It's Dreamy Live. I mean my heart radio ware. This is High on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jacob Salez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball Hero Fox Sports fourteen. Cookie. I'm Steve Rivera, He's Jackensaus and I'm hoping he has some breaking news. This is High on the Ball Breaking News on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Well. I had a nice starting point, but now I have a bad one. And again, if you're if you're outside the Northwestern football program, you
think differently from what I think. The way you and I think with all this hazing stuff. So apparently at the first football practice at Northwestern, a bunch of coaches and players showed up with a t along black long sleeved T shirt that said Kats against the World and it had Pats Fitzgerald's number fifty one on it, basically honoring the guy who got fired because he's been running a
program that's had hazing going on for decades. And so they're they're they're building there, they're getting motivated by the fact that, you know, this hazing thing has come up against the program. That's that's a weird game. I mean one, am I am, I am I over thinking this to say that's really distasteful. Well, we're we're a thousand a few thousand miles away, right, so I don't know exactly, but one, they're not any good and I'm seeing that with all due respect because they're not any good.
They haven't won in the games. If you were good, it makes sense. But they're not any good. And then they're honoring the guy you just fired. And to me, what this t shirt says is we're okay with what happened here. You're not, and so it's us against you. Yeah, because you know those some of those people in that room right knew about it. Probably they all knew about it. Yeah, that's kind of bizarre. And at whatever needs you do, whatever you need to motivate yourself.
Well, okay, well, anyways, that the Northwestern the interim or the not the interim, but the athletic director, uh you know, came out and just thought it was extremely tone deaf and inappropriate. But I bet you they were him now and that's got to wear him again. I guess it's free speech again, and that's and that's what they're they said, Well, it's our free speech. We had to say this, OK. Fine,
but you're representing the school in that situation as free as you think. That's the whole thing, right, That's very true, right, all right? So anyway, so that that just came across one of my buddies that I saw. He said this to me, basically saying, what's wrong with these guys? And what you know? And then he's exactly right, what is wrong with these guys? All right? The thing I was going to start with, excuse me, was that Michael Wiley, running back at Arizona,
has been named to the Dope Walker Award watch list. He was actually named in this list in twenty twenty one, not last year, but back again this year. He went he had und he had seven hundred seventy one yards last year, but the touchdowns went for two hundred and fourteen against a su in that in that game with three touchdowns. So really, you know, came out of the season, you know, on a very high note, and I think a lot's expected of it. Okay, Okay, yeah,
yeah, No, I think you spoke to him. I think he's a big key, big key to what doing. Sure, no, offensively, no question, it's Jaden him and the receivers and the receivers right, well, of course you can just say, and the offensive line that needs to protect all these guys. I mean that's a given. And they do, they really do. I mean it right, it does hinge on on the offensive line. You know, we had Bruce Pasquin yesterday. The U, the U of A basketball team is on its way to Israel. They land
on the tenth which is like tonight right our time tonight. Yeah, because it's differ ye. So they they they get they go straight into Tel Aviv. Have I think they've got a few days before they have their first game. The fourteen I think is the first day I'll be there for to get in an education. Education at least taught me, thinks. So I'm telling you, man, you go to a place like that, you get real religious, real fast. Yeah, no matter why you're religious, right right,
No, you're fact because you we we saw him. We joked about it yesterday. They're kind of whole humb But once you get it and you say, wow, this is this is what it's about. I mean, I'm a I'm a Cne Catholic, right Christmas and Eastern Catholic. But I told you when we went to Rome, and we went to and we went to the Vatican. I got really religious, really fast. He says, as you say, uh, please, please, can you take care of that incident when I was seventh? No no, no, no no no
no no, no no no, that's not what I did. I said, can you please please get us to a rose ball? What was you saying? Please don't strike me? Now? I went to put my hand on the foot of Saint Peter's and said it please. Your second thing it was, please don't strike to strike people with a lightning God. Anyway, did you get really religious? I didn't go to confession there though I was, I wasn't about to do that. The probably would have taken forever.
