Football Fridays do every Friday right before Utah home games. The Smith's we're at today is on ninth and ninth. You can't miss us. We are right outside of the store. As soon as you pull into the parking lot, we're there giving away a Modello cooler. Now there are no modelas inside, so let's not get weird. But it is a very nice cooler. And we got a couple more pairs of tickets for the Smith's football tailgate prior to Utah Arizona Tomorrow night here in Salt Lake, eight fifteen
kick time, Aki Weather's seventy two degrees in Clare. It's going to be a beautiful night. Our next guest, one of our favorites, Top college Football with Buddy Max brown Back on the show Max Happy Friday. How you doing.
Buddy Fridays, Spence, I'd be looking forward to these segments. It's becoming a little reoccurring cadence to start the college football weekend for sure.
And always appreciate your time and you stop them by. And I believe we spoke to you a couple of
weeks ago and I asked you this question. I think I asked ten or fifteen college football guests the same, Is there any way Utah State can sneak their way into the PAC twelve And everyone said no, Well things change, Max, and we'll start with the news and the kind of the chaos between the PAC twelve and the Mountain West Conference and locally happy for Utah State if this is what they want to do to join the PAC twelve.
So give me your thoughts on the latest before we get to some actual games coming up.
Yeah, I was surprised that Utah State snuck the weare in there, and my first reaction was, you know why why only two three weeks later and not part of that initial initial batch.
And candidly, I haven't read all the nuances there, but I was surprised.
I thought Memphis's athletic director and his comments I believe it was yesterday, were pretty candid and basically he was like in so many words as basically it was a low ball offer from the PAC twelve, which I don't know what that means, but to me, if I was the PAC twelve, those are the types of schools that I'd be going after. The Memphis, the two Lane, the
even an app State or US. Up to some degree, it just feels like those are, you know, the best of the available school wolves about going into maybe the armed forces and whatnot.
But happy for Utah State.
I think the prospects of the PAC twelve, just getting one more team to get to that minimum barrier of eight looks a lot more promising.
And I think when you zoom out.
And see, you know, I called Oregon State's game Week one, and there was you know a lot of people that were if you were a betting man back then that would say, hey, Oregon State and Washington State would relegate down to the Mountain West. So the fact that that hasn't happened, I think is a huge win for Oregon State and Washington State. And think those programs have a lot to be excited about just giving the hand that they were dealt the past eighteen months or so.
So last week mac hw tagos to still Water and wins in a place where not many people do. My gun, he doesn't lose there, and that's a tough place to play. We were all once again doing the guessing game prior to kick, who's the quarterback? Who's the quarterback? Who's the quarterback? They run out and it's Isaac and he was fine, helped held himself together. They of course, relied on the ethos of what coach Wit wants them to do, which is run the football and played great, great defense, which
they did. It got a little loose late, but it was never really in danger. We'll get to some previews, but before we do, what were your main takeaways if Utah's went in Stillwater over Okay State.
Yeah, my main takeaway it was like, here we go again in terms of just from a national perspective, because obviously I'm not on the beat like you are with Utah, but here we go again in terms of Utah's top ten team in the country four and oh they went on the back of just a stout run defense. Quarterback play wasn't as it wasn't wasn't that pretty necessarily, but gets the job done. And I know, you know, the standard for Utah fans has been cam rise in the past couple of years.
But you know, I.
Always think back to when I was in college, when you're talking thirteen to sixteen, and you know, Utah had some struggles there a little bit at times finding quarterback play.
I remember, you know, the days of you know, Travis Wilson.
Coming along, but even before that or if he got banged up, like it was a grind there ati for Utah offensively, and here we go again in terms of on the back of your back, your defense, you shut down arguably one of the best running backs in college football completely in Oklahoma State team that's really good. And it just feels like, I mean, we'll see what happens tomorrow versus Arizona, because I think this is a potential get right game for not get right game, but a
response game for Arizona. But it just feels like Utah is waiting the shadows. No one's really talking about him from a national picture. If they can time it up with Cam Risey, maybe getting back at the right time, man, the youth could go on a run, which been on this show many times over the years where that's been the sentiment for sure.
