FULL FRI POD @SpenceChecketts on CFP Final 4 matchups, NFL playoff picture, NBA latest + more

All right, what's going on?

Drave time on a Friday afternoon, seven minutes past the hour, two o'clock.

It is fifty degrees, it's cloudy, but it's warm.

It feels more like September than it does January.

You have some cold weather.

And some precipitation, potentially some snow heading our way, maybe in the benches, certainly up in the mountains coming up this weekend for all you snow bros. Everybody waiting for the snow to fall. I could have something this weekend, but it has been an unusually dry winter. Ten day forecast doesn't have a lot down here on the benches.

But Happy New Year.

Last day to.

Say it, Larry David.

Today's the final day have until January third, So happy New Year. As it is every single day, it's gonna have you along for the ride. S betch check it's beyond the mic. That's Porter Larsen behind the glass. A lot to do on a Friday edition of the Program gets ready for a busy weekend ahead, namely in professional football, as we wind up the regular season in the NFL with several things still on the line, several things to

Got the Browns and the Ravens.

That's gonna kick off at two thirty from NNT Banks Stadium in Baltimore. Baltimore is a twenty point favorite in that game. That's hilarious. Bengals Steelers big one on the road, Cincinnati clinging to their playoff lives two point five point spread the way of the Bengals Stealers have struggled.

Over the past few weeks.

The over under there is forty eight point five and a bevy of good Sunday games.

Of course, hard to believe.

We all want pro football in our lives that we blink and it's over. So final weekends of regular season NFL football ahead.

We'll get to some NFL storylines.

We have a good NFL guest on the show today, a couple of them actually. Then we'll bring on the show to preview the final week and weekends of the pro football weekend.

We do have.

The final four of the college football playoff brackets dialed in. Boleseason continues to kind of roll along. No conference champs in the final four no team to out of first round by in the final four, but for very proud and popular college football brands will play for it all coming up, starting on the ninth, It's going to be the Orange Bowl. It's going to be Penn State and Notre Dame. The line is open with Notre damesa slide favorite,

His name is Justin Stevenson.

I'm not going to be the guy that's like yet I was grinding on Wyoming tape. He's got great measurables he's got great range, good hands. But he will be playing for the University of Utah coming up this year. Like I said, between the incoming freshmen and I now, I believe it's sixteen, maybe seventeen players via the transfer portal, we are going to see over forty new utes coming up on campus coming up this fall.

So we'll get their latest on the.

University of Utah transfer portal situation. BYU, we'll see what they have left to do. After their season came to a very exciting then with a win over the Colorado Buffaloes, Keano Taanavasa and his group continues to take to social media to try to kind.

Of explain their side of things.

I think at this point, maybe it's just good to check each other's hand, pat each other on the back, and say, hey, thanks for the memories.

You go that way, we'll go this way. Life goes on.

BYU's getting a really good player, Utah is losing a really good player, and.

That's kind of a deal.

So some good NBA basketball last night there was a double header on Turner. We saw Minnesota and Boston. A pretty good game there. Jason Tatum took Anthony Edwards to school and we've got some good games coming up tonight, namely the Nicks and the Thunder.

NBA TV will have the coverage four.

You'll get to some NBA basketball as we are about five weeks away now ish from the trade deadline. So this is kind of the time of year where NBA basketball starts to move with the forefront. A lot of the coverage on Sports Talk Radio Utah Jazz are in action coming up tomorrow.

They're doing the Florida two Step.

They're gonna take on the Miami Heat, and then they're gonna take on the Orlando Magic. Jimmy Butler does not look excited to play basketball for a couple of straight games.

He's not played in the fourth quarter.

He's doing that thing where he's pouting and he doesn't want to take shots and he doesn't really want to play, so or expulsure basically has sat him a lot of conversation about whether or not they're gonna move him, So, of course, a lot of conversation about the landscape of pro basketball this time of year, about players that might ultimately want to find greener pastures or teams that want to move on.

From said players.

So we'll get to some of that stuff on the program today out a Friday afternoon. Happy Friday to you. A Friday, it feels like a Tuesday. We talked about this yesterday. I'm gonna put some legislation in front of our local state leaders where you know, like December twenty third till like January tenth.

There's no days, nothing's real.

You just you get up, You eat enough to survive, You hibernate, you hang out. So it's kind of an awkward time of year. But hopefully you're having a good week. Maybe you're still off work and joining some time at home. Appreciate you making us a part of your day today. All right, our first guest right out of the gates is gonna be Stevenson Sylvester s.

I will stop by today.

He talks some college football, some pro football, some NFL football. So excited to catch up with Sly stops on a very consistent basis, one of the best to ever do it at the University of Utah.

Chris Depher, cam Ronnie. We got c K in the house today.

We got him to potentially leave his domicile to come in studio for a little bit.

We'll catch up with Chris Today.

All the college Football Happening is the latest around the world of local and national college football. Tony Parks, my buddy used to play by play voice of the Bees, longtime co worker at the old station, and Tony likes to really do a bit of everything. He is a jack of all trades and he fills in for me when I take vacation from time to time. Still catch

Ahead in the world of pro football.

So busy show, good guest list today with Stevens and Sylvester, Chris Camaradnie, Tony Parks, JB.

Long, Me Spence Check.

It's all of you, the great listeners, and that guy in there producing the show today, Porter Larson.

On a Friday afternoon.

So I just.

At some point, I think when it comes to and I talked about this yesterday, like whether it's the transfer portal, whether it's nil, whether it's the reality of college players making money to play football, or the new CFP expanded twelve team format, fan bases being asked to travel to multiple cities to follow their football team around to see

The new normal of college football.

But just put you know, as we continue to draw the parallel between college and pro sports, just put yourself in the same situation as when one of your favorite like when Gordon Hayward left for Boston, or Donovan was traded to Cleveland or whatever it is they traded Darren to the Nets. Now the college football equivalent is the transfer portal, where players that you like an awful lot are going to leave, and sometimes they're going to leave

I'm with you there. I don't think any of this should be or is meant to be played out on social media. I think that's part of this whole thing where we've kind of jumped the shark now adding the mixed up calendars and the you know, the really ability for teams to tamper during the season and all of that is an NCAA issue. The fact that we feel like we need to go on to social media and hash this out, that's a societal issue, is much bigger

Some of it is also what you kind of expect. And the money changes it. It just does. Okay, it's just kind of the deal. So we'll get to the latest with the local happenings in the world of college football. What do we have now? The serve pro first Responderable Texas State North Texas scoreless eleven twenty five left in the first So both season rolls along, all right, Stevenson Sylvester right out of the gates to do some college and pro football before we get to Sly on Friday.

Now for your opening tip, Welcome to the Drive with Spence Check it's on Utah's number one sports talk. Now into the studio of ESPN seven hundred to set the scene for the show.

The opening tip of.

The Drive is brought to you by Standard Restaurant Supply, your one stop shop to build the best tailgate in town. Standard Restaurant on Supply thirty five hundred Southwest Temple.

So whatever there is a change in the landscape of a sport, whatever level it is. Certainly on our radio show it's college and pro. We don't do a lot of high school stuff or whatever. But it takes a minute for people to catch up to a changing dynamic, to really embrace it, get your arms around it, and

And the examples are across the board.

We still don't really have, though, like a blueprint for how to do this stuff. I think we have some examples that have been a little bit more successful. I think most people that have ignored the transfer portal have kind of paid a little bit dearly. Dabo Swinney is the most famous example. But Clemson was able to get out of the acc and they made the expanded twelve team playoff, even though Dabo said on several occasions, Jesus is my transfer portal. Okay, all right, well let's see

We just lost one of our best players? Like how did this happen?

There are so many holly bleep moments in consuming and covering college football right now that it's simply just impossible as of now to understand the landscape of what's next and even how to digest what's in front of us entirely. So twelve team expanded CFP A lot of people proponents of it, Honestly, a lot of smart people not proponents of it. Josh paid Good front of the show, one of the rising stars in college football media, railed against this in a very interesting, nuanced way.

Others like Joe Klatt very much for it.

It just kind of depends on what you value, and it depends on what you believe the best way is to crown a chant. And I think the first iteration of the twelve team CFP has left very mixed results. I don't think it's fair to completely dismiss it as

That is a cool thing about this format.

Also, Ohio State, your current favorite to win the national championship, would not have qualified for this tournament a year ago. They would not have a chance to play for a national championship if we were under the old format, right, So that would indicate that the expansion has worked to

You're done the rest of the year.

And that feels a little harsh because college kids, you know, It's why I always talk about the complicated job of being a college football coach. You guys, remember what you were like when you're eighteen or nineteen. If you put

And I do think it's.

Pretty cool for college football fans don't necessarily have a dog in a fight or like a rabid connection to a team, to really have four of the most powerful brands in college football left to play. I'm sure the television executives are through the roof. Hence the targeting call against ASU. Right, see what I did there. I know a lot of people still believe that call was to usher Texas on to the CFP semi final, namely the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State.

So Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame.

Like, if you're a television executive, this thing unfolded exactly the way you want it. So like everything else, Okay, transfer portal the ability to add talent right away. So if you're a horrible team, if you're ASU and you just won three games, and you hire the right coach and you add the right talent. You can win a conference championship in your first year in the Big twelve,

None of these things are good or bad.

We're all just kind of reacting to them and then diagnosing how it just happened and hoping we can find some answers about how to change them.

So the sport is taken care of.

Expanded twelve team CFP Notwithstanding, I think it's pretty consensus at this point that it was silly that ASU and Boise State had first round bys. I think that's fair to say. I think they've got to do something about that. What does the SEC do now that it was pretty clear that that conference? I mean, take about Danny Canell. You planted your flag on the hill, took a lot of heat all year long, and it looked like he

I think even less than.

That, where they're you know, the power brokers and decision makers of college football will get together to start talking about all of these issues. What we finally see the House versus NCAA settlement. They're talking about adding another year of eligibility. What does that look like? Are they going to start having these players sign multi year contracts? Will it all be up to the school's discretion only? What

David on the show.

So I'm going to welcome in our next guest, Stevens and Sylvester and let him know that I'm wishing him a very happy New Year. But Sly, today's the last day I can say that, man, Just so you know, I.

Love how Larry David can control our lives, but I love saying Happy New Year.

I actually said a few dead.

Jokes the other day about seeing you in the next New year, So are he in the next year?

But yeah, man, happy New Year to you two spence.

So, Sly, I always say that New Year's is a young person's holiday.

So your boys stayed home and hung out? What would you do? What it looked like in the world of Stephen, Stephen S and Sylvester.

Well, my New Year's has always got to be special now for the rest of my life because my wife's birthday, she's a new Year's baby, Oh, I got her.