It could have taken forever. We give me, Father, I haven't sent for what I haven't seen you love. I think. I think in a place like that, they just don't hear of some of the sins that we commit here, particularly the ones that Arizona stadiums. True. True, well you heard that you the country song We don't ask for God, we don't ask for not favors, but uh favors, I guess until we need favors. Yeah, how's this for jet Fish. Penn State has sold ninety four
thousand seen season tickets. What else is there to do in college station or college Penn station? Man, Yeah, I guess we're the whole city knows where it's going to be on. So I have a quick step. My dad, who I love my dad and adored. My dad a big sports fan in his own way. He was buried in his Penn State, Penn State jacket. He loved Penn State because man relatives out there. Yeah and yeah he's in this little with Ndney Lyon. How funny and check it.
I haven't even thought about what I want to be buried in that outfit, you gotta Yeah, it's either gonna be this one. Hey, you know I'm going to the game tonight. Right when did the Dodger game? I am leaving after the Dan Walking interviews. I can get to get to uh, get to uh the ball chase field by first pitch. But it's a it's a it's a it's a full Gonzales clan thing. My grandson jets. Everybody was first baseball game. I got my wife a Mookie Bett's shirt because
Mookie Mookie is kind of her boyfriend. So he doesn't know because Jay Everson, Justin Turner went to the Red Sox. Now she did get a Justin Turner T shirt in Boston when we were there. Are your daughter's going and my daughters are going? Who were they? Because these guys are they're they're just Dodger fans, Okay, And there's actually we're laughing because it's a really funny picture. We took a picture of our family at Dodger stayd all of
us in our Dodger hats, Dodger gear or whatever. But my one daughter, Alana in some sort of a Boston hat and so she didn't have them. She was the only one out wearing dodd gear in this photo. So
she actually went and got got a Dodger hat this year's especially today. So they beat the Diamondbacks last night, but not by enough apparent they dissatisfy Steve a couple of things on the on the on the realignment front, Washington State Athletic Director Pat Chun had this pot about about what's happened and why his team is being stuck. Quote, there's a century of history that has gone by the wayside because this conference has mismanaged itself on a bunch of different levels.
When you have poor leadership, one of the outcomes is failure. That's what has happened to the pact. Twe without questions. I guess he didn't pull any punch. No, no, of course you can't say that. You can't say that during the meeting. But you think that during the meeting, and then when all things go to hell, you say, what the hell just happened? Because if you speak up, what is it matter? It's still gonna be under bitner bad management, right, I mean that's in the
end. You know what we asked John, what you know was George Clapcoff the guy? And he said apparently not. Noah, apparently he was not. If he is not well, if he gets absorbed whatever's left of the grind sale, he's no longer gonna be anything anything. He's not gonna have a job. He's not gonna have a conference to manage, right, right,
He's not gonna have a job. So anyways, to two Phoenix sons going into their ring of honor, Sean Marion and Amari Stadmeyer, they had a they had a I think it was P and X. I won't get him on the sault. Bookman somewhere they had a level of tears of sons. People who was at the top, who were the top top at the top, the two lay and probably the guard Steve dash does who they were
exactly Arizona's Who's top two Arizona University? If I were to do one, If I were to do one, who top two in the basketball program? Four or five tiers? Yeah? Two, top two in the basketball yeah going coaches, I'm going current Elliott Yeah, no question, new questions, and then the next three Mike Baby Okay, I agree, Bob Elliott, okay, And see the second tough one. The second best player? In my mind, who's the second best player ever to play there in Arizona.
We're gonna disagree, but the second best player second in my mind? In my mind, I some people who were talking about just as you know, just the talent, or we're talking about who accomplished because I'm you're because DeAndre Ayton was one of the best players that Arizona has ever had. But he wasn't here long enough. And the way he crapped out, you don't you don't put him up. See to me, Damon, Damon, dam four
years get him to the final four. Heck of a player. He would be like right there, right there, right there, and then you could kind of fill in. Then there's a whole bunch of other guys out here that, Yeah, but I see more so during loose time than yeah. You know, but you got you gotta think back to, you know, a guy like Ernie McCray, right, No, we have guys like that, Bernie McCray. You talked about Bob Elliott, but some of the guys that Harris, Eric Money we had, I mean he was only two years
But again, if not you can go. You can legitimately say, if not for Eric Money and Coney and Norman, Bob Elliott doesn't happen, lud Olsen doesn't happen. You know, Bob Elliot wrote that book. You know, had it not been for these guys, Luke would never have seen it, right right. Interesting. Interesting. The Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard had his quote on whether there's any going to be any further Big twelve expansion.
