yelling. Uh, you know, just outrageous. Uh. I feel like it just brings a sort of a ridiculousness to game Day that does not it doesn't need it.
I'll give you this, Who would you rather have of Courso or him?
I feel bad for the course, well, and that's been for a while now. Yeah, no, I agree, But if you give him the choice.
Give Holy moly, really you too? Are you a Gonzalez? Deep down?
Where are you? Wrong's wrong with you?
He might be.
I've watched the show, so why why?
Why? Why Corso win?
I feel like there's just more authenticity to Corso, even though he's not the same, He's still trying to get his point across and not trying to. I think Nick Saban being on the show this year is going to balance everything.
Yeah, I think I agree with that. I'm interested to see how Nick nick.
Oh, he's gonna be good. You know he's good. Yeah. The corsetial thing, I just you know, you need.
To get him off, just get him.
Yeah, just a while.
That was like early when they kept rolling Dick Clark out for the New.
Year's well and Bobby Knight too. Yeah eventually, Okay, we gotta go. Justin Spear is gonna be on the side.
Holy cow, We're out of here, all right? Well ver back.
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Streaming live I mean iHeartRadio w APP. This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jacinzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to myn in the ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, He's Jagins Austin known if one. We have Justin Spears from the Arizona Daily Star, the beat writer for the football program.
How you doing justin doing great.
I'm just trying to figure out, h are the Dodgers going to be first place in the National League West by the end of the weekend or what of.
Course they are They're gonna, In fact, they're gonna They're gonna win four in a row from those crappy Diamondbacks starting today.
That's what I like to hear.
He's always the I've never said this about you, Jay, but you're always the optimist.
Well that's when it comes to arizon A football. I'm just waiting for the whole thing to come come crashing down. So all right, justin we're here, uh, game days tomorrow. You've been talking about this team, you know, since the end of the Alima Bowl. What's at the top of your mind about what you expect to see this season?
Well, just the season as a whole. I mean, there's just so much newness to everything. You know, Arizona is going into year one under Brent Brennan. They're going into year one in a new conference, which you know, if you're an Arizona fan and you get out to the stadium tomorrow, you're going to see the Big twelve logo on the field, You're going to see the bigtal patches on the stadium, so that's going to be a little
bit different. Plus you're also going to have, you know, some new teams that are coming into Tucson that are going to experience the West Coast, the Southwest for the first time ever. So you know, I'm very excited about those visitors from other Big twelve schools coming out here.
But just with the the team itself, you know, this was a team that was you know, it conceivably could have been gutted, you know, and I wrote about this actually in my game advance that they have this this brotherhood and this loyalty that you don't really find in
college athletics nowadays. And Brent and Brennan wore a loyalty shirt to his news conference on Thursday, which, you know, maybe it was a big coincidence, but I thought it was a kind of symbolic in some ways, because you know, that loyalty has generated a lot of excitement and a lot of optimism in Tucson, Arizona. And you know, like I said, the team could have been gutted, Jetfish could have easily taken all these guys and brought them to Washington.
Noahlafeita and Titsero McMillan could have been a package deal to accept very large amounts of NIL money, whether it's in the SEC or other schools in the Big Ten. You know, they could have turned their back on Arizona. But they decided to double down on the magic that they created last year, going ten to three and winning
the Alamobile. And I think it says a lot about their maturity and their dedication to the u of A. And no matter what happens this year, you know, if Arizona, let's sake, go seven and five, six and six, you know, let's say it's a very average run in the middle type of year, No, Fafeita and tamac are still going to be remembered as legends. You know, those guys are going to be remembered as the two guys who gave a lot of Arizona fans, the people in Tucson a
lot of hope. A seven and five this year at Arizona is a lot different than going seven and five at a place like Washington. If you go seven and five at a place like Washington in one year, under Jetfish, Like, those guys are not going to be remembered the way that they're going to be remembered down here in Tucson. So legacy and the historical impact that these guys have that's very important to them. And I'm just really excited. You know, we're now at the point where we can
no longer talk about the off season. Who blah, Like we're finally here and we can watch these guys take the field and step one will be Saturday night against New Mexico.
How do you like this is your second year of covering the team?
Right?
Yes, how do you like covering Jet jetan? Because he's not full of hyperbole, right, he just kind of gives you the answer to the questions you have.
