TUE POD @SpenceChecketts on CFB Countdown, Utes/Cougs/Big 12, Jazz Offseason moves + more

Said twenty five days to kick up for Utah football right here on your Home of the U CSPN seven hundred and ninety two to one FM presented by Outlaw Distillery.

All Right, what's going on? Drive time Tuesday afternoon. We're looking at about thirteen minutes past the hour of two o'clock ninety two degrees hot and sunny here in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, on this August Tuesday afternoon. And as it is every single day, it's good to have you along for the ride.

Spence Check, It's beyond the Mike, Porter.

Larsen, behind the Glass jam Pack Tuesday Show, good guest list on tap while college Football Conversation. As we are just over three weeks away from the start of the season for the University of Utah, Week zero will take place before that, and college football essentially is here as your home of the Untons will have the best coverage of Utah football all year long. As Camp Kyle rolls along Week two, up on the Hill for the Utes and down South, BYU continues to look for their quarterback

So Kevin Young continues.

To build his staff and year one for Alex Jensen of the Big Twelve.

What's that going to look like?

Of course, a lot of college football, but we are right on the precipice of college basketball as well. Offseason NBA stuff pretty quiet as of now. That certainly could change, as we saw not too long ago when the Jazz decided to move on from the group that brought us a really funny nine year stretch with Donovan, Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. I think Donovan was traded in September, if I remember correctly, and Bogdanovich was traded even after that. So not a lot of NBA off season stuff, But

Do on the program today.

Some contract news in the world of pro football that we'll get to. Williams gets a three year, thirty three million dollar extension with the Rams. Teddy Bridgewater's on his way to Tampa Bay. So little NFL offseason news on the program today from a local standpoint. RSL is back in action tomorrow. Midweek clash in the League's Cup. I think it's the League's Cup, Nations Cup, whatever. It is a lot of cups in that sport, and then back to MLS play on Saturday in New York and Pablo

He's a fascinating dude, so we'll bring him in today.

And then it's our weekly conversation with Richard Smith forty years with.

The Jazz front office.

We'll talk some NBA offseason and the approach of the NBA season is actually also on tap, Kyle Bondager, A, Spencer Letton, Dave bar two, Richard Smith, Me, Spence Check. Its all of you, the great listeners, and that guy Porter Larson on a Tuesday afternoon. The headband Look. I'm a proponent of the headband look. Is this a new thing for you?

So?

Oh no, just tune into YouTube.

I just forgot my hat at the studio and you can watch this hippie, this dirty hippie produce my show today.

What's what's the motivation for the headband? Looked at it. I just forgot the hat.

I'm if you're if you'll if you see me like not here, probably wearing the headband because I have too much hair usually have like a hat or I don't know, something else on didn't bring it. So yeah, I got the headband. Sorry, Jim, Jim gear I guess wait.

A second, we have some breaking news.

So the Utah Jazz just traded for George Niang. Ooh, that's big, that's blockbuster. The mini van comes home.

Some breaking news to start things off on a Tuesday, Shams tweets out the Boston Celtics. There's our cheesy breaking news sounder. Budget issues have forced us to use a corny breaking news sounder. Accordion to Sham Sharati from ESPN, the Boston Celtics are trading George Niang and two future second round picks to the Utah Jazz for R. J. Lewis Junior. The Celtics ultimately are punting on this season.

The mini van returns to Salt Lake City.

According to Shams, the salary goes into the John Collins trade exception, and they also get two additional draft assets, and the move allows the Celtics to have more salary relief below the second apron. So the Jazz get George Niang, who is a great guy but not a great basketball player, and a couple more second round picks to add to that treasure trove of draft assets that they have at their disposal. Now the challenge is to turn those draft picks into good basketball players.

Breaking news. There you go, there's your analysis.

So opening tip time on the program, we're going to bring in Kyle bond Gera Today, Top college football, Spencer Lytton, Dave bar Two, Richard Smith. It's unexpected, breaking news that George Nihang is coming home.

The minivan returns to Salt Lake City.

The Jazz had that trade exception with the John Collins situation, so they'll absorb George's salary into that and then get a couple of more second round picks to add to the treasure trove of draft capital they have.

So there you go.

Certainly not the way I plan on starting the show today, and it's certainly not groundbreaking.

We'll get Smithy's take on this coming up in.

Just a little bit, But yesterday was the release in the world of college football of the Coaches Pool, of the APE Coaches pol, the USA Today Coaches Poll. We talked about this during cross Talk with Sean Today. As it is early August, it is ranking season, its pole season,

So I don't really know what to make of it.

Next week, so six days from today, the AP pole will come out, and at least the Apeopole, for the most part, involves media members that actually study these things, media members that actually pay attention. Of course, the landscape of college college football has changed quite a bit, with most teams having roster changeover of forty to fifty sixty, sometimes more than that seventy percent Utah State with a

Both sides of the ball.