He said it's done for the foreseeable future because there's no TV money, which he's probably right on that one. On that one as well. On that one as well, I'm waiting to talk about this. I don't think when the coaches polled came out yesterday, yeah said Oregon State was seventeen members, that's all. Actually eighteen. Oregon State came out eighteen. The highest ranked PAC twelve team is is USC, which I still don't buy. Eight
six six Where's War's your team? Washington is eleven, Utah fourteen, Oregon fifteen. They have five teams, I think, then Oregon State eighteen. Yeah, And then I'll across the top five. You got Georgia, Michigan. A lot of people were picking Michigan to win this thing. Alabama,
Ohiouse State, Elissere, that's your top five. Then you got Southern cal Penn State, Florida State, Clemson, and Tennessee, Washington, Texas, Notre Dame Texas up there again, right, Washington, Texas, Notre Dame, uh Utah, Oregon sixteen through twenty or TCU TCGE was just in the National Championship game and they're sixteen, uh TCU, Kansas State, Future of Pack, Paul, Oregon State, Oklahoma, North Carolina then twenty one through
twenty five or Wisconsin Ole, miss Tu Lane. So the first group of five teams Tulane, Texas Tech, and Texas A h wow, tu Lane. I think Illinois it was mentioned as well some at some point. Yeah, I didn't see this. The thing I'm looking at doesn't have who all who elst got votes? But that's uh, that's your college football up preseason coaches, Paul, I mean, how do you not pick Georgia? Right? Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see what Michigan does after the way
they flamed out, you know, against Texas Tech. But apparently thinks he's got some guys, so we'll see what happens there and the big game. Boomer clutched up for US today came up with a current Bowl projection. Right, do you think everyone is in there? Yeah? Okay, where would be interesting? This would be fund is there in there? Oh you're gonna go tell me young Checho straight to it in New Mexico. No, there, he has him in the Jimmy kimmelball against This would be fun. Oh,
just this will be fun. This will be fun. I don't know San Diego State, Oh yeah, yeah, that'd be fun though. Well, you're gonna go what day is? What date is it? That's I think that's well and there's too much time, and we got to see the basketball state. Uh, that's that'll be a fun trip, no question. That's in La la. Oh. Didn't we gotta go? Yeah? Didn't you gotta go? Because just to see the stadium. Yeah. And then
he's got Georgia and Michigan in the National Championship Game. He's got LSU Washington and the Festivall Rose Bowl, Michigan and Florida State, which would be a playoff game. Georgia and Penn State in the Sugar Bowl will would be another playoff. I don't know how much time he has in his life, but that guy told him his wife must really love him because it comes up with this. So he's he he apparently has Washington winning the league because he's got
them in the Festival. Well, he's got SC playing Boise State in the Cotton Bowl, so he's got must have Washington winning. What was our what was our bet? Who's our bet? Uh? I one of one of our teams has to win the champions Yeah? Yeah, but what was the bet? I don't I don't know. I think it's just dinner, okay, okay, yeah, okay, you know, a nice dinner, you know, Okay, all right, Okay, that's it man, That's all I got. We're gonna have Dan walkin USA today. National sports columnists coming
in. We'll get we'll pick his brain on some of his thoughts and reactions to what you know, what's going on in the last week or a week and a half. We'll see what he has to say. Been very outspoken on social media. Past guest of the show. So we'll be right back
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Jagon's house. Now on the phone, we have da walking from the USA today. Dan, thanks for joining us. Hey, what's going on? Not much, I'm sure in the world, well in our world, he's doing all the work. You've been very busy for thirteen months, if not longer with this alignment stuff. Will it ever end? Not? Really? No. Every ten years or so we kind of go through one of these cycles, and it's because that's when the television contracts come up for renewal.
And every time that happened, these leagues try to position themselves to get the most amount of money they can and that is going to often involve adding teams and adding brands and all that stuff. And it just seems to be more and more every cycle. There's this consolidation of the most valuable properties and it's
just continued and there's no reason to think it won't keep going. And it seems like this one's not even over yet, right because now you're hearing about you know, Callan Stafford did the acc what's going to happen with Washington State and Oregon State? I mean, how soon does some of this stuff need
to get settled or will it get settled. Well, it needs to get settled pretty soon because those schools as of right now are in a conference with four members come next year, so you know, if they're gonna have a twenty twenty four football season, they got to figure out exactly, you know, what league they're going to be in, if it's the Pack twelve or
the Mountain West or some going to the a SEC or Independence whatever. You know, not a lot of time to figure out what's going to happen next year, much less what's gonna be five or ten years into the future. What do you think's gonna happen to Stanford? Do we we see Stafford all the time being here in the West and they're a price undoubtly as because they have all these great non football basketball sports. The short answer is, I
don't know, and I'm not sure they know right now. I mean, it's almost inconceivable that's Stanford, given how successful they are in pretty much every sport outside of football and men's basketball. They've won all these national championships. You go down the list, you know, name the sport they've they've won a championship. You know they're they're really one of the gold standards athletic programs.