Yeah, that's actually one thing that I've noticed in the last month or so covering training camp. When I'm chopping up clips of you know, videos to post on Twitter, you know, Jed would give you this like two minute soliloquy in like this whole thing about whatever it is that you asked him about. If Brent is very direct, very to the point, and you know you're gonna it's rather than getting a minute and a half answer, you're gonna get a twenty to thirty second answer. Is it good for us media guys?
No?
But you know, I also think that you know Brent. You know, when we're comparing Jed and Brent as personalities and as coaches, you know, we're gonna see what kind of coach Brent is this year at Arizona. But as far as the personalities go, Brent is very He is very reserved. He is not a raw, raw guy. I mean, he's a very uplifting and positive person. You know, the positivity kind of oozes off him. But you know, he's not a guy who's going to be a showman for
the program. He's not sitting there pounding his chest, you know, talking about Arizona football. We need your support, we need all that. And you know, some people, you know, could look at that as maybe a negative for Brent, that he's not, you know, truly marketing the program. Do I think that he could market the program a little bit better, or Arizona Football could market the program a little bit better.
I think so, am My colleague Michael lev a pretty good story about that in the air one Daily Star, which has got a lot of a lot of interest online, a lot of people were commenting on that story, whether you're on one side or the other. But I just think that, you know, Jed needed to pound his chest and promote the program and try to get a lot of people to invest in Arizona football. Because Arizona football
was stripped down of the studs by Kevin someone. It was a very bad program that needed to be rebuilt. And Jed was the ultimate advertiser, the the master marketer that you know, got people to buy into what he was building at Arizona. And I think with this year's team, there's just already so much organic interest, right because of no fa Fida and t Mac and JONASAVII and I and all these great players who decided to stay. The
attention just naturally comes to this program. And I think, you know, that's something that you know, Brent doesn't have to worry about. And that's pretty much the biggest difference between Brent and Jed.
Yeah, well, I mean we noticed that out of the bet. Remember the first thing that Jed would come in and talk about was attendance at the at the upcoming game. And Brent had no idea, what you know yesterday, he had no idea what the attendance was going to be.
Jed would say, like he would come into his Thursday press conference and he would have his routine little statement like, Okay, happy Thursday. It's going to be with all you today. We're at about forty eight thousand people ticket sold. We're hoping for a sellout. And Brent is like, listen, man, there's people that like, that's their job is to monitor ticket sales. I'm not going to get into any of that.
You know, that wasn't Frank Coleando perfect, but that was the damn good impression of Jet Fish right there.
Thank you, Thank you. I've been working on it. I've also been working on this like facial expression that he does. He kind of looks like the actor Pop Bobby conna Vale. Yeah, Jet Jeff one of a kind. That's for sure.
That's for sure. Okay, So, you know, are we talking to fifty point blowout tomorrow or you know we're talking is New Mexico going to cover the thirty point spread with? What are we going to see? And I'm you know, he had you know, I remember who asked him. I think it was lev Or asked him. Ask Brendan, you know how much of the playbook. Are you gonna are you gonna show? And he said, We're going to do what we got to do to win. What are we going to see tomorrow?
Yeah, I think Arizona's going to keep the vanilla. You know, if you look at the Montana State bobcast that went down to Albuquerque and beat New Mexico last week, they had three hundred and sixty two rushing yards and almost six hundred yards of total offense. That's an FCS program. Now. I know that Montana State is good at the SCS level.
You know, they're like, you know, in an upper tier program at the FCS level, but you know it's still, you know, giving up three hundred and sixty two yards on the grounds of Montana State, that does not bode well for the Lobos. And if your Arizona's offensive line, and if you're those running backs including former Lobo j Cory Krofsky Merritt, who you know was fifth in the nation in rushing touchdowns last season, you got to be looking at your chops thinking, you know, we can we
can dominate these guys. I mean, we could just run the hell out of the football and dominate on Saturday, and I think that's what those guys are thinking. And you know, I think that this playbook, this playbook is
going to be very vanilla, very basic. They don't want to show too much of their tricks because you know, they got Kansas State coming up here in a couple of weeks, which is a big, big time road game in Arizona talented to just keep things basic and run the hell out of the football, control time, possession, and I think Arizona's going to do just that. Do I
think that they're going to cover that thirty point spread. No, As a matter of fact, I think, you know it's we're going to see a similar situation to that Colorado or North Dakota State game where North Dakota State scores a touchdown in the last minute and you know, beats the spread and to get on that back door cover.
And I think New Mexico is going to get one of those touchdowns late, you know, when nofa fida and all those guys are out, and I'm gonna go with Arizona forty two, New Mexico fourteen, just barely beating the spread.
