This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services Ensure your most prized possessions.
Hey, good afternoon, everybody.
Welcome to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, He's Dave Silver and we got Ryan under controls of the MIC's here and stuff. Welcome everybody to Tuesday's show. Another day closer to D on Prime Prime, D on Prime Time and Prime.
Yeah, so you going probably not, we'll see, haven't about it sold out? Right? So anybody has a ticket thing? You know, there's there's tickets and go some of the secondary markets. But should be interesting after what we've seen the last three weeks.
Yeah.
Yeah, and it was almost a favorite favorite. Yeah, well, I was right. I wouldn't imagine that it could be a It could be a Tiger.
And who knows. Arizona's had Colorado's number, to be honest, really the last as far as I can remember, they seem to have pretty good success. For Buffalos are going to have their best player back, Travis Hunter, so that could make things interesting. He's all over the place both sides of the field.
Right we'll find out, at least on a head to head basis if they go. They don't go head ahead, but I guess they might. I mean team team back. Yeah, who's the better who's a better prospect? They're both very good obviously.
Yeah, the NFL scouts will be watching those two. It'll be interesting to see if they do go one on one, but probably not.
Yeah, well the defense, right, so we'll see. We'll see, Uh should be. It should be a fun game. I'm not sure if I'm going to go as a credential girl, a creudential person, or or or a guy who's a as a fan. I'm not sure. Yeah, and I'm not a fan. I just watch so everybody knows that. We'll see what happens. We'll talk more about that obviously later. Ryan, thanks for coming on in a lot of stuff to talk to you and breaking news or out in the bricking news area. And uh, Dave, welcome back.
Yeah, I can't get rid of me. I guess huh, so here I am again.
Hey, if you were you were retired, dude, you wouldn't be here. Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad you're retired.
I don't think I could have fit this into my very busy schedule. But now it's not too busy.
Well, you're My understanding is you've been just as it's like I think it was Dick, Tony or Luz. Just don't retire because you're too busy.
It's true.
You know, you can get more people asking stuff.
Those guys both stayed busy in there after coaching years for sure. Like Dick Tomy moves back to Tucson, LUTs never left. He was always involved in this shaking hands because he worked. He had the same team with you kind of.
Yeah.
He worked in development for the UFA Foundation. All you have to do is show up, right basically was he was a great ambassador as you can imagine. You say you're gonna have loot at your events, people would come no matter where you were in the country, and lout was such a good sport. I remember one time in San Francisco there was an event and he didn't have to be there, but he was there and people loved it. Yeah, he was. He was great for that. Yeah. And did
he tell stories, told stories, signed autographs, took pictures. I mean, he's just a great sport.
Right right, the stories and I you know, was with him for a long long time. The one thing about him he was a good storyteller, but he took forever to tell the stories.
Well, that was yeah, I used to We used to joke doing interviews with him. Sometimes it would be like the two arm interview because your arm would get so tired holding the microphone. You'd have to switch hands because he would he would go on for a while. But you know, I'd rather have that oh yeah, yeah, than somebody who wouldn't say anything, no question about it.
He was good, no question about that, and a lot of people like it. Yes, It's like it's like Bill Chick, right, he's he was yeah, okay, but now he's everywhere. Now he's everywhere.
You can't miss him. I mean, you turn on last night, he's doing the Peyton and Eli show for the whole first half of that game, and he's on forever, right, And then he was on and he was good?
Was he?
He was pretty good? I guess waxing poetic or being mean to the giants of organization, not giants.
To the Jets.
Yes, And then he was on McAfee earlier in the day and I listened to that. He was pretty good. Here's the guy that wouldn't give you two sentences. Now he's kind of he's.
He's found his Niche is a whatever commentator and he gets picked up. He's on a handful of shows. Yeah, so he's you know, he's good at it too, which is kind of weird because he was he was good. There was a documentary that he did with Bill Parcells I want to say, maybe ten fifteen years I remember seeing that and you'd never seen Belichick like that. He was really open and honest and telling stories. Right, it's pretty good at that. Just got to get him comfortable
in no media around. Yeah, or now that he's the media, I guess. Yeah, I don't know what he you know, I mean, what he even consider coming back? He's late seventies. Does he want to do that all over?
Yeah?
I'm not too sure. I'm not sure he'd be the same guy because his career took a hit when Brady left. Obviously, but the Cowboys might be looking for a coach like this week, Yeah, he's I wasn't so isn't what's his name? Jones said he was adamant that he's not and get a new coach. And then this season and He even talked to two report says do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I'm an idiot? And the guy i'm sure said no, but I'm sure in his mind's saying, well, can I think about it?
I mean, I realized it's the Cowboys, and it's everything's magnified. But gosh, when they lose a game like that at home and you know, it's the Marquee game and everybody's waiting to see what they're going to do, and then they lay an egg and it's it's you know what I mean, they ask for it. I mean, they're the you know, model franchise I guess of the NFL. Maybe not well, but you know, the Marquee.
Let me let me say this because I know some people listen who are Cowboy fans.
When is the.
NFL at its best, at its best? And I'm going to say this just randomly, when when when the Cowboys are pretty good?
Because you have a lot of.
People who hate the crap out of them or love the heck out of them right their bait, they're polarizing, uh, but them and maybe what the Kansas City chiefs now are kind of they're likable. The Chiefs, I think so, yeah, the Chiefs.