I gotta, I gotta do stuff on New Year's. But we go back and forth.

You know.

The last few years we were actually talking about it Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl. I went to make Coche before San Diego after, so you know, New Year's has always got to be. I don't know if I can do the old man New Year's that much anymore, unless I can convince her to stay home, which is not hard. But I just went out downtown to Flanker. You know me, I had a show over there. I love that place over there. So I just went to Flanker and we had Changing Lanes is a great cover band. They did

Nobody dresses up.

Anymore, though, you know, I felt like me and my wife in our table, we were the only group that was dressed up.

So I want to know what's going on with all that.

That was kind of different, Well, respect for going out, and I guess it does hit different when it's your wife's birthday.

So happy birthday to her. Glad you had a good time.

Flanker rules for sure, all right, SLI before we get to some of the local stuff. Now that we have the final four, some pretty cool things. I mean, no conference champs in the final four, no teams with first round byes in the final four, and whoever wins the national championship it will be the first time for their head coach, which I think is kind of cool. But now that we're experiencing the twelve team CFP for the first time, are you pro are you against?

What are your thoughts?

Oh?

I love it? I love it. I mean just the content alone. You know, it's great.

You're giving so many people opportunity, right, Like, only two of these teams that are in the final four would have been in there under the old rule, So I mean giving people an opportunity. There's so much controversy around this, like should be what you have been in? Should Alabama tried to make a case of them being in, but we saw that they shouldn't have been in.

There's just so many things that this is settling.

And of course you're still gonna have questions on whether we should extend it to sixteen or whichever, but at least for the next five six years, I think we should definitely have this model.

I love this model. It was great games.

I really really enjoyed the Notre Dame game yesterday. The Arizona State Texas game was absolutely terrific, and it just proved that, you know, you just never know who's whose year it could be right, and so I just it played out great. I can't wait to see who's going to actually be the champion. And yeah, these guys are playing with it. It's great heart out there.

Man.

All right, So let's actually get the Stevens and Sylvester opinion on the hot button topic. I feel like ASU Texas. I feel like that's targeting every single time. Well, look you played I didn't you know, you know, and that was that was a call that really could have set ASU up. Now they've had kicking game problems all year, so there's no guarantee.

And I've heard.

The argument that because of you know, the time of the game, that's not a call you want to make in.

Order to don't get me started on.

Thath Okay, good, okay, good, because I'm with you. But look, honestly, you know how I do the show. I try to figure out all angles and I've been listening for a reason that makes sense to me as to why they didn't make the call, and I simply haven't heard it, sly, So give me your opinion on what went down there.

Well, I mean, first of all, the referees get to review these things, right, and so in Low Hill, Yeah, Arizona State tried to hire people off the street to be a kicker, but they had great kicking game in the conference championship, so I expected them to roll with that and do well if they were set up in good position. To me, that was targeting, right and to the definition. Now when I played, there was no targeting.

That's why I say it's targeting.

At that point of the game, you call that call, But I mean, the only reason why you wouldn't is because the defender's face was up. It wasn't the crown of the helmet, and so that would be for argument. But if you want to talk helmet to helmet contact is a definition of targeting.

That was targeting at a significant point in the game.

I understand you let the players play and let that determinate old football, that wouldn't even be a question. But if you're going with these new rules and what it is, then adhere to it as simple as that.

So did Arizona State, in your opinion slide answer any questions about the narrative that the Big Twelve didn't deserve a bye round one?

I mean you gotta give Kenny.

I mean Kenny Dillingham my goodness, like herm left that program for dead man. They won three games the year before, and you know, the narrative was no Big Twelve bye, They're gonna get run by Texas. So even in a loss, did that answer some questions about the conference?

You think, oh, yeah, the conference was tough man and and and Arizona State, who's picked at the bottom of the conference, you know, giving Texas a run for the money and double overtime and we sitting here talking about opportunities where they should have won it.

Uh, definitely give it to you.

Texas definitely should have beat Georgia and been conference champion of the SEC and so like that's just it right there. And so like I hate, you know, Kirkirtstreet. First, take all these guys talking about who should be in there who shouldn't. Hey, look, if you guys put the criteria up and people fit into that criteria, then that's what it is.

Now.

The fourteen playoff that was some bs because there was a lot of teams that deserved it. You put other people in, but you know, just because of people donors and respect people's bank accounts, this and that.

Don't negate the play on the field.

And I think Arizona definitely proved themselves to be there, proved that the Big Twelve is we're of being in these games no matter what. And so even Iowa State, right, they played great against Miami. I know kem Word didn't play in the second half, but you gotta love Rock Gobeck. I think the Big Twelve next year we're gonna have four or five teams that people are gonna be like have a great shot at being a part of these twelve team playoffs and making some noise.

All right, So before we get to the local stuff, it feels like I get this point Ohio State. You know the old saying like how good is your ceiling when you are playing at your best?

What does that look like?

And it feels like Ohio State's best sly is better than everybody else's best, including Oregon's best.

Who is the number one team in the country.

Does it feel like this national championship is Ohio State's to lose?

And if not, who do you think it can get in their way?

Absolutely not, It's wide open.

Oh wow, I love hearing that.

Absolutely not Ohio State. We all know that great game plans can help out, you know, certain situations. Plus, it's hard to beat a team twice. That's why I didn't like Ohio State being in the same bracket as Oregon in this because, like, I'm just like you just didn't give a shot to other people. They've already played Oregon in Ohio State. It was a thriller during the season. Absolutely loved that game. But you know, now you have Notre Dame who had to play Indiana and then goes

And so I say this all the time. No game is won before it's played.

Ohio State is very talented, but I do not think that they have the track. This Texas game and the Cotton Bowl is going to be terrific at Att Stadium next week, and I can't wait for it.

I think all of these.

Matchups are our premier and can't wait to see who goes to the national championship.

All right, let's move over.

And I'm glad you said that, because all I want every single time I sit down to watch one of these things, I'm like, just give me a good game.

I've got no dog in the fight.

So hopefully, yeah, yeah, for sure, hopefully we get some good games the rest of the way. All right, before we get to Utah transfer portal, you reference BYU, And you know what's interesting, there are data points and metrics that indicate BYU may have been overlooked in the process to figure out who should be in this twelve team thing. But they really weren't slide for whatever reason. And I feel like it's because of the timing of the losses.

They lose two of their final three.

Yeah, and that Kansas loss at home where you hang thirteen, I mean, that's the one that's going to cause Killanne sleepless nights during the offseason. But their strength to record, their strength to schedule, their quality wins, they beat a playoff team, they lost to a playoff team. There are data points that do indicate BYU probably should have received a little bit more attention and maybe even deserve some inclusion.

No question.

I mean anybody that they would have played against, whether it was Tennessee, SMU, Notre Dame.

I think that they would.

Have been an extremely great add to this the way that they played defense, right, and then when you get to playoff football, it's about defense. When I got to Pittsburgh, it really solidified itself. I knew it at Utah, but when we were in Pittsburgh and my rookie year and we just had the most elite defense that a lot of people just couldn't do anything against. Man that that just set the stage. I mean, we lost in the Super Bowl and you could tell the pick six and or you know, a Mouf.

Punt that we didn't recover those little instances.

But you know, ultimately it comes down to defense, and b YU I think has a top five defense in the country, and I think that they would have reigned, especially if Bretslov can get out of his own way and stop messing things up and they just have a great day. It's anybody, anybody could have a day, right.

It could be anybody's day. And I think b YU would have made a great.

Showing not only for the State of Utah, but for the conference in Big Twelve, and I think they would have did a great job sticking with.

The BYU side of things. Do you feel like you know you're one of the Big twelve? It wasn't all bad, right, I mean, the record clearly was not what they were hoping. But and I'm not a moral victory guy, but you heard a lot of like, hey, we are not far off. All these games were close one score games, and you could count me as a cynic because like I said, I'm not a moral victory guy. But that proved to be correct because they turned a lot of those l's into wins.

Year two.

Do you feel like Kilate has built this thing up slide? Where BYU is now kind of entering the beginning of a really really successful era in the Big twelve. Like, it's not just like a one year you know, stratospheric shot. This is something that consistently can be really good down in Provo for a long time.

Well, you got to understand what comes with it, right, What comes with winning is there's both good and bad. Right, you got the bad where everybody's gunning for you, You're gonna get everybody's best shot, everybody's gonna want to take you down, and you got to keep out the egos in your locker room. There's a lot of that bad stuff, but you also got to recognize the good stuff with it.

Right.

You know, you get ultimate recruiting, You get a lot of people like they're doing something down there in BYU.

That's what I want to be a.

Part of, right, Like you're they're doing stuff like where they got a winning culture.

They keep things in place.

And if I want to have all of bad things and I'm going into something that's already.

Working, right, I don't have to be a part of a rebuild.

You talk about the jazz, right, how awful is that to be a part of a rebuild?

Right?

And I feel for Jordan Clarkson many these are good years for him and Laurie Marketing as well, Like you're going through rebuild, like.

How do I want to waste years of my career doing that? Right?

And then but like b Yu, they're setting their states right. They did a great job at the end of last season that propelled them into this past season and and it just helped them out. Red Sluff got the majority of the snaps at the end of the season last year, all off season this year, and he proved to be their starting quarterback and lead them into a great season this year, right, Like Ca Rising took a lot of the reps this offseason and none of our backups did.

To see you in this color. This is disgusting, literal hate.

I said that to Sioni Pooha after the Utah game to day He's like, I know, man, but I just love Kialani. The way Kilani is doing things down here, it's the right way. I gotta support my boy, and they're doing it. And so Kilani is creating from the top down is what it is.

Right. Can you're talk stay in place and and and be a great infrastructure that kids can adhere to when they come in.

You guys are old guys and and and continue to success. And that's what Kilani is doing. He's putting people on the map, giving people their credit as far as Roderick and Jay Hill, and they're just building something down there that that's good.

I mean, you just hope that a wrench doesn't get thrown into all that. But at the end of the day, he's doing things progressive.

It hasn't been it hasn't been quick, so nobody can look at Byu and say like, oh, this happened over light, Like Klaut has been trying to do this for ten years and now he's on the right track, and so uh good for him and putting together a good program, and.

They were able to grab a really good player.

Since you and I spoke, Keanu town of Vasa has elected to head down south about forty miles after a really good stint here at Utah.

He's a good kid man, he's a good player.

This one sting slide, but Byu gets a really really good player and a very very solid guy.

What was your reaction when you heard the news.

I thought it was I thought it was crap.

You know, I was upset about it because it's just like, why why do you leave?

Right?