So you I think you had a poll here maybe a week or two, maybe longer than that ago about is this the most hype season since What was the reaction from your readers one and two? What do you think?
Yeah? I think honestly, this is the most hype season since twenty eighteen, Kevin Someone's first season at Arizona, and you know, no matter how much people want to forget about that time, people were super high on Kevin Someone because of what he was able to do at Texas A and M. And when you add that with mister I didn't come to Arizona around the triple threat and Khalil Tate, you know who kind of ran out Kenny Montalolo.
I mean people were like, okay, you know Khalil Tate with Kenny Montalolo or Kevin Someone, maybe they can recreate some of that Johnny football magic. And then by you quickly put the gabash on that and then the Kevin summon era, which is kind of what it was. But just in terms of anticipation, remember people were putting Khalil Tate on the Sports Illustrated cover and talk about handing him the heisman. So that was a highly anticipated season.
Of course, you know, you got to go back a couple of years before then, when Rich Rodriguez and Scooby Wright, a New Solomon and all those guys at college game Day come down to Tucson to play UCLA. But before then, man, I don't know. You know, Mike Steuss had a couple of good teams that people were looking forward to. But hey, guys, this is the highest preseason ranking for the team since nineteen ninety nine. So with that whole highly anticipated season,
you know, how does it compare to other ones. I mean, you can make a case for anyone, but man, this is going to be a really, really good team.
Now.
I am curious though, how the offense and defensive line is going to look. You know, because defensive line last year was so great, but they lost nine of those players from last year's team, and how do the replacements come in and maybe replicate what those guys did in terms of stopping to run and helping out linebackers and
the DB's and the rest of the defense. So I think Arizona's success is all going to fall on the offense and defensive line, and if those two units can be a little bit of what they were last year, you know, I'm not expecting Rhino top of toe tie to be the next Jordan Morgan. But I think that you know, they have the pieces to have a really
special season. But as you guys know, you can have all the pieces, you can have all the expectations, but man, it is very typical for Arizona football to just kind of fall flat on his face. I don't think that that's what's gonna happen with this year's team, but we shall see.
Thank you for bringing that up. I do appreciate that they're justin because because I've been talking about that all summer that you know, Arizona fans are just waiting for something bad to happen, and you know, you just hope
it doesn't. You don't get you know, the one thing that you know when you're an Arizona fan in this situation that you do worry about is a team like getting full of itself after what they did last year, you know, and maybe not doing the work, you know, reading it as they say, the proverbial clippings and all that kind of stuff. What's your sense of all that in terms of what you've seen around the program and how they're handling the success they had last year.
Well, I also think, you know, they still have a lot to prove. Because the college football playoffs expanded to twelve teams, they are not the preseason favored to win the Big Twelve, the new conference that they're in. So even though they're getting lauded and they're getting praised for what they did last year and what Brent Brannan and the players are able to do in the offseason, there's still a lot left on the table that they need to prove, and so I think they still have some motivation.
I still think that this is a team that wants to go out and double down on what they did last year. You know it, correct me if I'm wrong, guys, but I don't think any U of a team has won ten games and back to back seasons. That's something that they're trying to do. And they can do that, but they have to stay healthy, they have to stay together, and you know there's going to be some games where
you know, they get into some trouble. You know, I think that West Virginia game down here in Tucson in October, you know, that could be one hell of a game, especially if the Mountaineers the NWBT Penn State this week and then you go on the road and play U c F in Orlando. I think UCF is much better than what people think. And then of course those road games against Kansas State and Utah. You know, while Arizona schedule does favor them, that you have some some tough
hurdles ahead. And I think if they can clear those tough games, and then when the games they should I E B, Y, U A, s U, Houston, maybe even Colorado, then then I think Arizona's gonna be in pretty good shape. But yea, like uh, you know, every two soon in that has watched Arizona football a lot, I am very cautiously optimistic about this year's Wildcats.
You guys, are you guys there's a kickdog in the corner because you have no feelings. Steve, I know I'm not a cat pan because I haven't gone through covering the team for three years and I was used to the four, four and three in the seven and fours, in.
The eight and fives.
You guys are kind of spoiled, but not spoiled.
We're not spoiled because we don't have anything.
To be spoiled, right right right, That's the problem. And I think you said it very well. There's more expectations. They're hoping more after last year, right, which everybody should because they're going to be pretty good.