Yeah.
I don't know who else besides the Cowboy the PINNNFL, Yeah, twenty nine Ers, Yeah, not so much.
I don't know if I mean the Steelers.
Maybe, yeah, but those those days Wednesdays are long. It's like the Steelers and the Cowboys are long gone, right, I mean, because it's been twenty seven years almost, it has been twenty seven twenty years.
You know.
It's really kind of the same way in almost every professional sport too. When you think about the Yankees and the Dodgers and yeah, you know, you know that Fox is hoping that's going to turn out that way, and even Mets Yankees would be big for them. But in the same way in the pros with basketball, I mean, you know, the Laker Breakers, the Celtics and the Knicks and the Warriors.
And everyone's doing one of those four. Everyone's done for the good old days.
Yeah. Yeah.
The kids are saying, ah, who cares about those guys?
True? You know, right?
Who who would be your wheelhouse? Not the true kid, but you're a kid. As far as baseball baseball yeah, Yankees, Yankees, yeah, and and who knows because they're the best two. The two best teams in right now is the Yankees and the Dodge Dodgers, Right, so.
That would that would be the marquee game. But again, in the NFL, you know when you turn on the TV in the morning and that's all they're talking about, is just they know that's you know, Dallas and Lebron and Kobe when he was alive was a big, big topics and.
Yeah, you know, it's like like I said, it's polarizing. The people who hate him love their situation now because they're horrible and they're struggling and blah blah blah, and the guys who love them most. Hell, we do enough of this suffering.
Why aren't we talking about the Packers? Yeah, you know, I mean that division? How about that little division of four and two teams like everybody?
So they're a good start, right So so we'll see. Let's me talk you real quick about the guests today. We have Mike de Corsi coming on a little bit. Uh so we'll have him talking about college football, a little about Arizona football, maybe a little about to put the basketball as we approach the season here pretty soon in a week less than a week, I think twenty first hoops hoops coming.
Yeah. Yeah, Mike's good. He's been around forever, so he knows all kinds of Stuffan he's really a national reporter. Those guys have fun jobs, I think where they can kind of just pick and shoes. I'm gonna just go to this game this week. Let me go to the Oar again, or I'm gonna go to the you know some game in my neighborhood I've never seen. That's gotta be fun. You know the helicopter reporters. Yeah, that's kind of cool. Yeah.
Uh And then on the second hour, we're gonna have will it to Atala see what he's up to. Talked about the pressures of being a quarterback. We had were you here with George Mellow last week?
No?
Okay, so we had him just the pressures. He's a fantastic story. His all those kids are do you want athletes?
You know I heard I heard that interview with you guys. I was I didn't know about that. Yeah, he's playing.
Softball, softball, A couple of a couple of donors playing softball, well, a couple of kids boys playing, one playing college prisoner, the other one like the study quarterback in the West Coast. Uh but Bosco, Bosco, I think it is okay like this starting as a freshman Wow. As one of the top programs in the country.
Wow.
So yeah, yeah. I joked with him obviously.
His his wife.
His wife, he yeah, she says, yeah, she's the one.
She was.
I'm not sure if she was you away, but she was an athlete, a tolerant athlete, I think, and he was you know what, maybe six ft five eleven or whatever. And now he has those people, So will you're gonna have him on see what he's up to. I think he's in California. Talked to him this morning. It was a year a few years ago. I had him on the show at the other station. So now we'll just
touch basins. He what's up with him? Because he had a weird career, you know, and and one of those ones where everyone pays attention now to those concussions.
It's true. I mean there were times where he got hit hard. I remember that LSU game on the road, knowing at home at home one too. But I remember hearing stories about just having him how difficult it was for him just to travel back to Tucson. I mean, I think they put him on the team plane, but it was kind of like, maybe we shouldn't have done that, we should have kept him overnight. But I mean, he can maybe tell us if he even remembers that story.
But I'm pretty sure there was a there were a few incidences where he was really knocked down.
Hard, right, and then in case now it's too I mean, does he I'm sure he feels what he's going through.
Yeah, didn't. I think the coach mentioned last night that he's gonna come back sometime this year, right, but boy, he's had just a run of those concussions in the last couple of years.
It's amazing how more quarterbacks don't have those situations. Oh, did you see the game last night?
Pretty much?
Did you see when he was sacked he was Rodgers. Yeah, and they got him a pedalty, gave him a pedal, They got a penalty for roughing the power Yeah, yeah, did you see that?
You know what?
So so uh akean since that was not a roughing the pastor. I didn't think it was, but I don't play quarterback. And then he I guess letter said, uh Rogers said it wasn't the roughing the passer because it was a it was a hit and then you know, drive down to put him down. But it wasn't. It was back ten years ago you're thinking, Okay, he sacked him. Yeah, but now it's like, don't touch him.
Well, I mean yeah, that's kind of been the name of the game is to protect the quarterback at all levels. Yeah, you know, especially going for the legs. But yeah, the head is not good and just defining roughing sometimes in front all is hard to do since almost every play is pretty rough in Mike BA and.
It's it's bang bang. You know, it's just bang bang. You know, what are you gonna call off your ref?