They win the Athletic Director's Trophy every single year, and here they are without a conference, a viable conference for them, And I don't know. I don't think it excites anyone at Stanford to join the Mountain West or something like that. I don't know if this acc thing is going to work out or not. It's a bit of a weird uh situation that they'd have to go cross country for all these games with all these teams. I don't know
if that's particularly viable. So that's a long way of saying there's a lot of possibilities on the table, and I really don't know what they're thinking or what they're gonna do. Yeah, real quick, going back to last Friday and all that happened on Friday morning, when we had a Bobby Robbins and Dave Hickey, the athletic director and the president in a press conference on Monday,
and Bobby Robbins, the president said we were signing the deal. Imagine if that had come through like that, how what would your reaction have been? Would you have thought that was a good move, a bad move, a dumb move? What would your thoughts have been on, you know, the PAC twelve holding together, but with what was really an inferior TV deal.
I never thought they were going to hold together, to be honest with you, because of exactly what you just said, Like the longer this thing went on with the television contract, and I've been tracking it for months and months and months, and it was always, well, you know, they're gonna update the presidents of the next meeting and then nothing happens. Yeah,
that's not normal. These deals typically get done or close to done a couple of years ahead of time, and just was happening with the PAC twelve. And so that suggested to me that the options weren't very good. And look, at some point, we may be in a place where we're all watching sports on these streaming apps or Apple, Amazon, whatever, and the main networks we all know and grew up with kind of go go away or take
a different role, but we're not there yet. Right now. Television cable and being able to flip on your TV and just change channels, that that's king, that's the currency of sports right now. So I just think the PAC twelve taken that kind of deal. If they had done that would have suggested that they didn't have any other good options. So I wonder were you in Vegas for the PAC twelve, And if you weren't, I'm sure you
monitored it on TV like everybody else. What did you make of Georgia Klokkov's statements the longer we wait, the better the deal, all that stuff. Yeah, I wasn't there, but that never made sense to me be because that's just not the way this stuff typically works. Look, we can trace
the failures of the PAC twelve many years across many individuals. Obviously, Larry Scott has a role in it, George has a role in that, the presidents have a role in it. But I do think, at least for the last year, George's biggest problem is that he could not level with people and wasn't telling the truth even within his own league, to his own presidents, like there was always you know, kind of wait, wait till next time, wait, wait, let's you know, in two weeks and a
month, we'll get the sorted out. Well, I think it created this sort of unrealistic expectation, both inside and outside the league that hurt his credibility when he actually did bring something to the table. All right, So how do you feel about what's shaking out? I mean, we've I told Steve, you know as the show began that today feels like the first day that you feel like things have kind of settled a bit. I know there's still some more things to resolve, but for you know, from in terms of
the big pieces of this realignment are settled. Do you like the Do you like what the Big Ten's gonna look like? Do you like what the Big twelve is gonna look like? Well, it has its plus as minuses on both sides. You know, I just really feel like college sports is better and more functional when the leagues are regionally based, and especially for things outside
of football. But every school's got their own set of issues in their own priorities, like Arizona as an example, their priorities men's basketball and being a national contender in men's basketball, and the further the Pac Twelve got weakened,
that was hurting Arizona and what their ambitions are in basketball. And so when you look at what their options are or were the Big twelve and joining you know, Kansas and Baylor and TCU and Houston and a lot of the programs that have in really good over the last half decade and in the nc DOUBA
Tournament every year. That's a potential positive for Arizona basketball. So I'm not surprised that that's the direction they went because when you look at what their priority is and you look at where they make their money, that option I think was pretty appealing. Yeah, we always have you on during these moments with Sean when Shane's getting that goal, we had you on, Den. What do you make of the brand now Fish doing what he's doing in football and
Tommy Lloyd in basketball. Yeah, Look, in football it's never going to be I don't think an elite program or anything like that. But can they get to a point where they're winning you know, seven eight games would get to a ball sure, and that should be, at least for now where their focus is and if their recruiting is improving it seems to be, then
they're gonna have a chance to get there. As far as the basketball situation, look, I think Tommy Lloyd knows what he's doing, Like he's proven over the first two years to be a really good coach who knows what kind of players they can get and all that stuff. But they've got to fix their issue in the tournament. That's for sure, Like, yeah, his first few years, they haven't played well in the tournament, and that's that's how you get judged in this day and agent college basketball is how far you
advanced in the tournament. They have not played to their seed, and that's a problem, but it's certainly something that can be fixed. And I think overall, you look at the big picture of Arizona basketball, they're in good shape and I think they're going to be good regardless of what leak they're in.