And so let's move over to tomorrow night. And I understand your point about Arizona, you know, hoping to get right after they got smoked. But you know this, Max, Kansas State and Utah they want to do the same thing to you. They want to corner you, they want to bully you, they want to beat you up. And there's a lot to like about Arizona's skilled position players. I mean quarterback wide receiver one combo, one of the
best in the country. No one's disputing that, But I didn't see anything against k State that, in my mind, gives me confidence they can handle Utah's big dogs the physicality and if it is Isaac, And by the way, I'm just operating off the assumption that it is until it's not, I don't know what else to do at this point. You know, the line has been funky, Max. It started at eleven five, it moved up to twelve,
and now it's down to nine. So last week I talked about this on the show, because I think it was Thursday and night I signed off at six o'clock Mountain time, and Utah was I can't remember the exact number, but what I remember is the line swung towards Oklahoma State four and a half points over two hours, and so again on the air the next time. Like that means one of two things, Cam's not playing or a big wise guy Shark better put a bunch of cash down to move the line. And it turned out that
Cam didn't play. We have a line here that has moved three and a points, but it's slowly incrementally over the week, So I don't know if it means a camera's not playing, but I'm op with the assumption that it is. Isaac. Therefore my best guest, Max, and you'll be good with this, so I'll kind of see the time of you. Utah is gonna play Arizona the way k State did and the way Utah played Okay State last week, and I don't think physically Arizona's ready for that.
That's where I'm at with a match up where what's the Max Brown take.
I'm with you on the physicality standpoint.
I'm with you on the Utah taking a similar game plan and an identity to Kansas State. To me, the big difference with both those teams is the quarterback play for Kansas State and Utah respectively. Avery Johnson is one of the more you know, ascending quarterbacks in college football. I thought he had a really good game versus Arizona in terms of making uh picking up plays with his legs and coming up with just enough to keep the sticks moving. Isaac Wilson, I haven't seen that from Utah.
It's not been bad.
Per se, but it's been very just kind of middle of the road, just keep the keep the keep the boat a float kind of thing versus I do think Kansas they had a little bit more in that game.
But I'm with you.
I think you know Arizona and I said this the last time we spoke of Hey, they're top end talent.
They're noteworthy guys.
They're guys that you're talking about in the open. Those guys are really good. Those guys can hang with anyone in the conference. When you start tapping into their depth in the second half and the front seven defenders that they have, that's where it gets you know, That's that's where it gets tough. But I just think with all the proven production that they had coming back this line, at least what I'm looking at is twelve and a half.
I might be wrong there.
You know, that's a lot of points, especially for a Utah team. I don't think you're going to necessarily score going away.
Type of mentality.
I think Utah takes care of business. But from a line standpoint, I think I like Arizona to cover that one.
So you'll you'll take Arizona with the points against Utah. Yep, Okay, all right, all right? Yeah, we'll see. It'll be it'll be interesting, you know, because that line has moved. Trying to keep track of it's been a little bit chaotic, all right. So there's a chance Max that we well, we do have two top twenty five teams in our state now I have. It's just kind of the same
deal like you talk about Utah. Kyle's built more of a benefit of the doubt program where you just know what you get year and in year out, you just know what you get. It's been that way for a long long time. And Klane's trying to build what Kyle's already built. And I still have questions about BYU that I just don't about Utah, and it's it's not knocking on them, like you have to give him a ton of credit. They go three and zero last year to start things off, They get in a conference and it
just didn't go well. Now they still have not won a big twelve road game. So we'll get to Baylor in a moment. But Case State rolls in a provo last weekend and it was a perfect combination of great fortune for BYU and then to credit BYU them taking advantage of the hand that they had been dealt, so I'm not diminishing the start, but they only had two hundred and nine yards of offense and Case State really kind of gashed him on the ground for the most part.
But nonetheless, that's a massive win over a top fifteen team in Case State. It's the largest margin of victory for a BYU team when playing a top fifteen team. So I'm not diminishing any of it. I just still have questions. But let's start with BYUK State. What stood out most to you about that win?
Probably the offense, especially given up the offense didn't do much two.
Weeks earlier versus SMU.
I called the SMU game last week versus TCU, and SMU is a good.
A good squad. They're a fully capable offense, and the BYU defense showed up on the road that game.