Yeah, Rogers was pretty wobbly there for a few plays. It reminded me of that Michigan quarterback a number of years ago who got knocked around in one of the games. They kept him in, you know for a player too, and I was like obvious that he was pretty groggy.
I don't remember who that was, remember, Brady.
Hoke, I believe was. He got criticized heavily for why is he still out there? They need to watch that.
M Okay, we're gonna take a break here in about a minute and see what Mike says, would get a hold of him, and Okay, anybody wants to call anybody who didn't get through yesterday. I know we had a couple of issues with the calls yesterday. Uh so we'll get you guys to call in after the interview with Mike. The course, we have plenty of time after that, and then Ryan will have the breaking news, and then we'll have Willie and then we'll have some more time on
the other side. Okay, so it should be fun. Let's go to the break right now. It's kind a little early book. Let's get a hold of Mic now.
Your chance to win one thousand dollars just entered this nationwide keyword on our website, money. That's money. Enter in right now Walksports fourteen fifty dot com.
Are you ready ready to discover your soul, your wild side, your passion, your joy and excitement. From the latest slots and table games, to award winning dining, to world class entertainment to a luxurious resort.
Discover all this and more.
Discover with Soul Casino del Soul, the Soul of Tucson. Are you ready enterprise so fasco YACKI try the.
Window depot has everything you need to create the kitchener bathroom of your dreams. Browsie aisles of instock cabinets available in a variety of sizes and configurations, and instantly elevate your space. Today, visit a showroom and let our experts guide you. Whether you're choosing for money to go designs or creating a custom masterpiece. We can help you select the perfect wood, type, color and style and top it off with unique hardware to complete your love. Find a
location near you at the window deepot dot com. The window Depot more than a windows store.
Steve Rivera here to talk about Dorato Rock Materials. I needed a lot of gravel for my driveway, so I called Eric at Dorato Rock. He found out the amount and color I needed and boom, it was taken care of and at a great price. How do I know radio commercials work? I heard one of his on the radio. Dorato Rock and Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials, including decorative rock, boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for residential
and commercial use in the Tucson area. They are locally owned and have been around for more than fifteen years. We'll call at five two zero four zero zero for two three three.
Where do you buy exercise equipment Arizona.
Health Arizona Health Arizona Health.
Of course, to feel better and look better, it makes sense to buy your fitness equipment from the people who know it better than anyone else. At Arizona Health, our goal is to help you choose the equipment you need to reach your goals. Your health and fitness deserve the best you deserve. Arizona Health. The lead Madge and exercise equipment on twenty second just west of Wilmot.
School and the FAALSE four season are in full stride. Time to give that special student athlete a creative award for his or her efforts they are deserving. It's also time to rejuvenate your fall apparel with a chrisp looking embroidered school corporate logo on caps, shorts or long sleeve follows.
And why not get some fresh looking promotional products representing your school or corporation, or just giveaways for the upcoming twenty twenty five season For over one thousand fun items to choose room come visit Creative Awards at Creative awardsaz dot com or see our Idea center at two twenty eight Westrackman Street.
At Nova Home Loans, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the independence that comes with home ownership. Paul Volpi is ready to help you find an option that best fits your needs. Whether you're a first time or veteran home buyer or want to get cash out with the refinance. Nova has a variety of home loan programs
to meet your unique situation. Visit voltpeteam dot com, that's volpe team dot com or call five two oh six eight five six two six today n MLS three oh eight seven Arizona b K nine two nine four two Equal Housing Opportunity, got commitment to lindrixon credit rates and available loan programs, or supt to change the NUNT notice.
Did you know?
Collecting sports cards is one of the fastest growing hobbies around. Whether you're looking at his chart or expand your collection, Showtime Cards is your ultimate destination.
As one of the.
Leading card shops in the country, we've been serving our community for over twenty.
Five years with the best in sports cards and trading card games.
From rare fines to the latest releases, Showtime.
Cards has it all.
Check them out at Showtimecards dot com or visit them on e Speedway and discover why collectors everywhere trust Showtime Cards for their passion.
On a road trip or just around town. Driving a car you can afford is more important than ever. At Pyramid Federal Credit Unions, our one rate auto loan.
Is for everyone, one rate off.
There's a single competitive rate no matter your credit score.
You can borrow better with cream.
For details or to apply online, visit Pyramid FCU dot com Slash one rate. Pyramid Federal Credit Union is an equal opportunity lender federally insured by NCUA.
Got bugs, termites, fees, or rodents, Arizona Pest Control will hunt them down. Arizona Pest Control is your complete desert pest management specialists can't run or high from Arizona Pest Control. They use only the latest and most technologically advanced methods of pest elimination available, which minimizes the effects on the environment. Let Arizona Pest Control get rid of your bad bugs, termitespees, or rodents. Serving Tucson and Southern Arizona since nineteen forty seven.
Go to azpest dot com to schedule your free evaluation today.
Selling your home, want to get more money for it? Will Danny Roth can help you. He told me about as you Flip the Home you Own program. The program allows for a homeowner to fix up their home to sell without using any of their own money. They will be able to sell the home for a much higher price. Danny Roth with Omni Holmes International is the realist take
consultant in Tucson that offers this program. He has consistently been the top agent in Tucson for the last thirty years and has sold over ten thousan five hundred homes. For more information on this program or just buying our selling a home of Danny Roth at five two zero four nine zero four thousand.