All right, back on back on the football thing, I've been saying that let's presume time Jetfish, you know, gets this, gets the program you're rolling to maybe as you said, maybe a regular seven or eight win team, but you know, with a chance to do some things. I feel that they actually have a better chance of being competitive at the top level in the Big twelve than they ever would have or ever did in the in the Pac twelve because they don't have a usc that they're never going to get
passed. They don't have a Washington, Oregon that they're never going to outrecruit,
even in Washington that they're not going to outrecruit. I know TCU was in the National Championship last year in Oklahoma State has been pretty good over the years, but there isn't a USC or an Oregon in the Big Twelve as it relates to primarily recruiting in football, and I feel like Arizone is actually in a better spot to compete, you know, for say, for a championship in the Big Twelve than in the in the Pactolf Your thoughts on that,
well, the one thing about the Big Twelve that I think is really important to remember is that it's an extremely well coached league. You've got great coaches up and down. Chris Kleman, a Kansas State, amazing coach, Lance Lighthol, the Kansas phenomenal coach, you know, David Randa, Baylor
really good. So I think that's where you're going to see, you know, how competitive Arizona can be and how good of a coach Jetfish really is because when they go into that league, every single week, you're matching up with a coach who really knows what they're doing. I mean, sunny nights at TCU, I mean, it's just on down the line. It's really one of the best coach leagues in the country. It should be fun. It should be fun, okay, but anything else Yeah, well no,
let's well, let's go back to basketball. I mean, the Pact, the Big Twelve as a conference is going to be just incredible, don't you think. Oh yeah, look the last couple of years, if you look at all the statistical ratings, it's been incredibly deep, great teams, elite teams. You know, obviously Kansas and Baylor won national championships recently. But you know again TCU with Jamie Dixon like incredibly cough team to play every you
know, night in the night out. You know, Cincinnati is kind of trying to get their stuff back together, but I've heard they've got you know, really good NIL set up, and I think they're gonna be super competitive. You know, Kansas, Kansas State making the Elite eight last year. There's there's high quality programs in that league. Without question. Yeah, okay, Well, Dan, we appreciate your time as usual. Thank you, Thanks all right, man, thank you You read read Dan on USA Today's
out there doing a lot of stuff. You follow him on, follow him on social media and stuff. You know, one of the guys I met him at the UH at the West Regional in uh in Vegas this last year. Very close. I've known it for a long time. He was covering Memphis. When when when Kevin O'Neill took Memphis two Girls on it to Memphis back in the day, in the fourteen years ago, the good old days being good old days. Yeah, all right, man, you're headed o.
Okay, I'm headed out. I'm going up to the uh watch the Dodgers Diamondbacks game up in Phoenix. It's a it's a kind of a family birthday kind of thing for me and my grandson's gonna go to this first baseball game. And he's he's all seven months old, so I'm sure he'll remember the Yeah, yeah, you'll take pictures. Actually, he's almost eight months old, so he really might remember. Yeah, you might do. Is
there a Dodger sign? No, but we're all gonna well, we all got the gear man, Okay, we all got you won't be able to miss us. Okay, okay, you're a Dodger. You're not a dog. Oh good, thank you? You have a favorite based now I don't really you're a basketball dude. I'm basketball football. Yeah, okay, all right, Hey Steve, thanks a bunch man. Thanks for giving me the rest of the afternoon. Appreciate it. Be safe, all right, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Yeah, be safe on that road up there.