Yeah, yeah, you should be contending for a national championship. And you know now that it's that twelve teams that's right there. Yeah, arms reached and you know, the this is the an area that the program has never really been in. You know, we talked about, you know, some Arizona teams in the past being potential national contenders, but I mean this one, this right now is as close to a national championship as you're going to get for
Arizona football. So time to capitalize. The cfp's exbmitted to twelve teams. All you got to do is just win the big twelve. Easier said to done. There's a few good team and the conference, but man, it's right there for Arizona.
How many wins? J justin How many wins?
Oh? Man, you're gonna tell me that with Steve right there? Are you serious?
How many wins?
He's happy to be here?
All right, guys, ready for this.
I'm gonna go here.
We go nine and three, that's not we're like eight and four, maybe ninety three. You they can sneak a Kansas State win or a Utah win. I think justin I think that's okay.
Yeah, I'm in that nine and a half to ten range because I just think that, you know, those two games against Utah and Kansas State are gonna be tough. But honestly, I like the Wildcast going on the road and beating the other Wildcats in the Big twelve. In Kansas State, well, I think that's a winnable game for Arizona.
Utah.
Man, that's tough because Cam Rising's back, Bran Keith, He's back in tid End. He's one of my favorite players in the country. Arizona or they just signed Dorian Singer, who's you know, trying to revive his career after having a down season at USC. So you know, that's gonna be a big game for the youth and they're looking to back at Arizona for completely embarrassing them down here in Dutian. So Utah is gonna have no issue getting up for that game and they're going to really want
to put the whooping on Arizona. So that's going to be a really tough game. And then that Central Florida game in Orlando. Yeah, man, I don't know if you guys to know about this, but the Space game, which is where they wear their you know, astronomy inspired uniforms, they are seven to zero and like have outscored their opponents by like two hundred points in the space game. Well, they do not mess around when it comes to the Space game. And of course that's the game that Arizona
has to go down to Rolando. So Arizona's got their work cutout for him in a few road games. But I think, you know, this year, much like the PAC twelve last year, you're going to see some big twelve teams that are going to step up and surprise a lot of people. You see, f A is one of them. You know, Arizona currently only has two ranked opponents on
their schedule. I think West Virginia is gonna be a little bit better Colorado, you know, if they figure out their line situation after getting those guys in the transit portal, they're gonna be pretty good. Texas Tech is better than advertised, So the Wildcat's gonna be in some pretty good this year.
Justin thanks for being with us, all right, man, don't stay up too late tomorrow taking that taking that.
Just happy to be here, guys.
Well said justin thank you Van, take care and see you tomorrow. Uh, we already over, so we got to come back because I'm just waiting with baited breath for your picks.
All right, Fab five Friday. I've got him. I've got him. I'm good now. I feel good about him, Steve, I think we're going to go in different directions. We are, and I'm okay with it. All Right, we're gonna be back. Fab five Friday. Picks coming right up.
If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now take a look back at the Ludolsen era. In my new book, Lessons from Newton, it was a late of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches, and friends to give insight to the coach and the man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them twenty five chapters for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from Newton is an insight to how he built the program
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This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez sound Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app Just Surgeon, I.
On the Ball, Hey, welcome back to whying the ball. Here all Fox Sports Fortune fifty on Steve Rivera, he's Jacobsauce. We got about twelve minutes to get this over with. You're not taking any calls.
What do you mean get this over with? What does that mean?
Well, season starts, take your time, make sure you pick the right picks.
All right, fab five Friday picks for those of you who've not partaken in this in the previous years. Steve and I are picking five games against the spread. This week it's all college games, but normally it's a thing where we pick to college, two pro. Then we get to you get to decide whether you want to make
your fifth game of college or pro game. We have what's called a lock, which we can lock one game to add extra value to the pick, and then there's one game that's a special game that we both have to pick. And so there's a total of six points available each week and all the way you can you can if you miss them all and you get minus one. So Steve and I we play for five bucks a week on this and then for the season it's a sixty dollars because this is a pool that we're in
and so that's the entry fee for the pool. So I had to pay Steve's entry fee this year because he kicked my butt last year. So that's what we're gonna do every Friday in this segment. So it's a fab five Friday picks and Steve, you're the champ, so I think you should have to go first.
Okay, some interesting games, big games. I wasn't sure with it to take or not, but I'm gonna take them anyway. So my first big game is gonna be Georgia. I'm gonna take Georgia minus thirteen and a half over Clemson. I think the debble will go zero one and get beat pretty badly.
Charge getting people in his face about it.