Steve Rivera, He's got his eye on the ball on Tucson's sports station, Fox Sports fourteen fifty.
Hey, welcome back to Iron the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera and today is Dave Silver. Now when I follow, we have Mike to course from abroad and with Sporting News.
Mike, how are you?
I am well?
Steve?
How are you?
I was good to talk to you. I'm doing well. Thank you.
As this college football season got you a little flustered. What hasn't gone on yet?
Right?
Oh?
See to me, I've had a blast. This is the I've said this, I wrote about this, and I've said it publicly on multiple occasions. This is the college football season I've waited for my entire life. And I will say that it's not a short period of time, because I remember I wrote about this. My first college football game that I remember being conscious of what I was
seeing was in nineteen sixty eight. I grew up in an Irish Catholic family, so they were all Notre Dame fans and kind of roped me in when I was younger, and we went to my grandfather's house to watch Notre Dame play Purdue in a September game, and Mike Phipps and Leroy Keys were the produced stars and Terry Hanratty.
Was the Notre Dame star quarterback. And I remember that very well.
So that's how long I've been waiting for this, for an actual season where games matter, where it's not about votes, where you win your conference and you're going to be playing for a championship instead of going twenty sixteen. I think it was I went down to when I lived
in Indianapolis. I went down to Lucas Oil Stadium cover a really interesting game between Penn State and Wisconsin, and which even though Penn State became a Big Ten champion, they weren't going to playoff because they'd lost a couple of games. Now if they if they win it, they're going to be in That's that old way of doing things was never good for the sport, and we finally got rid of it.
Mike. This last weekend, too, was just just insane. Here on the West games we're starting at nine o'clock and ending, you know, past midnight. I mean, it was one after another overtime games. Have you ever seen a weekend like that or a Saturday like that?
Oh that you know that I don't. I haven't, and I'll tell you why.
Even I'm sure there have been times when there were really a lot of fun games. But I mean I went to in the afternoon, I went to see pitt play California. I've moved to Pittsburgh in the last six months, and so I went to. I knew we were going to have good weather and I thought it would be an interesting game, So I went to that in person.
On the way home, we were listening to Penn State's overtime game against sc When we got back, we watched the Ohio State Oregon game and that and and how that went down to the final seconds and all those games. The reason it was different is because all those games matter. If pitt wanted to stay alive for a spot in the ACC Championship, then they needed to win that game and it was it came down to a field goal with the minute and a half left that that cow missed.
And the Penn State game, same thing. They they need that game to be sure that they're gonna have a chance.
They can't.
They can lose to Ohio State, yeah, but they probably can't lose to both Ohio State and Southern.
Cal and feel good about it.
So got to win that game and they did and Ohio State yeah, okay, So we moved We removed a little bit of consequence from that game because one of them will be will be positioned to be the leader for the Big Ten Championship, but the other will probably have a great chance at the that large. But what if Ohio State loses to Penn State, So dog on it. It did have consequence. So I think that even though there may have been days where there were a lot
of really good games. There was never a day in college football history where there were so many consequential games.
And then we have another week. But let me go to a situation that happened just a few months ago. You obviously covered the national scope of college football. So the work goes to Alabama, the Dominos fall Fish, goes to Washington, and then Brennan comes to Arizona, and now six games in whatever game's in, all three are in the hot seat.
Well, no one.
One of the things that has to be recalibrated in college sports is the amount of time it takes to go on a hot seat has to change. And because what can go wrong is accelerated now because of the transfer portal. You can lose some players who weren't anticipating. You can have a couple of injuries, and all of a sudden, because there aren't as many gimmes now as
there used to be, you're in deeper, stronger conferences. You're gonna take a few more losses maybe than you might have otherwise if you aren't situated right.
But that can also be repaired quickly.
The baseline is, is this person a really capable coach.
So we heard this about Florida.
State when their season began zero to three, and there was some quaking about him being on the hot seat, and I'm like, wait a second, didn't he just win every regular season game less than twelve months ago.
Let's relax a little bit. Is this person a really capable coach?
And certainly you thought that eight nine months ago when you hired this person, So you can't decide now that that person is not. You have to give them a couple of seasons to figure out, well, can they really do it? I mean, you look at Kaitlin de Boor at Alabama. Yeah, they're having some problems and all of that, but they lost a ton of talent off of last year's team and he's been there for nine months. The guys won everywhere he's been. You can't give up on him now.
I think I.
Believed that you needed to recalibrate before we saw the impact of the transfer portal, and it just from the idea that teams would take more losses because of deeper conferences. But now it really has changed the math on every element of college football, and fans are going to have to understand you're going to have a rough year now in there, it's a little bit like being in the NFL. It's still not quite the same, but it's a little
bit like being in the NFL. It's not going to be as easy to always be near the top.
I mean, look at what happened to some of the former Pac twelve teams just this past weekend at home, with USC losing, but UCLA losing. I mean, all of a sudden, they're in the Big ten and the competition is maybe a little bit more difficult, don't you think.
Oh, I think that's a factor without a doubt. When when USC was in.