Okay, cool, it's Jason I the rest of the way. If you guys want to call, please do. We'll probably take the break now. Then we have an extra time and take the extra break, and then we get about twenty minutes on the other side. If you're an Arizona Man's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for nearly forty years. Now take a look back at the lud Olson era in my new book, Lessons from Loot.
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on the Ball, hear on Fox Sports fourteen. Cookie, I'm Steve Rivera. Jay took up to Google a baseball game and I got our guy Jason here with me to finish out the next fourteen minutes. If you'd like to give us a call, save the show, give us all five, two, four, one, thirty four forty. That'll be great to talk about what I'm talking about. Jason, you've been too of all the practices like five or six, seven, missed one. What are your first impressions?
If the first five, I would say, the defense is looking a lot better guys last year, Yeah, because you were there last year. Yeah, yeah, I was there last year. I think the defensive line looking no bigger, faster. You know, DB's corners looking a lot smarter. They're moving a lot better, making better reads over ROSSI unit guys are just like you know, inflow with one another lot a lot, a lot better
than last year. I don't know, just you know, everyone's kind of taking the next step in their development, and you can really see it with each practice. Sure, I've been liking what I've been saying so far. Sure, Sure, And then that's the big question done on that side of the ball. I think I think the dbs and the say, you know that back area is going to be huge because they weren't that good. No, So we'll see what happens. I think the addition of ding a Keena
coaching. I'm sure you notice him. I mean you can't. You cannot not notice everywhere you're going, no matter what field you're on, you could just hear him like yelling, felling guys to do. And it's not yelling yelling, you know, it's just like his energy, just kind of energy like no matter where you like, just you know, feel it. We
Jay and I covered him thirty five years ago and the same dude. This is an older dude, Like it was a little slower, but the voice is there and it's not so much getting on the guys, it's instructing the guys with his voice. Yeah, does that make sense? Yeah? And the guys they you know, they work well with them, They you know,
love him. They you could tell like he's making them, you know, so much better players, right writing there, right, And I think you played ball for something too, You you play dudes, play harder for these guys because one, they don't want to disappoint them, right of course, yeah, and they didn't want to disappoint coaches. But these guys,
you feel you have an obligation to play harder. Yeah, I mean, if you have that connection with you know, certain coaches, you just want to play harder for them, right really, And he could just tell, like's watching these guys where they you know, talk with him, they work with them, just have that special bond. You know. At some point I'm gonna write my my, my doing a key to story. He made something that was made very sense. He's obviously he worked for Dictomy many years
ago and went to Texas and went to Stanford. We went all these places. And he said, back in the day with under Dictomy, Uh, they they coached them hard. Yeah, they demanded to coach them hard, but they loved them up too. Yeah. And I'm thinking that's exactly how you should be a coach exactly. Definitely. I mean obviously, you know, coach of players, you know, discipline hard, but you also gotta you know, love them, goes back, you know, be there for
them and all that. So and I mean he's doing after the players right now. I think in the in the long run, it's only it's only going for better players. Right. Well, we'll see what happens. I think you've gone on the record with me at least six wins, yeah, six wins a regular season. Yeah. So and then if they get to the to the playoffs. You know, I bet Jay five, five, maybe six. And I said that only because other teams are getting better too.
Yeah. You see Arizona getting better. Yeah, I see Arizona getting better. Yeah, but you know everyone else is also going to get better as well, right, and the circumstances of no injuries and things like that, and yeah, things always come up. Yeah, you never know. It's a lot of unknown football. So I mean, I just kind of expect our guys tick on next step and I believe he's gonna, you know, get us in another winner too. So yeah, yeah, no question.
In fact, I was going through Twitter just now and a guy named CJ. Vogel. He's he's a Twitter guy. I don't really follow Twitter because everyone has an opinion, and I you know, okay, good, good for you. He's the t t FB, the football braining acts. I guess he has a Twitter account or Facebook or whatever with He covers Texas and Oklahoma football, and he's part of the Action Network. He's a college football contributor, and he has Arizona in the in the new Big twelve.
Who do you think he has Arizona of the sixteen teams I say, like some between seven nine right in the middle. I feel like, oh wow, no, no way, So so fifteenth. That's why I bring it up. I'm thinking, holy crap. If if he says, if I had to predict the new Big twelve standings over the next five years, who's the last one? Was West Virginia? Okay, yeah, I mean West Virginia. So so he has I'll just go through real quick, TCU, Okay, I get it. Texas Tech, Kansas State, Utah, Houston.