And and my whole thing is just like I just want these guys to be honest, right, just be honest with opinion. I heard Keanu talk about guys leaving. I've interviewed him multiple times this year, talking about how much he loves this program, how much he loves these people around here, how much X Y Z right like, and then not only does the season end, do you say that I'm being here in Utah and I'm gonna be at Utah Man.

Uh, you go back and.

And and and jump in the portal and do exactly what you accused or accosted everybody else for doing. And not only do you have the year that we had had, the game that we played against BYU, and then you signed to BYU. That is that to me is just the worst mix, Like leave, Okay, that's fine, but you can't say that I'm being a Utah Man and then do that, right. And so this is what I've been doing.

He's great. He's a young guy, so you know, young decisions.

I can't say that I seventeen eighteen years old and gonna make great decisions.

But when you say something, you got to meet it.

And I hope that everybody else holds people accountable for.

Those things, right.

And so for me, this all just sounded like a used car salesman bit from him saying that I've communed with the Lord and he told me to leave Utah to go to someone else, to his interviews of him saying that I wasn't wrong that Utah.

Nothing was wrong at Utah.

To the point to where at the same statement he goes and says, I just want, you know, to be around people that you know appreciate me for me. And is that not a shot at he wasn't being appreciated for him for him being him at Utah, So like that felt to me like a contradictive statement. Where he played six games this year barring injury, whenever he was injured,

And look, if you want to make a business decision, make it a business decision.

I hate all these guys giving these freaking two page little chat GBT essays about how I love the university and then go out and just do other things. Just say I'm making a business decision. This feels right, I'm going to do it. I'm good with that. Don't say I commune with the Lord, I love Utah, I'm a Utah man, and then go sign with BYU.

It doesn't mix.

Yeah, I think that's fair perspective because so much of it is how you handle it. And I am with you, because when the religiosity angle is brought into play, I think people just expect you to back off because this is my belief and this is my God.

And look, I respect everyone's beliefs.

I come from a family of very faithful people that love their beliefs. So I'm not grudging anybody for their God or how you want to live your life with religion. But it does seem like sla a lot of these a lot of these situations, you know, the cloak of the reality is behind the message of hey, God told me to do this, and you can't really say much, which I think is it's a little bit tough for people to stomach, you know.

Yeah, and I completely agree with you.

God has definitely blessed everybody with these talents, right, your athletic ability, your mind, this and that.

But to make the decisions that you make. People make wrong decisions all time.

So if you make a wrong decision, will you say God told me to do the wrong thing?

Like you can't like And.

So I'm just like, look, you're human, you make your decisions, you make your decisions. But like just to be like, I love the religious movement throughout you know, especially at Boise State right there. I love that man and I believe and I'm a big religious guy as well, and the foundational presence that you get from your religion, whatever religion you want to follow, I believe that's that's what us humans should do. I don't want to make the

That bothers me.

And so just say I've been blessed with these many talents I and my family, which people have done, have chosen to do.

X y Z.

I don't need this big exert expose about YadA YadA YadA. Look, this is time, this is nil time, this is transporportal time. This is just what it is. I'm fitting in, I'm taking advantage. This feels right, let's do it. Just say that move on with you today and we will too.

I think that's really fair perspective.

Man.

I like the way you put that. So before I say you lose, here's how I'll pose the question. As of today, another transfer portal addition for the Utes. By my account, that's forty two new players on campus. Between incoming freshmen and transfer portals, there will be another spring window.

So I'm not saying this is the group.

But before I say you lose on this New Year's Friday, the way I'll pose the question is what gives you the most hope that this retool slash rebuild is going to bring Utah football back to where we're accustomed to seeing them next year, it had to.

Be coach Whittingham coming back.

You know.

You know I've said it on my show on KSL that you know coach Whittingham. You know, these past couple of years, I haven't seen that energy on the sideline that I'm used to seeing. Right, and if this man is going out, I want him to go out the right way.

Right.

I want to make twenty twenty five the year of wit.

Right, let's get this Whittingham statue in place, and let's make this year great. I would just want to see that that fire and that excitement from him, and I think that is what's going to make the difference. Coming in Jason Beck, I hope. You know, he's a young guy less than twenty years ago he played, and he's had a track of getting experience of understanding the new trends, new era of football nowadays, and the way he.

Ran New Mexico last year.

It gives me a lot of excitement, right, you know, got to be on an attack mindset. And then you know the players that came in. I love Devin Dan Pierre. I'm really excited to see what he can do. I hope he just you know, stays humble and understands that. Look, I gotta be aggressive. I gotta have aggressive mindset, and I have.

Not made it right.

I don't want these guys to come into Utah and think that I got it made right. I'm the number one guy, like, no work for it right, go out there and get it. No game is won before it's played, no season is done, No championship is one before it's played. Be hungry every single time. I love way Sean Parker as well. I thought that was a good ad. And we just keep adding guys and it's hard. I would hate to be these coaches right now. I'd hate to

Program right now.

Who says that they won't be in the program and the next transfer portal opening right like?

So it's just.

A an ongoing uh thing and and it's hard. You got to continue to evolve. But hopefully Jason beck Is is understanding what he needs.

And I see a lot of.

Smaller, quicker receivers that have got on this football team as well. So I'm really excited to see that man and and and from Creed with Moore, I think he's gonna be a good ad to uh Donovan Saunders and and and all these other guys, uh Brennan Zerberg. I think they're gonna be huge ads. And the way we use this offense this RPO game. I was watching the Ravens game the other day, of course, and they beat

As we said about you know CFP with.

A great defense and just so so just like the Steelers, right, Steelers have been missing a quarterback. We finally got Russell Wilson to manage something and now they're a playoff team, right, even with losing the last three games. And so if Utah can do the same, we have a great defense, we can get some oppotity on offense, We're going to be a dangerous dangers football team in the hole n Cuba.

I like the optimism, Sly. I hope you're right, man. Appreciate the time. On a Friday, one more time, I'll say, happy New Year.

Have a great weekend. Okay, happy New Year?

All right?

The great Stevens and Sylvester, one of the best to ever do it, joins us on a very consistent basis throughout football season. I feel like we've accomplished something today because sometimes you know, when it's July and it's ninety two degrees out and it's good gearless biking weather, we can get ck to pop up.

It has what it has a gear. It has a gear.

It has a single gear, but it has one. So I guess saying gearless single.

Speed is what we call them in the in the parlance of our hipster biking community.

I thought the hipster bike has zero gears.

You need a gear. You need a gear.

Okay, So one gear, single speed, a single speed bike, okay. Anyway, I always thought it was a gearless bike.

Fixed gear is the one is the hips is the Okay.

See, I'm learning. I need to learn because I'm older.

I'm not hit, but I think I feel like it's an upset to get you out of the house in January.

Well it's not January, it's late October. Feels like it.

Yeah, it's nice, it's still.

Win or break.

My wife is home, and as you know, the the little gremlin, it takes up a lot of time. So usually if I have the free time, I tell Porter. I was like, yeah, let's get in. Well, I appreciate it, chop it up. I appreciate it.

We were talking about your New Year's Eve experience, and you were in better early because you were working.

I mean I technically wasn't working on New Year's Eve. I was working New Year's Day, okay, but I was in southern California earlier this week for the Rose Bowl. I was in charge of covering Organ's playoff run, which was extremely short lived. It was, but luckily I was able to go to the Lakers Cavs game in l a first time at the at the Crypt is what they call it the Crypt now Staple Center, but it's now it's Crypto.

Something dot Com arena, but.

It's the Crypt. Got to see the Kobe stature, which was really cool, and the other statues as well. It's a really nice place. It's a really nice and I know, like the Delta Center is nice as well, But I grew up going to kind of crappy arenas, like going up to growing up going to the the Oracle in Oakland, which is now a Crypt and Delta Center was nice, but you know, it kind of felt on hard times. But since it's been redone in the last five years, it's it's up to par uh, But it was. It

You saw, you saw a guy, Donnie.

I saw him from a very.

Far but you didn't.

You didn't approach him to say what's happening?

No, No, I don't think he would remember me.

Yeah, fair enough. Quinn Snyder in town on Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks. Yeah yeah, Hawks in town on Tuesday. Let me ask you.

But we're gonna do mostly.

Football, but do it that has That was kind of your first NBA in arena experience in a minute.

The only NBA minutes I've watched this year, even on television.

How was like I was talking about this last week.

We had a topic like the best in person sporting experience for me, it's an NFL game.

Like NFL, they just do it right.

Yeah, what was the in arena NBA experience like for you?

It was nice?

I mean I think it helped that there was a little bit of buzz because it was New Year's Eve.

It was great.

I mean, the best team in the NBA. Lebron played, Bronni didn't play, which was a huge bummer for me. But it was a decently close game off and on, but Cleveland's too good, and the the in person experience was cool because anytime you're watching a legend like Lebron, people kind of get juiced. So anytime he did something, people would just go out of their mind. And he had a good game, and I think it was his first game after turning forty as well.

They say him.

They sang happy Birthday on the on the JumboTron, and he did the heart heart sign to the fans and then did I Love La all the all the typical stuff you.

Would And as a late thirties I just pulled my back, sleeping guy. What he's doing at forty is unequivocally impressive.

I mean, yes, as somebody who is in his uh age arena, but not in the competitive arena. It is it is not out of the realm of possibility to think. I think he said recently that he thinks he could play till like forty seven or forty eight. I mean, if he can avoid injury. Sure, I mean, the dude is still like throwing down dunks, and he looks like he's in better shape at forty maybe I mean less bulk,

Yeah, there's something about Lebron that is entirely on authentic and corny, you know, like he's wrapping Kendrick Lamar at his birthday party and sending that.

Out or whatever.

But he really has taught this generation on as far as habits to take care of yourself and take care of your body, spends.

And your mentals too. Yeah, I mean, like, yes, I agree with you.

Spends a tremendous amount of money on his physical health and the old saying a healthy man wants a million things, a sick man only wants one.

Well, I was at the game with Bill orm Our, buddy wh used to shut up. Bill work at the Tribune and it is now the calumnists at the Oregonian. He was in town obviously for the Rose Bowl as well, but it spent a number of years covering the Lakers, And I said, Bill, why does Lebron always sit? He sits on like a higher he has like a thing. And Bill's like, I don't know, And I'm like, dude, you covered this guy for like five years and you never asked him why he sits on like this old man.

Pad failure by Bill.

I said, I assume it has to do with some sort of back thing. Sure, or I mean you got it the back as you know. If it's out, yeah, you're out. You're out of commission for a long time. It is I think objectively, it is the scariest body part to injure as you get older.