The big the Pac twelve, there were years when Oregon was special. Stanford had a few years when they had Christian McCaffrey where they were very very good. Washington obviously, the last couple of years under Deboor they were quite good, but there weren't usually there weren't usually more than two
of those teams in the Big ten. Right now, you're looking at Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, SC is dangerous, Michigan is dangerous, Indiana might be really good, Illinois is not easy to play, Nebraska is playing pretty well, and even Rutgers in Maryland have had moments this year when they've been capable of beating a lot of teams. So it's just a harder ride now for those teams for the major conferences. That's true in all four of the remaining major conferences. It's going to be a harder ride
than it was before. And it's tougher on coaches, it's tougher on players, and yeah, I'm sorry, but it's gonna be cover on fans too.
Yeah, along those lines, those fans with deep pockets. I'm not sure how you feel about the nil will talk to that real quick, but I'm not sure where in the world people get paid in advance to do a job. And I'm not saying that this is part of the problem for the quarterbacks or wide receivers who are getting money and then don't live up to the money they're getting.
Well, but I mean that's really true if you think about it.
In any contractual situation, Uh, you you sign a contract in advance and are promised X amount of dollars for your for your performance, whether that performance is poor or not. Now, there may be there may be some stipulations in the contract where poor performance, uh doesn't you know isn't uh, isn't rewarded.
You can get the the.
The payer might be able to get out of the contract if there's underperformance, But for the most part, you're gonna like if you get a if you hire a coach, you're paying coach Jones in advance, so to speak, to try to go nine and three, and he may go three and nine, but you're still paying for nine and three. So I don't think it's that much different in that sense. As long as the player continues to provide the service, then sometimes they're going to turn out.
To be not great. But that's the risk any athletic endeavor takes.
When you are paying the performer, whether it's the NBA or now college football, you're taking the risk that that player may not live up to the contract that he or she signs.
Right right, right, let's stay local here with Tucson. What have you seen from Arizona? Do you know Brent Brennan at all? And if you do, can he write this ship?
I don't know him, no, but.
I think that when Arizona, I think you have to be cognizant of the fact that when Arizona hired him, they looked at a lot of different factors. They believed in him at the time, and Okay, so they're starting out there three and three. They haven't had a great run. It's not what they wanted. You know, he had a nice run. He wasn't overwhelming at San Jose State.
He had a nice run.
So you know, is there greatness available to him? I think the one thing I'll say is that of all the major leagues, it's the one that offers the greatest opportunity because I think that there's a belief that the football played in the Big Twelve is significant. But there aren't any teams in the league that you say, man, we can get everything right and they're still Texas or you know, if Texas gets everything right, you got no shot. Or if Ohio State gets everything right, you got no shot.
But there's nobody in the.
Big Twelve that if you get everything right in in.
Arizona or a Cincinnati or Kansas State, there's nobody in the Big Twelve you can't catch. Yeah, And I think that's what I think that's the best element of being in this league for all the members. They all have to believe that if they execute right, they get the right players in they coach them right, They make sure they're following the rules, et cetera, that they have a shot to be to be special and to be rewarded at the end of the year.
One thing we've noticed too in the Big Twelve is these stadiums are packed. I mean, there's fan support all across the country for these schools, and I think Arizona, well, they've had their years. You know, there's never been that type of support here. How do you think they'll compete, you know, just in that in that subject matter, it's I think I think some.
Of it's going to take a little get of us, little getting used to. I mean, I can't I just moved from Indiana six months ago, and they have not had fans support because they've never had successful football, or they've rare I shouldn't say never, they've rarely had successful football, so they're not conditioned to it, as is the case at Arizona. They're conditioned to go to a couple of games and then start getting ready for basketball. But now
they're really good. They hired the right coach, they've had a great run to this point. They have a really significant game on Saturday against Nebraska. If they win that they legitimately have a chance to get into the playoff.
Not saying they will, but they have a legitimate chance.
So they're wired up, they're sold out for Saturday.
They're really excited about it.
Arizona finds themselves in that situation, I think the response will be the same. They need to have a run of sustained success to get into that mentality. And I think that it would have been nice for them if they didn't lose their coach on the eve of the move, because.
They're moving into a league, like I said, where.
They don't have an Oregon, they don't have an SC or even a Washington, where those schools all have built in advantages football wise over Arizona, whereas I don't think there's anybody in the conference really that has a built in advantage over everybody. They all, I think everybody's had good times and bad times, and they all have to feel like they have a shot to succeed.
And I think that's certainly true for the Wildcats.
So let's talk basketball.
When the last question, Mike, I didn't realize you had left Cincinnati parbatly a while back and you were Indiana and Pittsburgh, so I was gonna ask you Big twelve Country, somewhere you lived for a while, and now basketball is going to be the king, and I couldn't. You've waited for football for all these years. I waited for basketball because it's gonna be brutal and it's gonna be fun.
Yeah.
I still kind of live technically a little bit in Big twelve Country because West Virginia is an hour down the road or so, so I still kind of have my toe in Big twelve Country, and I'll probably get down to Morgantown a time or two to see some Big twelve games this year.
I think that it's really an exciting time.
You've got a loaded league with Iowa State is terrific, Kansas is outstanding, obviously the Wildcats. I think you're looking at three to four Top twelve ish teams there. I think Kansas State is a team that I did not see ranked highly by either the poll or Ken Palms rankings the preseason rankings came out the other day. I think Kansas State has a chance. It's going to be really hard to get to the bucket against them. With Coleman Hawkins standing there, They've got a twin towers type setup.