But the fact of the matter is the coaches aren't necessarily dialed into this thing, so it is fodder for conversation, and it certainly is proof that college football is right around the corner. So BYU at twenty three in the AP pol, which I found somewhat interesting. I think it's certainly indicative of the overall scope of the program Klonie is built, and then the team actually being pretty stacked

Of variance because ultimately nobody knows.

As I say, every single year, the first three or four games of the college football season for me observation, not conclusion.

I need at least three or four games. Now. The tricky, both the tricky and the exciting thing.

About college football is it is the ultimate sprint.

I think it's what makes it as popular as it is.

Even at the NFL as it has expanded its calendar, you know, you get four or five more games and pro football college football you got to hit the ground running.

So for Utah, you.

Know, I think it'll be more applicable to kind of analyze who they are after the non con is behind them, because it's kind of a soft non con for the Utes this year at the Rose Bowl against UCLA, twenty five days away home against cal Poly where cal Poly receives a check in exchange for those poor kids get to get their heads kicked in. Then on the road at the Porter Larson Memorial at Wyoming. Are you still planning on taking that road trip to Laramie to see the Wyoming game?

Absolutely? Da God bless you.

At least it's early September, so you won't be freezing, and hopefully no, hopefully no Wyom fans throw human feces at you.

It's a real thing that happens up there. I know it has happened. Hopefully it happens consistently.

But with the utes, I think probably after the Texas Tech game here in Salt Lake than on the road

You got to get your feet wet.

So for BYU, their conference schedule begins at Colorado after their East Carolina road trip, then they get West Virginia at home, then they're at Arizona before hosting Utah.

So preseason polls are preseason polls, that's all it is.

It gives you some conversation and some fodder topically, some things to discuss. I will be interested to see where both these two teams come in with the eight people and then the rest of the Big twelve as well, because the Big twelve is not getting a ton of

It's Utah Baylor in that.

Kind of in that area, So we'll see the once conference play begins, once the non conness behind us, will kind of have a better idea of exactly what sort of situation is in front of us. If you missed the breaking news, the minivan is on its way back to Salt Lake George Niang has been traded to the Utah Jazz by the Boston Celtics along with two second round draft picks. So we have some NBA content to

How are you?

I'm doing great, Spence are you?

I'm well? So let's start with your new project.

And I recall hearing about this, but now as a result of you know, I read the entire piece that you and Adam did this morning. When I saw you were going to be on I pulled this up. So Paul Wolfe's mother, of course, Paul was the head coach of Washington State for a number of years. Dolores Wolf disappeared in July of nineteen seventy nine, and it is quite a fascinating story that I'm not sure how many

Yeah, no, thanks for willing to chat about it. We're really excited about the project. So I think the most obvious place to start, just for your listeners is that Paul wolf is now the head coach at cal Poly who Utah will will host its first home game this year. So a little bit of a Utah youth connection for fro from the jump here. So in twenty twenty, Adam and I were kind of, you know, going through the

Paul Wolfe and it's it's something about his mother, and so he's like, hey, this is kind of interesting. We should we should look into this. And so the short version is that when Paul.

Wolfe was was twelve years old.

He's the youngest of four children. One night, his mother disappeared, never was seen or heard from again. Almost immediately, his father was telling.

Both him and his other brother who was still living at the house, that she was she was gone, and she was never coming back. It emerged very quickly that he was the primary suspect in her disappearance. But three number of factors, you know, they weren't able to ever prosecute him. He's never you know, never never went before a jury to face any charges. But you know, it really impacted the trajectory of his life.

Of course, right he moves out of his house and his dad. He effectively lost both parents when this happens, is raised by his aunt and uncle, a really fascinating uncle who's had a crazy military career that we get

As Jane does sixteen, was in fact his mother. It's a crazy story.

We wrote about it in twenty twenty twenty one for ESPN where we kind of outlined the whole process and there was a lot of just wild stuff that happened. There's just too much to get into, but like it was the most incredible story that Adam and.

I heard had ever worked on.

And so we published the story. It was very much through the lens of Paul and this coach, it is in the ESPN story, but there was so much more to it that we couldn't get into in our story.

Yeah, it's a gripping story.

I mean, the written portion that I read starts out with Paul as a young man, and the way you framed it was great because it was just one of those things that the grips you to the point where you want to read the entire thing. In March of eighty five, Paul, who was eighteen, had been summoned to a meeting to confront the suspect in his mother's murder, and then you revealed that the suspect is his father.

You know, I think it's it's foundational and who he became as a person.

Right.

You can't live through something as traumatic as that and not having any impact to you, like to your war, right.

And I think it started and I talked a lot.