I think Houston, Utah is gonna be higher, Houston, uh uc B, y U B YU probably be up to Oklahoma State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Colorado, Kansas. I would stay and then there was high This is over the next five years. No, I don't. I don't see. This is the reason why Twitter is Twitter. Yeah, everybody has an opinion, and not that I don't need to agree or agree or whatever. Yeah, but this is a little far fetched. Definitely. I mean, I feel like we're definitely a middle of the pack. I
would say, no worse than ten ten. We're definitely not like a top five team. I feel like, sure, but we should definitely be somewhere in the middle. If history repeats at some point, there was one will get him the top five. Yeah, and then they'll fall back out right, yeah, you know, because that's the history. They played really well for a year or two and then they tumble back and then kind of find their way. Yeah for sure. Yeah. So I just found that to
be kind of interested in. And how does he figure six five years? No, there was one will be better than that. And in basketball probably in the top four. Yeah, top four, maybe one or two every now and again, for sure, but top four for sure. Yeah. For basketball, we're definitely gonna be one of the best teams in the conference every year. I feel like, so, yeah, are you gonna be covering basketball or no? Football? Not really. I might cover like a
game or two or something. You're in there, but it'll be most of those football the whole you're looking forward to. Are you gonna travel I'll go to Phoenix for days your game that just because you're not Are you not the main guy? No, No, you're just one of the bosses. Yeah yeah, not just but you know what I'm yeah, yeah, okay, cool, cool again. If you guys want to call him, please do five two four, seventy four forty we could talk about whatever. Anybody.
Were you there yesterday for Justin Flow? Justin Flow? Yeah, how bizarre was that? It's funny kind of just you know, seeing his you know, personality a little bit. He was at your first time seen him, I'm not seeing him. You saw him springing. Yeah, so so I had never seen justin Flow. He walks in and he looks like Donna like you know this, yeah, this dude. Yeah, this dude like you know, you don't want to mess with me? And his as Yeah, he's like he's a dude like I dream of being when I was a kid,
but not really because it's too much work. So then he kept and then he sits at the table and he has these facial expressions that are kind of like weird to me, but you know, he can kind of trying to tell story. You know, I think this guy cool. Whatever, you don't want to soup. And then yesterday he shows up and then it has his interview. Yeah, to me, it was a little bizarre. I mean, I think his personality and he show him so what do what do you read of him? I mean, I think it's really cool,
like from the energy I get from. He's like really cool, down to earth kind of guy. He's friendly, friendly with everyone. I like everyone on the team like really likes him and like looks toward him like leadership and advice. He seems like a really just cool guy. He's bringing a huge reputation to being a pretty good player. Yeah. That that that that's I think. I don't know if that brings a lot of pressure. Did he
talk about that where he talks about superheroes and all that stuff. Yeah, but but once you've been labeled that you have to kind of be that. Yeah. I think he embraces it. Like he doesn't. It doesn't like weigh him down or anything. And he just you know, plays within himself. He doesn't try and do too much. He plays a role he's been assigned and he doesn't you know, overthink he got He just plays ball, honestly, and yeah comes naturally. Have you seen him before, You've seen
him play before? Now then like last year, because yeah, well it obviously comes in with a big reputation. I think he's got to step up. He's gotta be one of the guys. Yeah. Uh, let's see if he is. Yeah, because sometimes people with reputations don't don't. Yeah, live up to it, live up right right? Definitely? Yeah,
yeah, Yeah. When I saw the interview, I was thinking, Holly, Molly, this is a little bizarre because I'm sure he talked more about other things, and did you talked about, you know, his expectations, how they've been looking so far, the defense and whatnot. But I know that that one quote about the villain and all that heam everything. Yeah, I was posting on whatnot. But yeah, we got a call. Hello, guys, you're here on EH in the ball? Hey, how's it
going? Guys? Good? What's the word I got? I'm looking up? You have a all time records versus a big bulls schools super we have Baylor five and five? Are you talking basketball? Football? It just says you have a all time records. I don't know if it's oh basketball, I don't believe basketball there makes sense? Sorry. So Baylor five and five? Uh? B y u is twenty and nineteen, Cincinnati four Oh? Okay? Uh? Colorado twenty two and fifteen, Houston six and six?