It's going to be really hard to get to the bucket against them. So I think there are gonna be a lot of really good teams.
In the league. I know a lot of people are excited about Cincinnati speaking of them. They built a really nice, deep team.
So the competition in the Big Twelve is going to be extraordinary in basketball.
I think it's going to be great in the SEC.
I think the Big Ten is fascinating, the Big Big East is still quite good. I think it's going to be a phenomenal year in college basketball and in twenty twenty four to twenty five. And the exciting thing for me as all this doom talk about conference realignment and what's happening future. If the settlement for the House case is signed off on and it's coming, it looks like it's going to happen. They basically guarantees that the tournament will have to exist for.
The next decade.
Because everybody that they've roped into the settlement, all the mid major and low major conferences that they said, yeah, you're gonna have to pay too, it's all tied to NCAA tournament revenue. So there has to be a tournament for there to be tournament revenue, and hopefully they won't grow it too much. I think we'll see growth, but I don't think we'll see a massive expansion so.
That they wreck the March madness.
I think seventy two we could probably live with anything more than that. And you're bloating it, and you're gonna risk the possibility of diminishing its popularity.
Yeah.
Well, Mike, we appreciate your time. As always, I appreciate you. Where can we find you?
Well, you can find me now at tsn MIC on Twitter or.
At Sportingnews dot com.
All the material that I write goes to my Twitter feed and to Sporting News dot com. And then come basketball season Big twelve, I'm sure there'll be some Big twelve telecasts.
I pop up on halftime or.
Pregame or whatever with doing the bracts for Fox.
Ben Tell you're a busy man.
We'll keep in touch with you as we get closer to to next year in March.
Thanks, Steve, appreciate it, Thank you.
Thanks Mike de Coursey, Sporting News appreciate his time. Of course, we'll come back after the break. Bert Arizona Man'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 Lut. It was a labor 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 loved coach. Lessons from Lut is an insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. What one email me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com.
Hi, this is formal while get lemanhuntly with Arizona Health. Imagine how home GM can change your health, your comfort, and your time. Arizona Health is everything you need to transform your personal space.
In your life.
We off a complete line of cardio machines, multi gyms and freeway equipment. I'll certify fitness experts and technicians will set you up with the right equipment and training to get you started and keep you going. Visit our share room today at twenty second in Wilmot. Arizona Health the lead to edge and exercise equipment.
What's your goal? A new career or career advancement. How about transferring to a four year college. PEMA Community College can help you make Someday today and reach your goals affordably on your schedule. With over one hundred programs to choose from and financial laid available, it's time to earn the degree or certificate you need to prepare for the career you want. PEMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the field that's right for you. Learn
how at PEMA dot edu. Slash someday, Hey.
Tucson, Steve vera heir, and I've got a tip for you. Want to be in good hands, will cruising the desert or kicking back at home, then you need to call my friends at the Edmund Marcus All State Agency. These guys are the MVPs of home and auto coverage. Whether it's a fender bender or a leaky roof, they've got you covered. Don't fumble your chance to say call them today and score big on your insurance. With the Edmund
Marcus All State Agency, You're always in good hands. Visit them at twenty seven nineteen North Campbell or call them at five two zero three two three nine three three three.
This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I want to take part in the show. Call out Steve now at five two oh four one six seventy four to four days.
Hey, welcome back to lying the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's Dave Silver, got Ryan ready for your calls. If you want to call five two oh four one six seventy four forty, we'd appreciate it. If you didn't have a chance to call yesterday, we were ready for you. If you try to get in, we're ready for you and didn't get in. I know that a couple of people try to get in and they couldn't hear us or we couldn't hear them. Hey, we had our first show from the Del Soul last week.
It went really well. And next time you go visit us, it's a week from Thursday of next week. Go by and then sit down with us to get a beer, watch games, listen to us or whatever. But they have a lot of things going on. They have the Bingo Bingos on Friday nights, the lot of the food places with the Moby's and Ume and and Blita's Steak Place, it's a lot of a lot of good stuff. Mobi's
pizza hot pizza places. So you know joy that you bet the games all night until I think ten o'clock is they're open with the tickets, live tickets, and of course they have the little Wheel Big Money Club. Soul members have a chance to win up to one thousand dollars in free play at they'll sold Saturday October sixth to but the November thirtieth for a chance to win one thousand dollars ten thousand dollars in cash near the end. So go by, see us, go by anytime. They'll love
to see you. I think looks like we are a big by the way. Yeah, it's a simple I took Jay for dinner there the other last week.
Yeah, we used to go to movies. We had family live out there, and so it was kind of like we're we're gonna go to breakfast, We're gonna launch. Man, what's kind of the go to place? Right, movies can't go wrong there, right, right? Have you got a call? Who's on the air?
I see it's Jim.
Jim.
Sorry, but yesterday we couldn't get you couldn't hear you.
Yeah, there was a lot of commotion around the calls.
I guess yes, what you saw.
I want to address the football program again. One thing that's been I think overlooked in this whole transcendence from last year to this year is is jet Fish. Jetfish is an expert as anybody going when it comes to designing offenses handling quarterbacks. And he has ten years of NFL experience doing just that.
And so.