Yeah, Georgia at home? Right, it's at home?
No, that's a. That's a. It's in Atlanta, right.
Might as well be at home. Yeah, So I'm taking Georgia, well, I want to.
I I initially had that game down and I was gonna take Georgia too, which would have messed you up. But I did not take Georgia. Instead, I decided to take Georgia tech. I believe that what they did last week in beating Florida State in Dublin, which I had to ask on where that game was last week forgetting that it was that game in Dublin. I just I think Georgia Tech might actually be good and they're playing Georgia State giving twenty one, so I think they'll run
the ball all over those guys. And I'm gonna take Georgia Tech.
Okay, okay, I'm gonna take take another big game here. I'm gonna take Miami minus two and a half over Florida. I think this is the Jetfish watch and we'll see what happens. But I'm gonna take Miami. That's interesting.
I I just hate I just hate betting on Miami.
I hate those guys stuff well Stuf, but but crystal Ball has some time now. Yeah, that's the only reason it's gonna be a good game to watch.
You know. I let my opinion of certain teams I know, shade whether or not even.
Take well you and you run out of teams.
I don't never, I don't ever. I just don't ever want to have to root for Miami. I don't. I just don't like them. I don't like their program. I've never liked their program. So so anyways, I so good for you my next game. You know, I've tried not to believe the hype, and then I couple of days I started to believe it. I think Texas is a national championship contender. I think they're gonna I think they're gonna make a run at it. I think they're really good.
I think they know they're really good. They're one of those teams that has like a twelfth year quarterback coming back. And they're giving thirty two to Colorado State. It's at Texas. Uh. I think Texas gonna run all over them. I think you're gonna put a fifty spot on them and uh, and Colorado States is gonna have a tough time even scoring. So I'm gonna take Texas and give thirty. It's a big spread for a season opener. Or I just think Texas is gonna want to get out and make a
make a statement early. Look, we're really really damn good. They've got Alabama coming up. I think you're pretty soon. No, they gotta go to Michigan. They gotta go to Michigan. That's what it is. They're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna ring it out. So I'm taking Texas giving the thirty two to against Colorado State.
Okay, I'm gonna go. Uh the Notre Dame Camisty is the.
Oh yeah, that Dame in Texas. A and M on Texas and M giving three dinner day. That's our specials. So we'll pack that last. We both have to pick that game.
I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Penn State minus eight over West Virginia and that's gonna be my luck.
I love that. You know why you picked it too. I'm taking West Virginia.
Oh, you believe in the hype.
I just believe that West Virginia's at home. This is a this is a game that it's a rivalry that that that I think, Uh, West Virginia thinks a lot of I think they're gonna be fired up. I think, uh, there's a lot of pressure. There's a lot of pressure. There's a lot of pressure on Penn State because they've kind of been on the edge, you know, of getting there all this time and no other thing. And okay, college football playoff is in play. We're gonna have a
chance at this, and I think they're gonna go. We the bead on h on Sunday against West Virginia.
Nothing makes me feel better in this competition when Isaac and he zags.
And I'm being serious, you know, I should have said I should have said I'm gonna un locking Georgia Tech. That was that was the first game that Okay, that's what I feel the best about. So Georgia Tech will be my lock.
Okay, okay, so now the game that's not the big game. I don't think you have to convince me you got one more, no one more before the big one. Oh yeah, So you don't have to convince me that that Richard is full of crap. I was saying Arizona's gonna cover wow, And I never you know this, I know the Arizona game, but I'm I'm you know, because I don't want to
have a stake in the game. Blah blah blah. But I really think that New Mexico's gonna be the crap out of Arizona's gonna be the crap thirty And it has a lot of points. But but New Mexico is not any good Arizona. And here's the problem. I don't know the history of Brennan. Is he a guy that likes to score a lot of points and running up or not. I don't know his background, right, it would seem just by what we see is that he's not It's not that he's kind of he'll let let it,
let it go. But there may be a chance where he just cannot avoid let it go.
Yeah, he may not be able to help it. Yeah right, I'm not. I'm not touching that game for a bunch of reasons. One, if something were to happen that people would blame me for it. Two, I could hear I could kind of not kind of exactly what Justin said. I could see Arizona being up big and giving up a score, you know, a backdoor cover at the end. You know if if if Brent Brandon doesn't you know, keep rolling up the score purposely or not purposely. So
I'm just gonna touch that. But so my my fifth game, I'm gonna go just listening all again all summer long. Uh about you know who from the group of five stands out as a team that's gonna that's you know, gonna find itself in the playoff. And a lot of talk has been about Boise State, and I like Boise State. This week, they're gonna they're at They're at Georgia Southern, and I don't even know who Georgia Southern is or where it is other than it's in Southern Georgia.