Pat Riley's old saying was back problems change your personality. Oh yeah, because they do rib injury. I'm dealing with a torn rotator cuff telling you, man, you just wait, you know you're getting there. Yeah, but that's cool. You had that experience, all right. So Oregon's playoff run was short lived. That's just I don't know, man, that felt really. If I'm an Oregon fan, I feel hard done because I won my conference. I won every game and I heard I mean, you know, me grinding on tape.

Yeah.

But honestly, and I was talked about this yesterday.

Because everything in college athletics is so new, I've kind of leaned into the whole like diagnostic approach on the radio instead of like prognosticating, because it's hard to know what this is going to look like. We're all going through it for the first time, and it just feels like Ohio State all year long was talked about as a team that when they're playing at their best, they're the best team in the country. And I understand the way that the conferences went out in Ohio State with

You do, But you also have to realize that there is always going to be a plethora of wartz in this system because it's impossible to figure out. Somebody is always going to have a gripe. And it's a bummer, but it is what it is. Man Like, I sat on press row with a bunch of people who are a lot smarter than me, sat next to Bruce Feldman, Ari Wasserman, my good buddy was down the way, and this was just a topic of conversation for most of the day and Cam tig Robinson, who actually covers Ohio

For sure.

Yeah, I understand that Penn State made the Big Ten title game. I understand the way things shake out. They just have to figure out by they the committee has to figure out a way to not necessarily overload a side of the bracket, which they unfortunately did this year. And like we talked about a few weeks ago, I mean, Oregon got the Group of Death. Even if they would

It's not even close.

We talk about rivalry games and what they can bring out of you, the best of the worst. Michigan has not brought out the best in Ohio State the last four years. They're on a four games, kid, but that doesn't like take away from the fact that they're the deepest team in the country. And it's corny, man, but like you want to be playing your best football at this time of year, especially as the as the season can be as long as seventeen games, as it will

Yeah, and they did settle in.

I don't know how much of that as Ohio State going this is over, But honestly, watching the way Ohio State overwhelmed Oregon, I wondered if any other team in the could have even made it as close as Oregon did. The rest of the way just felt like such an unfair fight. And Oregon was really impressive all year. I guess that just speaks to Ohio State.

It does.

But I think one thing that maybe a lot of us overlooked is the fact that every good team Oregon played this year they barely beat him. They still beat him. Barely beat Boise State at home, barely beat Ohio State at home. If Will Howard does an awkwardly side and lose track of time, you don't know how that game ends. Yeah, fair and barely beat Penn State in the Big Ten title game and gave up five hundred and sixty yards of total offense to a decently talented Penn State team,

That insane.

I mean it was, And like they have Chip Kelly calling their offense.

I'm not saying. You have a guy who a much maligned head coach and Ryan Day, who the fan base is very upset at because he's lost four games in a row against their arch rival. I get it, but the record is still insane. It's like sixty six and seven or something or whatever. You might be able to look it up.

And then you hire Chip Kelly and you have all these offensive weapons.

Sixty eight and ten, sixty and ten, and for those losses have been to Michigan.

I get it, and Michigan won last year. But it's like, listen, man, there's a reason why everybody was kind of up in arms when they figured out the number that Ohio State was able to spend on money wise on this team, and you think of players like Jeremiah Smith, Calee Downs, the kid they got from Alabama. A lot of people were skeptical about Will Howard coming from Kansas State, and he's had his best two games of the year at

So at some point, maybe I've already reached the point of no return. I'm sure people are going to be so tired of be leading into the same narrative. I just don't know of an issue that plagues college football that can't be solved with a professional model. Nobody belly aches about the way the NFL crowns their chant, right, so you know, it's conferences, it's divisions. Now, some people

The NFC South this year, the buyers will win and they'll get a home game again.

But you don't hear the same amount of belly aching so Joel Klatt.

His whole idea is to lean into that.

You know, we'll just use the SEC in the Big Ten and they'll invite whoever they want to invite.

And hopefully it's our local schools.

And then there are two conferences and divisions, and then you follow the pro model, a playoff model, and Clatt's ideas to make the Rose Bowl the super Bowl of college football.

Think there's any meat on that bone.

I mean, I don't know. He would know better than me. I think it makes sense to have every championship game there. There's no reason why, I guess. I will say there are other cities around the country that really, I would assume provide a lot of tax breaks to, you know, people who want to come and really descend on the city. I mean, you think at places like Atlanta, Miami Fiend and Glendale area like these are all places that pretty much also managed to host like NCAA Men's and Women's final.

Fours as well.

I would like I would always like the Rose Bowl to be the last game of the year. It was my second time there. It just makes sense. It's an old stadium, but it's perfect. It's like the scene is unreal people are there at like six am, and whoever is in that theoretical title game, people will show up and show out.

Yeah, and look, there are several issues here because as you're talking through cities not wanting to give up those games. Also this, and maybe you have some insight here. I believe every specific bowl is its own business entity and employees a lot of different people.

Correct, So the.

Orange Bowl employees are good. Wait like, wait a second, now I don't have a job.

Yeah, no, it's it's hard.

In my opinion, an ideal format, at least from a schedule standpoint, is next year that got to have the quarters be at home sites.

I totally agree college football should be played on campus.

I think I think semis and final.

You can make an argument that it's at a neutral site because that way you can satisfy all the major bowls. If you just Sugar, Orange, Rose, so on and so forth of cotton, you can find a way to satisfy those folks. But it's it. I feel like it would make for better games. I feel like it would make for a better atmosphere. I mean, everybody that I talked to that were at the first round game said it was insane. They said, like South Bend was awesome, you know,

Yeah, I agree with that, And I also just think college football should be played on campuses whenever possible. I mean, that's one of the things that make it make it great. One of the other things that make it great and unique, even juxtaposed to pro football, is every weekend is urgent, every weekend is intense, every weekend is paramount. I mean, you can stub your toe once, maybe twice, and then after that you're cooked. And what we have now are

I don't know.

I mean, like I said, those folks are way more plugged in and a lot smarter than I am. I think the committee will have to put their heads together and take notes, Like you'll have to do an exit survey, though maybe we'll have to call your guy Raye get a qualtric survey going. I got to figure out, like what worked in the minds of people who participated this

They're gonna have to. Well. It's funny because I do think at some.

Point, you know the right people central leadership, and I honestly believe it will follow private equity money. I think it's going to follow venture capitalist money. I think we're gonna see powerful, rich people get involved, and then it's gonna be up to the public if you want to follow the like neoliberal capitalism that's going to permeate in the sports that.

You've loved because it hasn't been involved before.

But that's where it is now because the players are getting paid, and once those powerful rich people get involved in college sports, they will not stand for a broken business model. So I think we'll get central leadership in place at that point, and that brings in the conversation about a tremendous amount of red tape and issues, because I know administrators.

Don't want the athletes to be employees.

I know the Taylor Randalls of the world don't want to deal with that because that adds a tremendous amount of headache. But at some point, I do think the coaches are going to be the ones that will kind of push this movement because once you can collectively bardain come up with, you know, a player's terms and agreement, and then guardrails and the ability to actually, you know, put rules in a place, things like having to rebuild every year will go out the window because then you

Do you have any insight in that.

I don't, but I'm just thinking of an analogy or an example from today. Like Organs, one of Oregon's quarterbacks that they just signed in their December class that went to the Rose Bowl and was part of bullprep and everything, just jumped in the portal after being with the program for like two weeks, Yeah, and told ESPN that he didn't feel like he was a priority at the school while they were preparing for a quarter.

Final of the CFP.

Now, I'm not belittling this guy, Like everyone has a reason for doing what they want to do, but I'm with you. It just makes sense to be able to hold people in right spots by contractual terms and figure out things from there.

Yeah, all right.

Coming up next, we'll lean into some of the local stuff and Chris Comaradi's going to join us for one more segment. Townty Parks rolls by later, so does JB. Long, the voice of the Rams, to get us ready for the final week slash weekend of pro football. I want to tell you about my friend's a clear water distilling. It's the only distillery in Utah County open on Sundays, holidays. Well they're kind of behind us now, but make Clearwater

So your boy was happy, share too, Share Little Mary J. Blish.

Yeah, if you're of a certain age, you have a little Mary Jay and share you went with Foreigner of the List.

Yeah, okay, it feels like the most rock and roll hall. I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when I was in Cleveland a few years ago, and it's cool place.

I mean Cleve. The rock and Roll Hall of Fame is Cleveland.

Yeah, take it or leave it.

Yeah, if you go to Cleveland, you better do the rock and Roll Hall.

Of Fame because there are not a lot of options.

Chris Comraddie Live in studio went to the Laker game where they played the Cavs.

Are a guy, don.

He's going to be, I think, potentially the first player in the history of this organization. The Jazz of course obviously didn't play for RSL to leave and be awesome somewhere for a long time. We're not used to this. I mean, if you think about it, a lot of our really really good players Heyward got hurt, Darren never kind of recaptured the form he had.

When he was here. Booze couldn't stay healthy.

Because I've watched plenty of Caves basketball this year, Donovan has started to mature. Now, look, he's gonna have to answer questions come spring. But if you think about the history of the Jazz organization, Karl went to the Lakers, but he was done. Millsap's a good one, but it's not the same level. But Millsap also played better after he left here. He made All Star teams in Atlanta and such. But Donovan, I'm starting to get the feeling

Nowhere for him to go. Now.

I've always heard two things from people that know Donovan better than I do that he actually would really love Miami and he would love Los Angeles in a way that I didn't know about him. But that's not a surprise. I wouldn't be stuck. He's got two years left on the deal. After this deal, I wouldn't be stunn if he's a Remember the Heat of the Lakers.

I guess if you're just looking at it from a roster building point of view, is there a team in the NBA right now that is built to win for the.

Next five years?

Okay?

See okay, see maybe Boston. Okay, Yeah, so three three teams. One other team, unfortunately, is a team that just won the title and is in your same division. But I mean, shoot, man, and maybe the Lake, the Lakers and Heat can rebuild in the blink of an eye, as we've seen several decades. But yeah, it was cool. It was funny being there, man, and I'm just a this is always a trip. Like I told some of these other guys that were there with Bill and I like, like, Bill and I covered

Jalen Moore at Skyview.

Shout up, Bountiful Braves. That's right, yeah, my guy.

And you know, it's just I never really saw him a hell of a player, great shooter, and it's awesome to see him stick and him getting a chance in that rotation on a really good team.

I truly thought he was not going to be able to get a shot off. In fact, my producer at the time was an Aggie. He's like, do you think Sam's a pro? And I said, if he could ever get he is such a pure he is such a pure shooter.

He has such a beautiful stroke. But this was for Thatt's issue.

