Final day.
That's it.
Today's the last day you're allowed to say Happy New Year. Remember that we adhere to the gospel of Larry David on the show. So I'm gonna 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 to see you 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, Stephens 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 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 Mexico 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, you had to 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 some amazing songs. The vibe was awesome. There were so many people there. Everybody was getting in the mix. 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 her 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 that.
Oh 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.
Stuff wasn't a thing. The reasons why they probably couldn't have called it because his face was up right, it was like face to him. But per the definition of what we've been able to or been privy to and experienced, very subjective in my conference meetings on how the officials actually officiated, and all depends on the crew that day, which is bizarre. It's not a universal thing. But helmet to helmet con intact on a defenseless receiver is targeting period.
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 determine it. 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 by 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 and so like that's just it right there, and so like I hate
you know, kirkirk Street. 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 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, prove that the Big Twelve is worthy 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 Gobec. 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 at 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.
Okay, 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 an 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. I absolutely loved that game. But you know, now you have Notre Dame who had to play Indiana
and then goes on to play Georgia. I think this is wide open, right, And I'm a big proponent and looking at matchups as matchups, right, Not necessarily your rec especially in the playoffs, throw your record out the door, Throw the statistics out the door. They may help you in certain situations as far as the outcome of the game. The playoffs, it's all about grit and who could come
with it. You could have a lowly second team guy who gets a start and has the game of his career and he ruins it for the other team, right, the guy that you didn't scout. These are the type of games. Playoffs is all about matchups and who aligns right. Right if Ohio State meets a good team that has a and the credible defense as far as like Penn State or even the way Notre Dame played the other day, like who knows what can happen? 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 and that Kansas loss at home where you hang thirteen, I mean, that's the one that's
gonna 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. But you feel like if BYU was allowed entrance to this twelve team CFP, that they would have showed they measured up to the best teams in the country.
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 or you know, a muff 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 Brettslov 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, That's why, like you know, coaches with motivation when we're getting warmed up and getting ready for the game, they say, have a day, right, Like make sure today's your day to have a day, so any it could be anybody's day. That's why I'm not giving Ohio State the clean track to the to
the national championship. 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 call 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 ls 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 ego 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 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 man 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 the great season this year, right like Cam Rising, took a lot of the reps this offseason and none of our backups did. And we saw what happened right the year before buy you had tons of quarterback issues. You didn't know if it was gonna be Keaton Slovas or one of the other guys.
But you know, you see what happens when you have a stable quarterback throughout the entire year. And so you know, I'd love to go into a good situation. That's what Kilani's building down there. He's got great head coaches that don't seem like they're gonna retire or move on anytime soon. He's got great relationships and what I hear over and over and over again from guys that I talk to, I see all the Utah guys that coaching down there, and I'm like, I hate to see you in this color.
This is disgusting, literal hate. I said that to Siony 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 your top 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 progressing.
It hasn't been it hasn't been quick. So nobody can look at BYU and say like, oh, this happened over light Like Claut 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 uh 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 action 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, 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.
You know, since I've been starting my brand line of Utah Man brand line is I've been talking to all of these former players from Coach Wit to Morgan's Galley, Sharif Shaw, Luther Ellis, Eric Weddle, Alex Smith, and Rod McBride said it the best I think, And he's just like a Utah Man is all about investment, right, you got to invest in this program from the good and bad. Ron McBride said, I've been invested in this program since the seventies. My family's been invested in this program since
the seventies. And anybody that leaves the program do they really do they really showcase investment And it's not right. And so yes, Ken Tom Voss is very articulate. Right, I've interviewed him. You guys have heard him. He's great. He's a young guy. So you know, young decisions. I can't say that I was seventeen eighteen years old and I'm 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 and 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, he got his starting job back. That showed investment and loyalty from the Utah spart to give to him at that point, right, and then on top of that, after he was injured, he got his job back. But like I don't know, just the whole the whole deal just stunk up the joint. 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 beliefs 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 I'm not begrudging anybody for their God or how you want to live your life with religion. But it does seem like SLA a lot of these at 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 the 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
segment into all that money goodness. I think that when you start using you know, the Lord's name and all these different capacities, that doesn't really fit the Lord's plan. 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 in il time, this is transport portal 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 coming freshman and transfer portal editions. 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 in 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 and new era of football nowadays, and the way he ran New Mexico last year. It gives me a lot of excitement. Right, you gotta 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 an 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 be this recruiting staff. You got to continually recruit, right. These guys are in the program right now. Who says that they won't be in the program and the next transfer portal opening right? Uh. So it's just 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 more. 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 is RPO game. I was watching the Ravens game the other day, of course, and they beat the Steelers. But the offensive sets that they do in that, I hope Jason Beck is paying attention to that because I think Dan Pierre could use that like crazy. It's awesome the way that they use their offense. So just pay attention to to Baltimore here in these playoffs and watch their offensive sets, watch how they cute and
how they get the defense vulnerable and confused. I think if we can do that with Devin Dan Pierre, I think Utah is going to be dangerous man. And what Utah has been missing is what I want to say, is that offensive energy, right. I think the defense has always had that with Morgan Scalley. So hats off to Morgan for always keeping the defense on that attack with those three and outs and getting the offense the ball back. I just want our offense to score forty plus points
a game. And if I can get Jay, if we sorry, if we can get Jason Beck to have that mentality of I gotta score forty or else it's or else. We we didn't accomplish our goal, then I think Utah is going to be dangerous a couple of minute. 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 competency on offense. We're going to be a dangerous, dangers football team in the whole NCAA.
I like the optimism, Slie. 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's 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.