Hopefully you think.
This is a pick that he doesn't know anything, but I don't.
They're giving thirteen at Georgia Southern, so I'm gonna take that. I'm gonna I thought about locking it, but I'm just gonna take and I don't. I'm not locking Boise State just because I'm never gonna lock Boise State, but I like them. Uh So there you go.
Okay, Now the big game, right, the big game. I waivered on this game a big time. I thought I was gonna take your A and M minus the three. I was gonna take it. That's at home, I think, right yeah, this is at Texas and the debut of the of the guy, the new coach, and I'm gonna take Notre Dame PUS three all right, for no other reason then I think Notre Dame has a favorable against the spread number.
Well, I'm taking Texas A and M.
I'm gonna go perfect.
And I'll tell you why. I saw a stat Oh no, that Notre Dame has not covered a road game where they are three point or more underdogs since twenty twelve. Okay, I like that stat or you would call that a.
Trend trend, and I like to turnd there was a trend that they have covered a lot of the recent recent times. And he's a good coach, he's you know, and it's still young.
Yeah. I just I just think a Texas A and M home game a new coach, they're excited. Sure, it's arguably the hardest place to play in college football. Notre Dame's probably got better players right now, because I think that was one of the things about Tech what went wrong with the Texas A and M and what the house is named Jimbo Fisher is that he just didn't recruit as well as they had hope, But I just think it's going to be tough for Notre Dame to go in there and win that game on the road.
If like, if that's out a neutral field, I'm probably taking Notre Dame. So I think I think Tech. I think the home field is worth a little more than three points at Notre Dame. I mean at Texas and now, so I'm taking one. I'm teching Texas NAM what do you think one for would you like any of those picks?
I think I like the Boise State one.
Yeah.
Yeah. You don't ever hear anything about Georgia. Southern Me and one are homies, so in southern Georgia, Yeah, you think it would be there.
I'm glad that you went to Huan for your validation. You went through all your other international validations last year was Jason and he just nodded.
Yeah. Jason was like, what the hell are you doing?
You lost my eight team.
I'm surprised when neither of you picked the Arizona State game.
I think that's too ify because in my mind, I don't know how good an issue is. Even though should be able to beat Wyoming pretty easily, we don't know anything about Washington.
There's an issue. Here's what you need to know about me on that one. I never play a SU you either take them or bad against them, because if I'm wrong, Let's say I take SU, I know they're gonna screw me, and then if I take the other team, I know AC's gonna screw me. So I don't want to feel I never play an ACU game. I just don't so that that that ace. You never even got into my radar.
Kwan. Oh, you'll learn that over time. So today's August thirty. By mid November, late October, he will have abandoned every team that didn't cover, So his pool of teams to pick frump, he's gonna be very limited.
Shit, it shrinks Wine.
We're gonna hear about Boise State in a month or so.
If Boise State hoses me, they're dead to be for the year. He's not joking. I know any of these perfect. If Texas screws me this weekend, they're dead to me for the year.
Go back to the Big twelve.
Right, exactly exactly.
But that's why I said, right all the stuff that he sets down, because next week it'll be totally different. Well, they're not good enough to win the national title.
Okay, to recap Jay, who was just crapped himself all year, all season long. Last week locking Georgia Tech minus the twenty one, I've got Texas minus thirty two, Boise State minus thirteen. I'm taking West Virginia and eight points. And then in the special, I've got Texas A and M minus three. Steve is going Georgia minus thirteen and a half. Florida, Miami Florida minus two and a half, Penn State minus eight, Arizona minus the thirty and a half, and then taking
Notre Dame plus the three. All right, Steven's football season. Oh okay, Arizona. Oh you got it, you're taking there. I think Arizona covers, but not I'm not confident enough.
Yeah, make it. Okay, Hey, be sure to listen in tomorrow five o'clock at the station, Uh, myself and David Adams and Byron Evans for a pregame show.
Yeah, should be fun. I'll I can't guarantee you that I'll listen to it, but you know you have to turn on the car or maybe I'll call. Okay, yeah, yeah, yah, you missed me. Yeah yeah, all right, okay, Hey, thanks everybody for being here all summer long. We're ready to start the football season. We'll be back next week to talk about it.