He could not simply could not get a shot off in the pros, and I was concerned that Sam was gonna run in the same problem. But he's worked as ailoff and he needs no space. You're right, It's been fun to watch him.

Grow and it's I think this sounds super corny too, but like Sam's like a legit six ' four jimmers like a legit six.

Sure, yes, yes, it's true. All right, back to football.

Let's do some local stuff here, since we've covered kind of the national topics. The utes locked in Justin Stevenson today wide receiver. That's a huge kit from Wyoming.

Do you know the stat line?

No, dude, what are you talking about?

Just heard of him ten minutes ago.

I don't know the stats.

Orders in there laughing at me. Listen you, I mean I googled it like any reasonably logical responsible media members should do.

The guy had felt like a shot.

I'm not gonna The guy had like two hundred receiving yards last year and like two touchdowns, so he's due.

I mean, listen, If.

If Utah is able to recruit the most hidden gems at the Mountain West Conference level and bring them to the Big twelve and help them show out with Jason Beck and Devin Dan Pierre, good on them. But man, I'm approaching this next year with a whole hell of a lot of skepticism.

I don't know how you can approach it any other way unless you are simply read goggles period, end of story, because they're going to be, by my count, twenty five incoming freshmen. I think Justin and his two touchdowns. I think that's the sixteenth transfer portal adition. I didn't know that was a stat line. It's just you know, the same old people that report and they're like, hey, this is exciting.

That's what I saw. I believe it's forty one or forty.

Two new players next fall. I don't know how you do that. I have no idea. Unless you are unless you have Ohio State's payroll, unless you're bringing in dudes like that left and right now. The transfer portal ranking according to two four seven is twenty five ish or whatever.

I just don't know what's reasonable to expect.

Don't believe those rankings.

Man, when you turn it over like this in one year, I have no idea.

So this is for our guy, John Paul shout out.

This is the The success of whether or not Utah's offense can establish itself in this new system is totally going to rely on fit and scheme.

That's it.

Because you're bringing in a guy who's going to do a lot of different things compared to Andy Ludwig. You're bringing in a quarterback that probably wouldn't have played under Andy Ludwig. You're bringing in a bunch of receivers who have had slow to decent careers at much smaller level schools than what Utah is and who they'll be playing next year. You brought in a talented running back.

Out of the portal.

Weirdly, You know which helps Utah a ton is that their offensive line was able to stay intact and they.

Should be good.

But listen, man, I mean, everybody should take off the red tinted goggles when it comes to a lot of these additions because they are not proven commodities. They're the furthest thing from when you're seeing these Twitter graphics being created for players that are transferring from Texas A and M to LSU, or from Auburn to Florida, or from Florida State to Ohio State. These are different caliber players.

Two years ago.

So if we could circle back, Justin Stevenson three touchdown, three touchdown, sorry, two hundred and four yards. Also, he competed in the triple jump in high school, so let's not just throw that out like it's nothing.

Football coaches love track athletes, especially in the University of Utah football coaches.

Indeed, sophomore jump numbers of forty two to six and forty two to two in the triple and an eighteen seven long.

How tall is he?

He is six to one, So.

That's probably like the tall sky they've added so far.

As far as the receiver goes, they've added. They've added some Koby wannabes, I think, which is great.

Maybe that's part of the approach. Maybe they're zigging when everyone's zagging.

There you go, yeah, I look you.

I said this last segment diagnostic, not prognostication, because it's impossible to analyze how these kids are going to fit into a system that we've never seen before. I honestly don't know what's reasonable to expect. And there are two sides of this thing, right, because obviously last year was not nearly good enough, and so yeah, you want an influx of talent, you want to change the roster over because it wasn't good enough a year ago. And yes, we could always lean back on the whole cam wasn't

This is a fan base that's ready for something different.

So I think people are kind of latching on to these new players with a lot of hope because of what they just experienced.

Yeah, and I mean I gave Kyle and Morgan, I'm giving both of them credit because they both decided on this higher the fact that they hired Jason Beck and were able to get Devin Dampier. And I mean, as soon as you saw those two additions, you knew that this was going to be a totally different offense going forward. And I assume that when they were doing interviews, Jason said, I want to run my offense, and that's going to be that. You know, at least I would have hoped that.

A thousand yards.

They had a couple, you know, NFL caliber tight ends, one that went on to be a first round pick, the other one that just unfortunately got hurt too often. But they became so predictable. From like an opponent's point of view, it was pretty painful.

Man.

I mean it's like you think about the Colorado game, and it's always easy to compare like a similar opponent that two teams had in common.

And I.

Not saying Byu is anywhere close to where Utah was this year. They were the superior team on basically every facet of the ball, but offensively, Utah against Colorado like Isaac had some had some chunk plays, had some stats, but man BYU and Aaron like just basically had those guys running around with like chickens with their heads coff. They had no idea what Byu was doing, and Colorado felt like they knew what Utah was going to do

And that's what it was for most of the year.

So I can understand why fans are approaching the season with a healthy amount of optimism, because what other point do they have at this point?

Yeah, and I used to say this oftentimes about by you and the Independent years, and it wasn't a knock on the program. It was the reality of what they dealt with, as it did dependent that typically as soon as you lose your first game, it's the Hawaii bull or whatever.

Go spend New Years in a while. Who There's nothing wrong with that, nothing, but.

It seemed like back then, the most exciting time to be a fan of Brigham Young football was the off season because you had all this hope. Then the season comes and you don't have a conference to play for, you stub your toe and it kind of feels like right now for a YOUT fan, the only thing to get excited about is the potential of this coaching staff and the new talent added. So we'll see, but let's move Let's move over to a player that Utah lost, And since you and I last spoke, this story has

That's an option that you have. But let me start here.

Does the money change the level of criticism that these athletes are going to get? Because you know, there was like this unwritten rule for years and years and years, whether it's meteor fans like lay off the kids, man, stop cracking on the kids. These are unpaid young kids. They don't get paid for what they do, So stop criticizing them. Now that some of these players are making

Absolutely. I don't think that's right though, but I think that's the world that we live. I don't know if Keanu left Utah because he wanted to get paid more money. I was kind of siloed due to the holidays and being focused on Oregon during their playoff run, so I saw some stuff tangentially. I know there was, you know, some religious affiliated posts and you know, God's plan, like every other kid who goes into the portal says it's God's plan. I think it's particularly hurtful for Utah because

Or wherever Calhoun goes to Bama.

Yeah, it's like we're people up in arms that Cam Calhoun left for Alabama. Not at the same level. And I understand that Keanu like trolled him at one point on social media, and so on and so forth. But listen, man, we are living in a lawless state of college football. Everybody is up for grabs, and people can say there's tampering, there's tampering always like that is just the real that

But the list is incredibly long, man.

I mean, it is absurd the amount of people that have changed schools in the last twenty years since college football has entered this kind of era. And I mean they're all just popping in my head. It is what it is, man. You kind of just got a grin and Barrett, yeah.

And you know, people wouldn't be upset if he wasn't awesome. That's the thing.

Like nobody was pissed when like Makai Pittman's in the transfer port, Like all right, whatever, but Keano's really good, and you lose them to your rival.

I will follow up, though, because I do.

Find this interesting and I don't want to paint this as only one person. But Keanu and his family, the people around him, have been very vocal as far as his motivation, and his father tweets out when the heavens speak, our family strives to follow quickly. Keana decided to send a scripture as far as his announcement that he's leaving, and you know, the religiosity of the entire thing is

Yeah, And I guess I would say it would be an easier sell if the two most important people in the program of Up the Hill here weren't members of the same religion. And maybe even I assume Jason beck is as well because he went to BYU. But like, listen, yeah that if you're talking about like Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen and these guys who were in chured, it's a totally different story, right, I don't know, man, Like it's become kind of a meme in the sports media world.

Man, that's awesome.

But the reality is we're living in a time where people can move freely and without you like any sort of I mean, nobody's gonna get in trouble because there are no rules. And yeah, it sucks for Utah that they lost one of their best players, but you know who else loses some of their best players every other team in that every team, it's just about how you replace him at this point.

Yeah, I mean that that's the issue comes back down to the NC double a's literal inability to and down any sort of punishment. They're not allowed to. They were told, like, you cannot regulate this stuff anymore, So you have to figure out a way to traverse it. While it's you know, off the rails and tel it's corralled, and you know, ultimately, if you don't find a way to exist in the space, it is adapt or die. Until you actually understand what

You know what I mean. I mean, that's it feels like that's kind of the only way to do this stuff.

You can find a way to be irrelevant really quickly for if you don't think ahead. Really I mean, and I don't want to say Utah is in that space yet, but we're going to learn a lot about the state of the program.

This next year.

What does it look and sound like next year? If it's more or less the same for the youths. What does that look and sound.

Like from the fan base?

Yeah, oh, I mean if it's much of the same, I think the fan base will just say that it's Morgan's time, the same way a lot of people said that it's Morgan's time this year.

I think there are a lot of people that feel that way.

Now I agree.

Yeah, But like I've said before, if you want to go off results and statistical analysis, seventeen out of twenty is like eighty eight percent, seventeen winning years out of twenty a lot.

Yeah, it's a lot, and I'm sure it is.

And it would be one thing again if like you had a guy busting down the door who has a bunch of big game experience, like this is not a knock.

On Morgan, but he's never done it before.

Right, So, if you really think that a first time head coach will be able to change things so dramatically in such a short amount of time, good for you. But we don't have any we don't have any data to back that up yet.

When it comes to BYU's case to be included in the twelve team CFP, I feel like the timing of their losses ultimately is what did them in because during the course of the past the final couple of iterations of the rankings, they really weren't even the commerce. Yeah, you know, you would listen to people analyze, Okay, tonight's the rankings release and BYU wasn't even in consideration. Now

I do.

And the one person from a media point of view that's been, you know, flying this flag as John Wilner.

Yes, yes, he's done.

He's been very upfront about how the committee basically left BYU out in the cold. I think if the Kansas game is the one that killed them, Like if if they win that game, they're in the they're in the Big twelve Championship, and and and and if you lose to Arizona State again, I mean then they probably are in even as like as as an eleven or twelve, maybe they should have been at least.

But I agree with you. It's the timing of the losses. It's were those back to back games?

Yeah, yeah, so you killed them?

Yeah, and then.

You you end the year with a with a win over a bad Houston team, like you have nothing to recently remind the committee who you are, what you've done.

I mean they reminded everybody who they were against Colorado.

Too late by that, yeah, but it's too late by then.

But again, man, like everybody is going to find a way to feel hard done or be pissed off.

Yeah, that is the reality, no matter.