Jetfish designed an offense and pass plays and running plays, the whole offense around not one diminutive quarterback but two. Uh DeLaura was only about five ten or so.
So I'm sorry, I'll say right, go ahead, I have points I want to throw at you.
Okay, So those guys, in the last six quarters I counted six quarters and one plus minutes, we've had four turnovers that were directly related to the trajectory of the ball from Noah Fafita's hand to a defense in two players and that we're intercepted or off to the top of somebody's helmet. That's four turnovers in six quarters of play. Now, do does all that mean that that Nolah Flathia can't
compete at this level? I don't think so. I think he can, but I think that the offense needs to be fine tuned.
To hiscity, no question, no question, And I think they did find that.
I don't think that process is complete.
No, I totally agree with you. I don't know about the Jetfish commentary. I'm not sure people in Washington would agree with you right now because he's taking a lot of flats. They're not sure if he's the right guy.
Uh.
They scored ten points I think against Iowa. You know they're going.
Through the process. We are.
Yeah, well, well that's the whole thing. I don't know if you heard my my, uh my interview with of course he Davis and Davison, my, uh, Alabama's going through issues, Washington's going through issues, and you know it's it's just kind of the dominoes are not going well for the three programs that that the board the kind of set the stage for.
If I was anywhere near to that coaching staff and had the opportunity, I would call Jeed Fish and ask, can I Jet what can we.
Do for this kid?
It's a good idea.
I'm not gonna call my my, uh my guy's ex husband, my girl's ex husband to to see how can I handle this woman.
I'm sure you know, as coaches they're looking at the video from last year and seeing what worked. And you know it wasn't. One of his comments yesterday coaches comments was you know, protecting Noah and that means, you know, maybe not getting him to back up so far on some of the plays that take forever to materialize, and that maybe wasn't happening before. So you're right some of the play design. You know, we're not coaches, we don't really know exactly, but we're watching. We can see it. Yeah,
I like, wait a second, why is it? Why is he's not you know, in sync with his receivers like he had last year? Jim, Jim, real quick.
I understand physics and math well enough to see and I watched closely these last few weeks how many passes that have the trajectory, the direction, and the speed of the throw have been adjusted to try to get the ball to a receiver.
Yeah, you're now, We make it real quick, Jim, because we have some more calls coup winning.
All right, Well that's what I have to say and ask him what can we do for this kid that we're not doing.
No, I don't disagree with your assessment because I've seen it, and I saw it right away, and people who know football said the same thing. Those balls and the releases have come differently than last year.
Yeah, exactly, watching very closely.
Thanks Jim, Thanks him. We've got to go. Well appreciate. Okay, we get another call. You're on the air and eye on the ball.
Hey you guys, this is Gabriel. How are you? Guys?
Are Gabriel? Are we gonna get the cranky Gabriel?
Uh No, because I'm just getting over a bloody cole. Don't know. You're not going to get the hissed off rattlesnake, that is me. So can we talk about the loss on Saturday?
Yes?
Yes, And I'm surprised that you're not upset about that.
Well, I don't know. I'm just kind of basically speechless. Hope they get a win this coming Saturday. But I think in regards to in the offseason, bred Brendan needs to get a modern day offensive coordinator and a quarterbacks coach. He cannot do what he did in the in the winter basically hire hire everyone and anyone and to basically put up a stout out of sand there because like like that's not gonna work, and it's not working right now as we speak.
No, you're you're right.
Oh, I'm just being brutally honest.
No, you're right.
I mean there's a lot of criticism to go around, right. My mine is David. I don't know if you agree with me, just his approach and we all who are you know some I am who I am? You are who you are? Mild mannered or whatever, and he's mild mattered. He doesn't look like he gets firy. Maybe he does behind the scenes, but it's hard to get some emotion.
And this is football, right, And you know you don't want you don't want stoops, you don't want rich Rod, you want a stables guy like this, But you also want somebody that you're gonna fight for.
Yeah, well, I mean Jedfish was want not crazy on the sidelines. There's somewhat similar and their demeanor and you don't we don't know kind of how things are behind the scenes, and as far as the coaches go, you know, it's kind of what happens when coaches changes happen, When coaching changes happen, that you have to keep some of the people who are here and bring some of your buddies along and look to fill your your lineup of coaches.
It's it's not easy, I'm sure. And there was such a snowball effect this passed off season with all these coaches basically leaving in the same week. It seemed like a number of colleges were in the same boat. Yeah, what was your other points?
No, that was one point. I mean jet Fish could easily stayed here and then you would easily get to Florida job. But now people are really angry at him at Washington. Wow?
Whatever?
Have have that? A hoss? One if?
If?
Okay, so there are three and three six games left? What what would be okay to finish with? What would be uh not?
Okay?
I don't even know, to be honest with you, I'm just basically speechless. I mean, last year we went on a winning streak. They seemed to get the whole offense and rhythm.
Okay, Well, good luck, all is well. Easier said than done, right, So we'll see what happens.
You know, And Jed is you know, making news. He's upset about the nil situation, comparing Washington to Oregon.
Oh, come on, that's a load of bet.
Well, that's what.
You say, more money compared to Arizona. That's a that's a load of sugar, honey.
I see well, I mean that game, that Ohio State Oregon game was billed as the twenty million dollars team Nils. I mean, you know, you can thank Uncle Phil up there in Oregon for helping out the Ducks program big time in Oregon State. I mean, Ohio State just has so much money to begin with.