And you mentioned maybe no on the road big big twelve win yet, but that was the on the road acc win that I thought was impressive SMU a couple of weeks earlier, and to then to do it two weeks later against the top twenty five team in a different fashion, that to me is a sign of a great football team when you can win win in different ways. I'm with you, though, I think there's a lot more to be uh, you know, there's a lot more to
see with this BYU squad. But yeah, I know last week when we're talking betting lines and whatnot, that was my favorite line of the week I picked BYU to cover. I didn't have them win an outright, but they were getting what they were double digit dogs or maybe seven point dogs night game in Provo. Man, I've seen that story before. They took care of business and that the
blowing away fashion was a surprise to me. But the fact that BYU was competitive in that game and a tough, tough environment in Provo not a surprise to me at all.
But don't sleep on that SMU win too. I think SMU is going to sneak up on some people in the ACC.
Yeah, and I'm you know, really coming along to believe that b YU, I'll say today, is a lot better than any of us expected, including myself. Vegas over under four and half. I picked them to win six media picks them to win, you know, thirteenth in the Big twelve media poll and that's clearly, at least as of now,
a miscalculation. But let's move over to Baylor. You know, Dave Randa, who did some coaching in States, clearly as a guy that has some serious questions to answer if he's going to stay employed before the end of the season. And Baylor was here and their offense and look every time on offense rolls into Salt Lake, I'm like, yeah, the offense didn't look great. And I'm like, well, yeah, they played against Utah's defense. So Utah's defense did to Baylor what they're gonna do to a lot of teams.
But I didn't see a whole lot that I was impressed with BYU. One thing I will tell you, Max is that defense is for real. Jay Hill's second season, Klonie's the head coach. They bring in some transfers, some of the players who decided to stay, Tyler Bowdie and others clearly put in work. I don't think Baylor's going to be able to move the ball on him. I could be wrong, but it is a brunch in Waco situation. And BYU has lost their last ten day games to f BS opponents, and they have not won a big
twelve road game. Baylor's getting three as of now. Here's the way I'll frame the question, what do you need to see from BYU tomorrow against Baylor to indicate that the questions that you have have been answered and we have to say next week when on air this team is for real.
It's a good question.
Probably more explosion through the passing game or just bigger plays in general.
Like here, here's what I know about BYU. I know they're going to be a veteran team.
Their defense is going to be stout, especially in the run game.
They're not.
I don't.
I don't think BYU is going to get out physical completely in a game that I don't worry about.
I worry about it because becomes a close game and they're not able to, you know, have the security blanket of staying on schedule and having runs that they can get to. Can their quarterback, can you win on the right arm of your signal caller? And that to me would be the big moment. And especially you know when you're playing a team like Baylor. You know they put up thirty one points last week, but even passing yards like they want to be explosive.
If this game's close.
At all, I think the half Baylor would have to unlock a lot more in the passing game. But I just think ultimately for BYU to be in that conversation of hey, they can ultimately can tend for a Big twelve championship or even be in that conversation, I gotta see a full notch more production at the quarterback spot because ultimately, you know, to be eligible, that's one thing, but to be the championship classification, you got to have
more production of the quarterback spot. That's what I'd be looking for.
K State host Okay State. So the two teams at U y U and Utah beat a week ago, we'll meet in Manhattan. Kansas State a five point five point favorite. As of now, Oklahoma State is given the second most explosive plays in college football. That defense is not good. And what I've seen from Imax and obviously I'll see to you is everyone stack in the box and Oli Gordon has no space and whatever quarterback Mike Kunda uses
cannot help their running back out. I don't know that I'm as high on them, certainly as I was to start the season. They are on the road to take on k State as a dog. How do you see it playing out in Manhattan, Kansas?
I see it being a physical game.
Yeah, I mean you talk about two teams that, I mean, we're right in the top of the Big twelve conversation.
I guess still are. Both have to respond this.
Week to get the trajectory of their program back on track. I just think again, I go back to Avery Johnson, Kansas State's quarterback. I think his ability on third down, especially when you're behind the sticks, for his legs to be a factor.
I don't think.