I mean, I guess we could get to sixty four teams like basketball and just make these guys play forever. That's that's that's the only way. I do think Culturally, it's weird, Like this is a little bit of a tangent. Why are we so obsessed with the underdogs in basketball doing well, but in football we feel like it's the people who have quote unquote earned it.

I think it's fair. I will say that I think people love the upsets. Early on in the tournament, the Cinderella wanted Butler.

Yeah, George Mason, I mean people going like like.

Did people want TCU when they made the playoff and they got who they play?

Georgia?

You had the Georgia they got. Yeah, I don't. It's a fair, fair question.

But it's an interesting like I'm thinking of it just through like the psychological standpoint of a sports fan, through that lens, Like I understand we do like them early on, but I still think people.

If they can keep it going, people love it.

Man.

And then like in football, it's like now who's earned it the most. It's just an interesting kind of dichotomy in my mind.

So with the SEC, UH clearly shout out to Danny Cannell who was on this hill all year long.

UH.

And obviously the results bear out that the conference was overrated from an on field standpoint, but they still are the pre eminent college football conference in the country. They the revenue speaks for itself. All those schools, you know, per school, as far as you know, bull payouts, television contracts, they are making money hand over fist in a way, even the Big Ten is, and the Big Ten is

Oh yeah, it feels like that's always the deal, right, absolutely.

I mean, in a weird way, you should almost be thankful that one of the fake SEC teams is still in it, like with Texas ause Otherwise if they would be shut out with these final four, I feel like it would be even more so overcorrecting. But yeah, I agree, And I know a lot of people were trolling the Alabama fans and the SEC homers after a couple of these losses and saying, like, you know, when the Alabama lost in their bowl game to whoever? I forgot who

Yeah, and that's good advice, but you know, ultimately that's not able to take my advice. Well, I mean it's good advice, but that's unfortunately that's not the way fans behave. And I think media members for you know, further agendas and narratives that are best for their business. But yes, try to enjoy the games. And most of the games have been good. There have been blowouts, but there were blowouts in the four team. There were blowouts in the BCS,

It felt like this was cater made for tech.

Bros and mlmbros that had a lot of money and loved by athletics to kind of step in and help BYU get back to the relevance that they were in the nineties and the eighties and the seventies, because it's really just simply been a long time, Yes, COVID year, what have you, And I think that has turned out to be kind of the case. I think it took a little bit of time, but ajdbantsas seven mil for

So kind of your thoughts on what appears.

To be a little bit of a gap as far as BYU right now being the team and the school that's figured things out in a way that Utah hasn't necessarily shown they have.

I mean, look the.

BYU, excuse me, the Utah basketball team. Man, I cheer for Craig. He's the best dude. I watched the first game of the Big twelve baile They're not even close. So the results simply indicate there is a little bit of a gap. And these things are cyclical and they're fleeting. But what are your what are your thoughts?

I guess starting locally with the nil component, it makes sense that BYU is ahead of Utah because of its alumni base, larger spirt, like, it has a net that is cast much larger throughout local, national, and international scene.

Them retain players.

But they've just done a hell of a job in the last couple of years piecing that roster together and keeping it in tact. So I think ultimately when we look at kind of the grand scheme of the state of both rosters, I just think BYU has done a better job and you just see kind of the the fruit that is borne out of that this year. Considering how good they were, and they were pretty deep too,

I like.

Or intentions? What's the younger generation like?

Like that show? Like the movie Role Models? I don't know if you've seen it.

When he asked them if he likes Coca Cola, he's like, I like the idea of it.

Yeah, so I like the idea.

Of New Year's resolutions more than I actually like them, but I don't dislike them.

Did you set an either year you want to share with our audience?

I didn't. Can I set one now?

Yeah? Please go ahead?

Oh man, no pressure. I don't want to hurt my back anymore.

That's an excellent one as you age, take care of your body. Now, that's great.

Well, look, man, always great to see you. To get you out of the house is an upset too.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's a good start.

It's a great start to the year. And as long as it's fifty degrees, we'll be all right.

I love it. I love it when it's October and January.

I'm with you, man, got to see okay?

Is this the first share track we played since the Hall of Fame induction? Ceremony, or have we because she I told you she batted lead off, they had Share go first. She's the one that was inducted first. She gave the first performance. Is this our first Share track that we played so far?

I think I did one yesterday, all right?

Shout out to Share Hall of Fame Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

I wonder if.

Tony Parks is a Share fan. Tony Parks on a Friday afternoon. First of all, Happy Friday, Happy New Year. How you doing TP, I'm doing great, Happy New Year to you?

Share thumbs up, thumbs down.

I was never big it was never big on Share. Not a hater, just was never big on Share. She had a Christmas song that my wife had playing okay quite a bit around the holidays.

I actually didn't mind that, but a lot of her stuff I was just kind of like, yeah, I thought it was okay. I thought it was fine. What about that? Not great?

What about Sonny and Share back in the Yeah.

You know, same thing, same thing, Not not as big on it.

Just yeah, I was always.

Indifferent on Share.

Fair enough, man, how you been? Happy New Year? Everything good?

Everything's great, man.

I mean I just had, you know what a wonderful holiday with with a newborn, you know, fourteen month old, and she was the star of the show as you would expect, and I mean just it was absolutely magical, beautiful, and I had some wonderful time with with people I love.

So it was it was great, good stuff, good stuff. So let's do a little college football here. You know, it's been it's been interesting to kind of observe in witness what the new twelve team CFP would look and feel like and how it would unfold. And now we're sitting here with no conference champs. We're gonna have a first time national champ head coach, which I think is pretty cool, and then no conference champson also none of the teams that buys in the first round or left

What are your takeaways?

In some ways I look at it and say, okay, this was an extreme example, but in my opinion, when I wanted an expanded playoff, this was the point. The point was that there were still contenders being left out of.

A four team playoff.

You know, Ohio State at their past is the best team in college football. I felt that way earlier in the year, and you had mentioned it earlier in the show, and you're spot on.

In any previous season, they're left out of this.

In the BCS era, what we would have had Oregon in Georgia, and you know, Georgia's without their starting quarterback and Oregon, you know, they just picked a really bad time to have their worst game of the season.

And so then you look at the buy situation, it's like, well.

First of all, Boise State was a thirteen point underdog because they weren't the better team. Arizona State was a ten point dog because they weren't the better team. So the problem was those two shouldn't have had buys, not because they weren't, you know, good teams or didn't have great seasons.

They shouldn't have had buys.

And so that was one reason why two teams with the buyer out. Another reason is because they were another team was without their starting quarterback. And then because you dysfunctionally had two buys that went to teams that shouldn't have them, you ended up with a one eight matchup with the two best teams in college football and the best team in college football right now absolutely both race them. So it's imperfect, but it's fixable, and it'll never be absolutely perfect.

But this still is better than anything we've ever had.

And I know there's been blowouts and I know there's been complaining, but it doesn't mean that this isn't significantly enhanced from what we've had before.

And I tend to agree with most of that.

I was always one to push for a little bit more of an expanded playoff and just kind of give more teams about it at the Apple and give more teams a shot to see if they belong. I want to follow up about your Ohio State opinion, which I agree with.

Do you think it was interesting?

We had Stevens and Sylvester on earlier and Slive's point is well taken that every game is different in playoff time, it's all about matchups, and you know Texas barely escapes ASU and on the other side of the bracket you have Penn State, Notre Dame. It feels like this is Ohio States Championship to lose. Do you think anyone can in their way?

They can get in their own way, and they prove that in the game against Michigan, and I know that that was a unique situation, and obviously, as a big Michigan fan and a guy that you know is not going to be rooting for Ohio State to win the national title, I can look at it and still say Ohio State is the best team left and they can get in their own way.

I do think that they would have to play.

Somewhat of a flawed version of themselves to lose this thing, but they are the best defense. They have the best and most offensive, explosive offensive player, and this guy, I just I'm mesmerized still at what he was able to do. And I still believe that had it not been for a quarterback playing injured in the game against Michigan, they would have gone back to spreading it out, taking advantage of their strength against Michigan's weakness, and they would have

But the point is Ohio State is the best team. And I knew coming into this.

I thought, okay, well, Vegas had him as the second best odds and I'm thinking, if they put together the best version of themselves, I actually would pick them to beat Oregon, and then they were slightly favored against Oregon and then it's thirty one to nothing and we're going yeap. That was my biggest fear was to see something like that happen. So I think that's part of what makes

To your point, I mean, you have to do whatever you can to make sure the regular season in college football is not compromised. It's what makes this sport what it is, even compared to pro football. There's a different level of a mediate urgency every Saturday, every weekend in college football, So hopefully that continues to be maintained and not continue to potentially be compromised. And it should mean something to win a conference championship beyond just putting another

I think the future is bright.

I do think, and you're talking about nil and transfer portal and anything goes the wild West that we're living in right now with college football. My big concern is that I do think if they could truly get together a governing body where you start to do what's best for the sport, the individual player obviously, the programs and everything all together, I think you have a chance to have a magnificent product that now you have parody.

There's some good and bad.

I know, you know, the bad ends up being you got a guy who said I didn't feel like I was a part of the program. He's been there two weeks and his teams in the middle of getting ready for a playoff game.

That's a joke.

We all know it.

And then it makes you start to wonder what his real reason was. So then there's the other side of this. There's now parody in college football. I know it's not one hundred and twenty teams with the parody, but there's more than there's ever.

Been, and it's legitimate.

They used to argue that parody was happening and it was a big lie because say you would have a division like the Big Ten West back in the day, and they'd beg, oh, look at parody, and it was a joke because everybody knew whoever they were going to play in the Big Ten championship game was going to kill them. Now you have parody because the SEC doesn't just have loads of depth. Now when these players don't play or they know that they're probably not going to

Find a better situation. And when you're seeing.

That start to spread out now, all of a sudden, everything puts bigger stress on the sec who used to just be able to do things automatically. And as you're seeing them, let's say they're not the best conference in college football anymore, it's not because you know, they just suddenly forgot how to coach. It's now because guys like Saban leave because they don't know how to manage this new situation. It's way too outside of what they were used to doing, so they have to adjust. Everybody has

All Right, one more thing here, do you feel like once the.

And it appears to be an inevitability that at some point, whether two years, three years, four years down the line, college football will look very much like professional football. And the money has always been there. It has It's just been in back channels with you CD deals consummated by people who built a business on the backs of employees they didn't pay. So the money being there isn't new, but it certainly is more top of mind, and it's

I'm all for it being a business.

We need to quit holding onto some of the things that don't work or that we know happens to be a straight up line. The things that will turn people off is blatant selfishness, people bending the need to those who are overwhelmingly selfish. If it's an individual case, that's

I think that would end up hurting the sport.