Okay? I a Idaho state? I don't know. No, I will state it's I will state. Yeah, sorry, four and three? Kansas, Uh? We got four and eight. We're not doing very good there. Kansas State six and eight, Ohio State, UH three and oh TCU one and two, Texas Tech twenty three, twenty eight, UCF nothing. I guess we'd ever played them before you thirty six and thirty one, West Virginia three and two, then a s U one hundred and fifty seven to eighty seven. So I don't know, man, it's looking kind of good,
you know. Will you say you said, Ohio State, it's Oklahoma State, Well, it's it's probably Are you from Tucson. Have you followed Arizona basketball for a while, oh, Tuson? Yeah? Okay, so let me ask you. Let me tell you those numbers don't really stand out, right, because because Arizona's basketball is should be dominating maybe every one of them, but maybe two. And that's the Kansas series because Kansas is Kansas and what else? Did you kind of say Oklahoma State? Uh? They're
all kind of almost similar except for the Arizona State one. But it's gonna be fun, it's gonna be competitive, and they liked their basketball in the Big twelve. Yeah, they all feel kind of not like we've been losing
or we've been dominated. It feels like it's mostly one of those numbers come from the good old days when Ariz gonna play Texas Tech and they played by U earlier, they played you know, those types of schools before, because I thought they would dominate pretty much the Houston and one of the last times they saw I played them. They played them in the in the tournament a couple of years ago. But before that, Jared Jared bag Us played against
them back in the day, but Nick Budding Gear played against them. So it's it's a series that I'm looking forward to. I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to this. Yeah, I'm totally excited. At first, I was kind of scared, you know, like Kansas, oh man, uh no, if you have watched the FSA Bowl here in town and we beat them and it was amazing. A long time ago, great, a long time ago. Yeah, a long time ago, but
you know, so I was kind of afraid. But yeah, seeing these numbers, it's like, you know what, maybe we've got a good shot at mare. Get your get your tickets now, man, if you don't have them, get your tickets now. Hey, thanks, Thanks, what's your name? Thanks? For thanks to thanks all right, all right, no good call. I thought the numbers would be bigger. Yeah. I also right, A lot of them are kind of closed like that. I
thought we would have good. A lot of them are from way back in the day everyone you know before yeah, before Luke showed up Texas Tech. I can't remember the last time they played Texas Tech. Kansas State. They paid him maybe ten, fifteen, twenty years ago. Utah, of course, Houston, like I said with with a couple of years ago in the tournament, back when Chase Bunninger and and those guys played. So it's gonna
be a lot of fun. Yeah, a lot of fun. Yeah, when they come here West Virginia. So you know, if you don't get your hundred tickets, you're gonna have to go to get those babies scalped. Yeah. So I guess now, do you feel like Arizona has a pretty good edge over most of those schools, right Kansas? Yeah? Yeah, Yeah, that's why I think they're gonna finish in the top four for sure.
Okay, and I say four, that's being conservative. I think Tommy's gonna be able to be able to do very well, but Houston's on the rise, not to Baylor's on the rise obviously, just wanted title a few years ago. And and other schools are very good, you know, just very good for sure, Okay, and competitive the artists competitive they are, they are so as an alump, as an a lump. Could you'll be
done this year? You're probably upset that you won't be able to deal with you Yeah, I mean I was kind of looking forward to going through the new conference though, kind of seeing the new different schools and the competition and all that. But I mean, you know, see as an alarm as a fan, this is your head when I always tell you this, I always tell you this because we you know, you're one of our interns. Yeah, and I think that I would send resumes to some of these places,
Okay, some of these places to have sports programs whatever. You get to see Arizone every now and again, but still be part of a college town, a college town that's big on sports. Yeah, and you can't lose. You know, I came here thinking I'll be here a couple of years and I'll leave and go to bigger market. Yeah, come on, this is a pretty good place to be. Yeah, good school to cover in a good town. Yeah, good people all that. Yeah, so it is what it is. But that's what I would do. I would
just kind of look at these places to send your resumes. Yeah, maybe someone will bite Okay, I'll do that, Okay, okay, Hey, thanks for joining us for the rest of the show here, Thanks for coming in. Jay's out. I will see him tomorrow when he comes back from the Dodger game, if he's not too depressed. Thanks for the calls, and we'll how do you guys tomorrow. Don't believe me, just whine. Don't believe me, just whine. Don't