So Gabe, you're gonna have to deep deepen those pockets of years and start sending some cash.
Yeah, come hell high water, I'll certainly will.
Great. Thanks Gabe is always for calling in.
Beardown Arizona, go cast. Let's keep calling on.
All right, great, thanks Gape. Let's keep Hey.
I was gonna ask you.
I brought that up briefly yesterday with the twenty million dollar game and Jeed talking about that. So now we're now we're buying championships, not that they weren't buying them before, uh, but this is very apparent now. And and look, Arizona is Arizona, and you you worked for them in raising money, but it's always going to be Arizona. It's not. It's not the top tier. Maybe in basketball to some degree,
it is football. Though, how are you going to convince donors or boosters or whomever you go after the money to say everything's gonna be okay if you give X amount of money? When when you're not gonna be the Ohio States or the Oregons or the Washington what's that fine line that that that the touching point?
Well, you know, I mean, even as Mike was saying when we talked and Mike de Corsi, is that the Big twelve is different than the PAC twelve was and the Big ten and SEC are now that Arizona's in this conference that you know, maybe a little even there's it's it's not gonna be a big It's not going to be an Oregon or Washington or Stanford or you know, USC to deal with, right, and we're Arizona's just gonna have to deal with others. Well, school's kind of at this level.
I don't know if you agree with with me and Jay now, and sorry Nico, I brought Jay's name up, but we thought, and maybe it's just the first year honeymoon blah blah blah, but we thought that Arizona moving into the Big twelve would be much better given that the playing field becomes better, you know, cause they might have a chance, a better chance to win the whin the when the conference rather than the Pac twelve because they had you as C Washington Oregon in front of them.
Now they don't, they don't. And in basketball, look, Arizona's gonna be fantastic.
Yeah, but boy oh boy, look at the conference.
I know, and that's where I want to go with.
They're gonna be very good. But yeah, but.
Everybody else is too. It's gonna got a last call here. Hello, you're on the air on the ball, I see. This is Jeff. How you guys doing, Hey, Jeff, good, Thanks thanks for calling.
They have been listening a couple of things. One, you know, the college talking about jet fish and what Jeff came on here. He had to build a team from nothing. He started from zero. We're patient at the first year one win. The second year was it four or five wins? So you saw it progressed and you're patient with him. Were so you take a holders and we're fine with that. So, hey, the guys starting from zero. U Ben just started from zero. Bafita was a winning quarterback last year. Was he not. Yes,
the man didn't win. Okay, he went ten and three last year, and some people might say a win is a win, but he loss isn't a loss. To two of our losses last year where what double overtime? You think USC was triple overtime? I lost to Washington was by seven points and they were in the national championship. Our loss against UH Texas Tech, that's that's a bad loss. Yeah, I mean in Kansas State that was a bad loss by use a don good football team, that's still a
bad loss. You lost by twenty two. So losing by twenty two and losing in double overtime, that's you know, you you know the players and your fans that you want support from the fans. Well, you can't get beat by twenty two. You can't just kind of state. You can't lose the Texas Tech. Right, you can't squeak by any of you. You know, you can't do that if you want fans to show up and support you, if you're if you want your donors support you.
You're right, You're right. It's not it's not how they're it's how they're losing their drugs. Casser that drugs concern.
Now I was.
I thought that with the returning players that they had, and I read the coaching lineup, and I was happy with what I thought coaching staff. I was hoping tending to it the very worst nine in three. Now we're at three and three. If we can go six and two, No, our toughest games are behind US Kansas State Dark good team. Uh Utah, those are two toughest on the schedule. B y U undefeated and losing by YU on the road
isn't all that bad. It's actually it's holly loss. If he could be four and to right now, I'd be happy as heck. Yeah, you know, maybe if you could finish the next six games, if you could go four and two, if you know you can pull out eight maybe nine wins. Now we're just you know, I want to go back to the old Wildcats. You're happy with six or seven wins and leak into a small ball.
Well, I think seven, four and two, four and two the rest of the way is kind of nice. It's kind of nice to go seven and five for the year within the CHASA, get eight wins total. Uh, but where do you find those wins? Because it's been difficult.
Well, I mean I think our toughest schedule hopefully is behind us. If they can, if the coaches get this, you know, make their adjustments they need to make, get the you know, players playing like today against Utah, there's no I mean, it's don't you think our three toughest points are behind Oh?
Yeah, without question? The first the last three games have been we got.
Two more home games coming up, back to back, and then you go, you see, no one knows, and then Houston's not very good at home in Tucson and then go to TCU and have a issue at home. So it's a promising schedule for sure. Yeah.
Yeah, if we can, you know, if they can, if the coaching staff has got to step up now they they've got to go foreur and too, and uh you know, end up with seven and five, and that'd.
Be you know, I think that's okay, that's okay.
It's okay, Yeah, it's okay.
Yeah, Well, Jeff, we got to go. Thanks for the call. Is this your first time calling you you called before? H Yeah, okay, well thanks for calling, thanks for listening. Keep calling. Well, all right, thank you, thank you. I think we got to go, Ryan, right, Yes, we got little time here. We're going to get Ryan on the other other side with some breaking news, and then really to eat Tama after that.