If it's a business and you're authentic about it, I think people will be okay. You know, if you like the ton of us a thing, just to touch on that real quick, if he just goes, look, this is a business now, and I have decisions to make about my future. And I made this decision about my future, and there's a lot of details that go into it that you wouldn't know unless you're in my position. And

The authenticity of it.

People would know they have careers, they work jobs, they have talents, they want to get paid for their talents. They would relate to that, even if it wasn't like it was back in the eighties and nineties. I truly

Yeah, and let's move over to some of the local stuff, and the Kiano ton Ofvasta topic is what will launch us into that, as you referenced, and you know, you've got to be careful here with a few things, because I do think he's a good kid, and I do think he got a big time paycheck at BYU, and I do think that that motivated him to move down to Provo. There's also the Draped in religiosity release the scripture. His father releases a tweet today that said, the heaven spoke to the family.

And I am never one You've known me for a long time.

To tell anybody what they should do about their belief system, their religion, or their relationship with God. What is for me is not for you. What is for you is not for me. It's fine, it doesn't matter. And beliefs are important to people. The structure in the community that religion brings to the lives of people is important. And even beyond that, if you believe certain things that are beyond this life, like that's how you live your life.

But you know that movie the social network.

There's that great line where Zuckerberg's girlfriend says, you know, Mark, the Internet has not written in pencil, It's written in ink. And so you know, we know the way he handled himself out the door, knocking on players who committed to Utah and then left, name namely Cameron Calhoun. And the money Tony unfortunately does bring in an extra layer of criticism.

It just does.

For decades and decades and decades it was layoff the college kids. They are unpaid young people that are working hard to put a product on the field that you like. They're no longer unpaid. They're handsomely compensated. And so while I don't love the look of the fan base when people are cracking on Keanu, to your point, he could have handled it better. I just I like what Stevens and Sylvester said earlier. Just be honest and upfront. I'm

What are some of your takeaways?

So one of my takeaways is, and I've had, you know, over the past few months, worked with the number of different people, spoken at schools and things like that, college classes, and sometimes when I speak in a one on one situation with people and they say, you know, they'll they'll ask about different parts of their journey and things. And one thing I always tell them is, you know, you don't need to ask for permission to do what's best for you.

And that doesn't have to come with something virtuous. That doesn't like you don't.

Need to want to come a broadcaster or want to work in Major League Baseball, or.

You want to be a radio show host like you're doing right now. You don't want to have to do it.

And it also means that you want to save the whales and you want to help.

The earth be a friendlier place. It's like, well, maybe those things are also there.

It's okay to admit, hey, look I'm here, this is a business, this is what I do.

These are my dreams. These are my passions, and you can unapologetically ask for them. That does not make you awful wrong.

I find it very interesting and I think sometimes I think especially the live an out of state and then also in the state of Utah, like there is something that I've always kind of felt in the state of Utah where people get this sort of like, but it has to also mean that there's a virtuous reason to it too, and it's like, no, no, Sometimes you have a passion to do what you love to do, and you do it because you love it and you care about it, and it's what your biggest desires are and

Person as well, and I have absolutely had to.

Make certain decisions, we're really leaning and thinking and going deep into prayer and all of that. And I believe that when he says that that is a truth. But when you say the other thing is when you're using a truth, that doesn't mean that's the whole truth, And that doesn't mean that everybody else has to look away from what is also likely true in that situation based on all the other evidence and all the other behaviors and all the other things that they have witnessed up

That's okay.

We need to get to a place where someone says, yeah, I was at the university you taught love my time there, i got a better opportunity at BYU, and I'm gonna get paid just like the coaches, just like use a radio show host, just like anybody.

It's okay to say that. It is okay to say that.

And you can also say, you know, and I've given a lot of thought and that's where i want to be, and there's nothing wrong with that. But we've got to be able to just admit it rather than say here's something i'm gonna throw out.

It's a truth and I'm gonna count it for the whole truth.

Yeah, well said, all right, before I set you loose.

Let's kind of end with the topic that we've been discussing for quite some time. As a result of the reality of where we find ourselves in the market. With BYU basketball on a massive upward swing, they signed I don't know, Tony. If you've seen this debansa kid play like goodness, gracious, I.

Mean he is.

He's everything you've heard in more And so you know, they've signed the top player in the country and one of the best players of a generation. They've got a top ten recruiting class. They have a good team.

This year.

BYU football comes off an excellent year in the Big Twelve.

They truck Colorado and the Alimo bowlel.

And it appears that their collective endeavors are very much in lockstep and in line, and they're doing a very very good job down there. And I'm not necessarily saying that's because you know, I rarely do the thing where like, okay, if by US up the Utah's down, like you know, several things can be true. I'm not saying that Utah's things are not in order, but we can only analyze the data that's in front of us. Utah basketball is

So there is this feeling permeating in the.

Market that BYU for now has some things figured out that maybe Utah does not.

Is that fair to say? What are your thoughts?

It's absolutely fair to say.

And obviously BYU Athletics is going to get a ton of support from a number of people who have been very passionate about their sports team, and now it opens up more avenues that they can directly impact that when you are a fan and you have resources, and you're a supporter of your team, and you have resources and you believe that you can have an even bigger impact.

Have to operate within these rules. Can't do these things.

Well, now those rules have expanded. Now they want to be even more invested. And there's a deep, white hot passion and desire for BYU Athletics from their fan base. I've been saying it for a long time. I used to get criticized as a talk show host because you know, people would be like, well, b Yu's record is only this, why are you talking about them?

Like?

Because they have a lot of people that care if they're good, They care if they're bad, they care.

I mean, if they're really good, they're at a fever pitch. You know they care.

And BYU friends that I know that will find me and talk to me.

Man, they can't wait to talk about their team.

So there's a white hot passion and desire that comes with that, and they are willing to walk the walk when it comes to writing the checks and putting up the money to get the guys on the quarter on the field to compete at the very very best levels.

In and they can have an immediate impact.

And even if it is one and done, you can still find a good investment number that ends up, you know, paying off in a really good way. This could be great for getting you know, a high quality coach. This could be get This could be great in several ways and so.

They're on the brink of doing that.

I think, you know obviously, you know, to be able to land a number one recruit, to have things look the way that they're looking for BYU basketball. You know, it wasn't that long ago I would have told you that, you know, them having the expectation for an explosive year was it was truly once in a quarter century type stuff.

And the expectation is now going to be much bigger.

As for what you're talking about with Utah, yeah, I mean, that's that's that's part of the challenge when landscapes shift in college sports is the pro for one team.

Can sometimes be what draws away from another team.

And that's how a rivalry also exists, and that's part of how it goes. And so there's a number of college pros who I think you know, are going to have, you know, a number of different ways where they're going to have to get acclimated to a new era of college sports. But you're seeing I mean, look in the last year, Michigan's national title. This year, Notre Dame, a team like that's in the you know, the college football

Tony my man. Always great to catch up with you. Glad you're doing well. Would you like to share a new Year's resolution with our listening audience on this Friday?

Yeah, I just decided, you know what, let's just gain weight.

Let's let's there we go o the way, Let's go the other way. You know what the heck I keep failing at this thing. No, I'm kidding.

I think you know what.

You go into different things, and I'm trying to get a good measurement for it.

I want to be even uh more patient, you know.

Nice.

Yeah, I like to get after stuff. I like getting stuff done.

I like that.

So, yeah, like one of those little things to work on, you know.

And I'm a girl, dad with a newborn and things like that.

So just yeah, being more patient.

If you figure out how to do that. Whill you allowed me a text? Because you have.

I know a lot of people are like, yeah, I think that one's on my I think everyone could probably use even more patients. And I'm, you know, just one of those where you know, you you work in sports and entertainment and you're you're always building and doing projects or ideas and advancing and just sitting back a little more often and enjoying it.

So the holidays were a great start for that. And why what's yours? What? What do you have for me?

To read?

One book every month? Read, not listen though, sit down and read. You want to get home from work one good month.

That's key. Yep, that's key. Yep. I love it.

Yeah, but I love it.

Thanks for being so real, Thanks for being the best. I'll chat with you soon.

You're my guy.

Tony Park's voice of the Bees took over for the late Steve. I will get to the five o'clock hour of the show coming up at about twenty five thirty minutes from right now, mostly college pro football the rest of the way, which of course topical right now, and will continue the conversation with one of our favorites, the voice of the Rams, our old buddy from the Pac twelve Days, which a tier is now falling down my cheek, but always great to catch up with JB.

Long On a Friday, JB.

Larry David tells me, I have through today to wish you a happy New Year, sir, so I will do just that.

Happy Friday.

I'll curb it right back to you.

Same to you.

How can I set you up for success in the five o'clock hour? That's my primary concern here.

Well, I would, I wouldn't want anybody else to do it. So I appreciate it because it has been a little bit and I do want to get to the rams in a moment, but of course a little college football because it is top of mind and you still exist in that space quite a bit. I just want to ask you, from a thirty thousand foot Macro viewpoint, now that we are seeing the twelve team CFP in front of us, what are your thoughts so far? Of course, four teams left standing as a.

Now well, through my Irish tinted lenses, I'm happy for Notre Dame to be competing in this environment and to be a true SEC powerhouse. I understand, George is not what they have been in recent years, but they were still worthy of being there and so happy for my alma mater to show up on that stage and win convincingly.

We have completely forgot.

And I knew that you were a Notre Dame alum, So let me take advantage of your knowledge and ask you about what stands out most when it comes to the job that Marcus Freeman has done. You know, I think I was caught off guard when Brian Kelly left, and all due respect to a man who I've never met, Marcus Freeman seems like a lot more likable. It's a more likable Notre Dame football team. What stands out most about this building job that he's done.

A lot?

I think the reaction to Brian Kelly leaving and him stepping back into that Notre Dame locker room said that he was a player favorite, But hiring a player favorite is not necessarily a formula for success in college football succession. I think there was plenty of reason to question how he would sink or swim in this environment, and he's done nothing but thrive, and I give him a ton

I think that says a.

Lot about him individually and the personality that his team has adopted. I think Notre Dame has threaded the needle just perfectly between still being true to their roots but realizing that the NIL game is where the future is and if they want to play big boy college football, they need to not not just participate, but dominate it to the extent that they're able. And I never thought I would see a transfer portal era reach South Bend. It's so antithetical to what that institution has been all

Do you do you feel like Notre Dame is capable of winning it all this year? You know it from my vantage point JB. A lot of people who I respect and cover the sport have always talked about all your long, Ohio State's best being better than everybody else's best. It didn't manifest against Michigan, but ultimately they're.