Oklahoma outside of the defense and that he can take advantage of. I don't think Oklahoma State has enough at the quarterback position to come up with enough big plays to put up points and put up yards. I think Kansas State takes care of business. I'm buying the hype of Avery Johnson. I don't think he's a top five quarterback in the country right now, but I do think when you look forward to next year in progressing is
a much younger much he's a younger quarterback. I think they have every reason to be excited, but I'm with you. The blueprint on stopping Oli Gordon, Oklahoma State's running back, is very clear. Stop the box force Oklahoma State's quarterback, whether it's Alan Bowman or someone else to beat you on the outside, and even if they do come up with the catch, here there to Shaun stribbling out wide if that happens. Like I think the mentality for a
defense is sweet. You can have one of those, but at the end of the day, when you get in the red zone and you have to go back to Ali Gordon, we can stop you. And I think that plays right into Kansas State's hands. I think the Wildcats get it done.
So to start the year, you know, we get the Big Twelve schedule and then we start to learn a little bit more about the teams, and it became pretty clear that Utah was a little bit fortunate with the way their schedule laid out. Most metrics have Utah with one of the easier schedules in the Big Twelve. But a lot of people are saying, okay, still Water, that's a really big game, right and then you know, of
course the Rabbitie game is always tough. I look at that UCF game, Max, It's the final game of the season for the Utes. It's in Orlando. It's on November the twenty ninth. Utah's love Orlando. There'll be plenty of youth fans there. I can promise you that, and we have an interesting game in Orlando this weekends. Colorado, who pulled off a miracle to take care of their game against Baylor, will be at UCF. UCF to me, I mean obviously a coaching staff with incredible pedigree, but that
run game is difficult. I don't think Colorado matches up with them physically, but that's kind of a sneaky game. And I also want your thoughts on what you've seen so far from UCF and if you think they can actually make some noise in the conference.
Yeah, it's a fascinating game. I feel like a bunch of this call. We've been talking about styles for teams. In the style of UCF versus Colorado could not be more different. Colorado is very much I've used the line they're an air raid team without an air raid playbook.
I think they want to pass.
They want to pass every down and they just run when they absolutely have to. It feels like UCF, on the other hand, totally different story. Their quarterback kJ Jefferson. He's huge, He's all of two hundred and fifty pounds plus, it looks like and they ask him to run and it's not a vast passing attack.
And you know they're they're they're running a bunch and he.
Has like throws on the outside a little bit, but it's all off of the run game. This UCF defensive line too. When I called the tc UMU game last week, Sonny Dike's TCUs head coach was given a bunch of love to the UCF d line, saying, hey, we're sleeping on from a national perspective, we're sleeping on what UCF can bring to the table there.
So I like the Knights.
I think this is a super interesting matchup. I also love Shader Sanders' grittiness. I think he is toughness, his ability to stand in the pocket, and I know he's an easy guy to kind of hate on and whatnot. But the conflicting styles is fascinating to me. And from a Utah lens, when you talk about, hey, what they have coming down the pipeline, that's an interesting question, like would you rather have a UCF team that prides themselves on physicality? Well, if you're Utah, great, we pride ourselves
on physicality, bring it. Or does a team like Colorado that's going to spread the ball around and have weapons on the outside. And if you catch him waking up on the right side of the bed one day and they can put up a bunch of points, does that give you more fear? I don't really know the answer to that. I think you can hang with both. But
it's a fascinating conversation. I think a matchup UCF versut Colorado with Utah playing both of them at some point they're in there with the remaining games, it's a fascinating identity matchup for Utah.
All right. As you and I have talked about before, I'm always just a little gun shy and hesitant when folks talk about usc is this usc is that I'm not saying they're bad, but more often than not, they're one of the brands that gets the benefit of the doubt. In my opinion. Notre Dame does too. And look, they were at the Big House and Michigan decided to revert back to who Michigan is, and I actually it was a little bit deceiving because Michigan had a bunch of
chunk plays on the ground. Defensively, they're better, they just are, and I think they are improved year over year. They're a big favorite against Wisconsin at home. So your thoughts on the Southern Cal loss and how do you think they bounce back against the Badgers.
My first thought is not even extras and o's are on field related.
I just feel like this USC team.
Is as and I'm not in the locker room obviously, but I listened to all the pressers and obviously stay in the loop with the program.