Kind of rolling. What for your alma mater? What do you think? What do you think the ceiling is this year.

No, sure, I think any of the four teams has the potential to win it all.

I think for all.

That we I shouldn't say we, for all that some gripe about the first round of games, and we can talk about that too if you want. I think the final four are worthy and each of them, if they play to their highest potential, has every reasona believe that

Yeah, and you know, those of us that remember the PAC twelve years, certainly we'll always wonder what a team like Utah at their pe could have done in an expanded twelve team situation. But unfortunately, JB, let's move over to where we find ourselves here. And we did visit with you, I believe, once during the college football season.

Yeah, it's a fair question. It's probably one that I would be speaking out of turn two answer too definitively, not being as in the weeds as I once was. But you know how much faith I have in that leadership and the resources around that program and the commitment of the community to it. I very much agree with the sentiment you expressed that you know, had Utah as a pack champion been gifted not gifted, had earned the opportunity to host a first round playoff game, good things

Yeah, and to your point, only time will tell because there's still another transfer portal window that will open. And I mean, look, they could lose a ton of talent between now in the fall.

It is an exercise and futility.

But before we move on to the pros, you know, one of the conversations that we continue to have, not just here, but people across the landscape of college football media is.

What the future of the sport is going to look like.

With all of the lack of regulations, the NCAA is not even allowed to offer any sort of guidance or punishment. They have been told that that's not a thing that they're allowed to do anymore. They had decades to try to figure it out, but they couldn't. And ultimately a lot of people believe we are high speed ahad to a pro model. I feel like that would solve a lot of the problems that seem to play college football. You know, allow the players to unionize collectively, bargain. I

Well, I hope that college football can find it's Roger Goodell. And what I mean by that is, regardless of how you feel about that name and his role in the National Football League, college football desperately direly needs someone with the authority to say yes, no, maybe, And right now there just isn't anyone not in Indianapolis. Not at the NCAAA level, Like it's a bunch of college commissioners who

I do agree with that.

That's why I talk about the issues as often as I do, because I love the sport. We care about it here on our stay with both Utah and Berg of Young and want to make sure that everything is in place for it to continue to thrive. All right, As you know, we are the unofficial home of the Rams, the La Rams here in Salt Lakes, in off and tell you because mcveigh's my guy.

But look four or five to start the year, right.

I think a lot of people thought that this was going to be a rebuilding year, but here they are. Man, you guys won the division. You're going to the postseason no matter what happens over the weekend. How has coach McVeigh been able to pull this off after such a rough start to the year.

Yeah, I know this is what you meant by saying four of five, but let me just spell it out for the audience. He may just be going about their day not dialed into exactly what you said. There. They lost four of their first yes, you know, say for a walk off field goal against the San Francisco forty nine ers. They were dead in the water at their bye week, just like they were a year ago, three

Of course, you have a local player that we've been watching since he was fourteen year years old in pokin Akua, and some health issues early on, and then he came back and every single week you just kind of shake your head at what he's able to do. I think we all thought he had a chance to be a pro, But I don't think anybody thoughts that he was going to look and play like this week in and week out.

You're two for pooking a coup.

Yeah.

I don't know what higher praise I can give him, except he really improved from a record setting rookie season, and that's not easy to do when you go from a running mate of Cooper Cup who shines in his absence and thrives opposite him, to someone who is now getting the full force of every defensive scating report and coverage and you get better. That's a testament to who he is and the work that he put in to take that leap. And it doesn't come easily because of

So Vegas tells us that the Chiefs are still the favorite to win the Super Bowl, and you know, it has been a razor's edge for them, where on one hand, it's pretty remarkable to watch Patrick Mahomes kind of evolve into this intellectual quarterback and Andy Reid to just simply coach them to win games.

However they need to.

And on the other hand, you look around at the litany of talent and really good teams in Pro football and you say, can you survive that come playoff time? Do you think this is Kansas City's to win again for the third straight time?

Yeah?

Probably probably, But like I think last time, I ducked this question by saying, if you were to give me Kansas City or the field, I would want the field. What if I narrated a little bit and I said, just specifically to the AFC, would you rather have Kansas City or Buffalo and Baltimore? Can I? Can I take Buffalo and Ballimore? I think I'm wishing because I think either one of them that gets a shot at Kansas City has every reason to believe they can win that game.

What stands out most to you because as you know, as we've talked over the years. I'm a long suffering fan of the New York Jets. I do not have a question about the Jets. We're not going to waste our time. I am not going to waste my oxygen. But I will ask you about Sam Darnold, because over the past decade or so, every time the Jets have drafted a quarterback, Jack Sam was the only one where I said, Okay, that's the guy. And of course it didn't work, but you have to just I mean, it's

Is one of my favorites of the year. Give me your thoughts.

JB. Well and Kevin O'Connell was with the Rams when they won the Super Bowl, and he'll always be someone that I think very, verrely highly of, and he's someone that Sean McVay really entrusted, and I know what's happy to see get that opportunity. But Darnald's not exactly like Rock Purdy, right, this is not mister irrelevant. This is a number one pick. And whether he had to go through a couple of cycles of finding himself or finding the right circumstances, probably both. It's not like the guy

Before we set you loose, and again, your heart's with the Rams. Understand that, But the Lions have a litany amount of injuries, litany of injuries on the defensive side of football. Philly just seems to get in their own way with the locker room chemistry issues.

The Rams won five straight.

So I'm not saying that the Rams can't do anything special, because I'm sure they can. We've seen that coach, We've seen that team. Who's the team though that here's your peer in the NFC that you would be most afraid of. On the other side if you ran into.

Them, well, I think the raws nerve is probably Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles having done it in face to face at SOFI Stadium and it was just a total thorough beat down.

It was a blowout.

It was a low point and the season that had very few of them, so to the extent of Philadelphia doesn't have to leave their home stadium until a potential NFC championship game. They're the team man, both in terms of accomplishment and roster. I'll share something with you that Maurice Jones Drew said, you know, he walked down to the field before that game and he came back to

Great time of year, man, enjoy the call over the weekend. It's been a lot of fun. From one to four to for two division champs. Quite a story. So you know we're pulling for you, and I always appreciate the time.

Okay, think for an invitation and happy New Year. Tall to fighting Puka aa Kua's and those who love him in your zip could.

And there's plenty of them there. He is the great JB.

Long, the voice of the La Ram spent a number of years with the Pac twelve network, does college basketball for Turner and ESPN. Also does some football for the Big Ten Network. He is a busy guy and he's very talented. At JB Underscore Long is where you find him. All right, this is the final time you can play this well this college football season.

It's an excellent Bob.

But we do have a little votech football tonight. So some college football bowl season rolls along, so you got a little votech little Minnesota tonight. Some breaking news before we end the show. Jimmy Butler has been suspended for seven games for what's being characterized as conduct detrimental to the team. Now, you've been paying attention to the story, and I don't blame you if you have not been. The past couple of games, Jimmy Butler has been doing that thing where he's pouting.

And he refuses to shoot.

So Eric Spolstra has sat him in the fourth quarters over the past couple of games because he goes out there and he's not trying. He's clearly trying to force his way out of the Miami Heat organization.

We don't have time to unpack all of this today.

I'll just tell you this. It doesn't really behoove them to trade him. They maintain tremendous cap flexibility if they keep him and he leaves. And right now, who's going to trade a bunch of assets for a half year rental of an aging player. Jimmy's really good, and he always has been. But this is a guy that I don't know, man, whether it's Minnesota or Chicago, for whatever reason, every four or five years, he burns himself out of the situation he's in, or he just burns everybody else out.

Is the way I feel about this.

But the Phoenix Suns, among others, the Warriors probably would look at it because you want to make sure you're capitalizing on the final few years of Stephan Curry. But the Suns are a sieve right now. They have been playing horribly. Can't they can't stay healthy. I would imagine that Miami's gonna receive a bunch of phone calls.

But you do not mess with pat Riley.

You just don't.

And Jimmy Butler tried, and now he's been suspended for seven games. There All right, weekend time, are you biking or running anywhere?

Did you get all that out of your system?

Maybe not?

This weekend might take a take it easy. Obviously a lot of football to uh to watch, But yeah, I may, I may, I may rest a little bit on on that stuff.

All right, Jimmy Butler, do you think uh hm, like it does like they don't have to trade him, and it doesn't make sense for them to trade him, but he does seem to be he's a little bit Chris Polish like malcontent after four or five years and every stop, Yeah, I.

Mean it's it's it's been Chicago, it's Minnesota, it's Philly, it's it's it's here now. I'm always, I always have been a big fan of Jimmy Butler the player, But it does seem like at a certain point he just kind of gets bored almost and wants to move on. I thought I thought the Heat with Jimmy Butler were

If you're.

Chris Douhan, You're gone. It's it's it's uh, it's one where you mentioned it. They don't have many benefits to trading him, just based on where they're at. But maybe you get a flyer on a on a young player or somebody that that's trying to, you know, get that half year out of Jimmy Butler. Weird situation, but not that unexpected after the track record with Jimmy.

Quick shout out to Chris Duhan on a Friday.

I don't know why I threw that name.

It's a great example.

Duke University's on Chris Duhan played a number of years in the league. Good poll there, all right, so pro football, don't forget. On Sunday, we got a full slate of NFL action on the show. We got a little best of coming up a porter. What do we have come in our way? When life gets back to normal and we actually have a Monday show.

On a Monday show, of course, as we do each and every Monday, our NBA Daily Assists with our guy Tom Haberstrow will of course talk about that, the Jimmy Butler news and whatever else comes along on the NBA Weekend. Josh Furlong our Monday staple on the Utes and the latest in the college football world.

Omar Rui.

He stops by talking to NFL and Ryan McGee a ESPN. Of course, Ryan's on site for a lot of the college football playoff stuff and a lot of the big Bull games. So it'll be good to catch up with one Ryan McGee.

That'll be a great Monday show and join us for that, and with that will say good night for this Friday. The special thank you today to Stevenson, Sylvester, Chris Comrodnie, Tony Parks and JB.

Long.

Forey to sound you may have missed from the show. You can always head to the website. It's ESPN seven hundred sports dot com. Make sure to download our mobile app and take us on the go. It's the ESPN seven hundred app and that's available in the App Store or the Google Play Store. Then, finally, for what we do in our space every afternoon for four hours, check out our podcast page. It's called The Drive with Spence. Check its and that's available wherever you get your show. Subscribe,

He's Porter, I'm.

Spen saying tonight and for the final time, thanks to Larry David saying Happy New Year, have a great weekend, beget of yourself, beget to each other.

Toat you on Monday, right here on ESPN seven hundred