I feel like it's just as.
Close knit of a team as Lincoln Rally as certainly as Lincoln Rallies had, but even in recent memory, towards the end of the Clay Heldon era and in today's day and age of college football, where it's a bunch of transfer portals, and usually at USC, it's a bunch of big names, which naturally can lead to clicks within the locker room and things of that nature.
And I think that's one of the challenges of the USC.
Job, is building a culture and building a true program when you're in a big city and a transfer portal and it's a bunch of hype and all that. And I give that context because I really get the.
Sense of this team is close knit. I think they respond.
I think they walk away from that Michigan game with a chip on their shoulder. I thought Lincoln Rally's line was spot on of you know, defensively, it felt like they won.
Eighty five percent of the reps.
But it was just those handful of chunk run plays that got away from them. I think, I mean Michigan, Michigan earned those, but it did feel a little bit like, hey, those got away from Like the USC was right there and it just got away from them a little bit.
So I expect USC to respond. I think this is a really good football team. Whether they are.
Great and can get into the elite category, obviously they have work to do. I just felt like a week ago for if you're Michigan man, that felt like the perfect.
Storm for Michigan.
You did just enough offensively, You came up with the big turnovers things of that nature. You expose some inexperienced offensive tackles for USC on the road.
I expect those tackles to settle in a little bit.
I think that's gonna be the achilles tool for USC all season long, is the offensive line. But I think what we saw versus Michigan is as bad as it's gonna get. And you still had offensive production from the passing attack, so I expect usc to respond. It's a lot of points to cover, but that's a tall task for Wisconsin.
All right, before I say you loose, the eyes of college football will be on Tuscalooci this weekend, where for the first since two thousand and seven, Bama is a home underdog. You have experience watching Kaalen Debor coach and coach at a high level and beat other really good coaches like Dan Lanning twice. I know folks down south are still very much in the wait and see mode. I don't know, man, Bama is an underdog at homes, a line that kind of intrigues me a little bit.
Of course, on the other side is Georgia the number two team in the country. How's it go down this weekend? And top five matchup down in Tuscaloosa.
I'll stay on the theme of different styles. I mean, I feel like the average college football fan kind of groups Alabama and Georgia stylistically in the same bucket.
Offensively, they're completely different. Alabama wants to be more wide open, use the explosiveness of Jalen Millroe, both with his legs and the vertical passing game, and Georgia much more conservative.
Both these quarterbacks are going to be in NFL conversations this offseason.
A lot of people have.
Carson Beck, Georgia's quarterback, as the top quarterback.
I'm not there yet.
I don't think he's asked to do nearly as much as some of the other quarterbacks towards the top of the draft. But Georgia is very much a you know, let's run it, let's play action. And that Kentucky game a couple of weeks ago, Kentucky had the right run game, defensive game plan that totally stopped that Georgia offense. And I don't think Georgia has the ability to adapt and really get into a game. Playing in the thirty and forty point category versus Alabama, That's what I think they
want to be. They want to use that explosiveness, so big plays in the Alabama offense starts becoming a thing.
I like the tides chances. If it becomes a grimy game.
A punch in the mouth kind of game, that's what Georgia wants, then I Likeegi's Georgia's chances. But it wouldn't surprise me if we when NFL Draft season rolls around, if we circle back to.
This game and this Saturday as.
A big talking point, not only for Carson Becks. If they get it done and he shows up with some big time throws, that'll be a talking point.
If Milrow he balls out in this game, this could.
Be a game we point to, Hey, we turned the page and rather than Jaylen Milroe just being a good college quarterback, he bawls out on Saturday, I think the conversation of him potentially being in an NFL prospect could come about.
Max. Thanks, my friend. I appreciate it will be a great weekend at college football and we'll get you back on again soon. Thanks for the time, buddy, It'll be fun.
Thanks for having me all right.
Max Brown he's the league college football analyst over the CW. He was with the Pac twelve network for a number of years and that's how we got to know Max. And he's a really good kid, really good college quarterback back in his day, releases a lot of like college football content. If you're a TikToker, I'm not. If you are, he's on TikTok. He is on Twitter, Instagram at Max Brown four is where you find him.