About this with Paul over the years. You know, he moved in with his uncle and aunt who I mentioned earlier, this guy who was a Vietnam that a really interesting guy who we have a whole episode devoted to, Like his military career is just crazy. That's episode four us

Kids over the course of his life in this community.

And being raised by someone like that after you know, after the separation of his immediate family, the guy kind of stepped in as his protector at a time when he really needed it. Right, those are foundational years for anyone, right, but for someone who's twelve and goes through what he went through, now this is the mentor figure.

You know.

He treated Paul like a son who was a better father than his actual father had ever been. And so I think he heavitated towards coaching and being around the team and having that camaraderie. And then I think what kind of stands out to me after talking with Paul about it, is like, look, he's very he feels like he can really relate to a lot of what these kids are going through and have the perspective of, like, football is very important, right, That's why they're all there.

And so I think all of those elements that he went through, like he like, formed him and allowed him to kind of have those deeply personal relationships with all of his players and coaches.

So one of the well, several interesting portions of this, But the connection about his mother's body having been found was made by a lady named Stacy Sherman who was looking for additional victims of the Golden State Killer, a man named Joseph James DeAngelo, who was arrested in twenty eighteen on eight counts of murder. Were there, ever, any other suspects outside of Carl Paul's father or did this appear to be Okay, this is just one person and we just don't have enough evidence to pin him down.

Yeah, it was very clear to anyone who was around then, and we did extensive interviews with the investigator at the time, the district training at the time, lots of family members, like many many hours like kind of looking into that possibility, and like everyone knew, the community knew, the family knew, the police knew, the district attorney knew, everyone knew who

It was really just.

A technicality that let him walk and that's why he never never faced justice.

One portion also alludes to the fact that Carl Paul's father tried to come back into his life later on, when Paul was a college football player and a coach. Did that connection ever manifest anything lasting. Was Paul ever open to trying to have a relationship with his father when he tried to come back into his life.

No, So like the last time they ever they ever met or they ever spoken person was in nineteen I believe, nineteen eighty eight. And so Paul is a player at Washington State and it might be in the year's rock, but that the story is the same, Like did they had played Ucla? Ucla was the number one.

Team in the country at the time. Washington State was a middle of the team went to the Rose Bolt and beat Ecla. Upset the number one team in the country. Big deal, right obviously for Paul, for the team, all of that, And outside the locker room.

After the game, his dad was there.

He had come to the game.

He wanted to see him, and so Paul, you know, gave him a couple of minutes and saiday, it's probably not a good idea for you to be here. A lot of his you know, friends and family were there, and he was persented Mangrad around the family.

It was like, basically, you need to leave, and he's like, well, I want to have more to do with you in your life, and Paul's like, look and tell you, tell me more about what happened to my mother. We're not going to have a relationship. And that was the last

You referenced the uncle who does manifest himself throughout the written portion of what I've read here as a very very interesting, interesting I Slick was his nickname, and you know, he and others were pretty hell bent on making sure that Karl did not enjoy his existence at all, even while he was a free man. Can you elaborate on some of the things that they did to him to just dry Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely, And this is some of my favorite part of the of the story. And we have got a couple of episodes devoted to this stuff. So episode three will be basically all the all the stuff they did to this man crazy and drive him out of town. And the fourth episode is basically a you know, we profile Slick and he's just incredible. We spent some time with him at his apartment. He's telling us wild stories.

They would write like murder on his garage, on his garage door, and animal blood. They would throat dead animal carcasses on his on his lawn of his property. They would chase him out of grocery stores, they would stalk him around town. At one point there was a jar of urine that they threw through his living room window into his into his house. I mean, they really they

What they were doing just intimidating this man. But again, like everyone knew he was responsible for her disappearance and likely her murder at that time. So the police in town basically looked the other way and let them kind of have their way with this guy, because you know, they felt, you know, like the police in the small town felt like this guy should face justice, and if this is all they're going to be able to do, then they were kind of happy to look look the

Then we get into that in the pod.

He was someone who before the Vietnam War had really broken out into a full scale war, was in the one hundred and first Airborne did Theysion of the Army and had been parachuting in under the cover of darkness, you know, assassinating enemy years before the war had broken out. He was killing people with his bare hands. This is I guess maybe a little violent disclaimer here, Like there was like a lot of stuff that was really graphic that he described with us, and we get into that

And he did that.

He did all this like in like he was conditioned to believe it's in service of the country.

Right.

You can understand this is the fifties, right, that's that's like what he was assigned to do, right, And so he executed the cast that he was told to do, but still took a real toll on him. And what he told us is that or he told his son, is that he would have to get work himself into a frenzy to be able to do these, like these

And it was tough because he he.

Told us, and this is all laid out in the interview, is like he thought about, you know, exacting revenge on him and told a few graphic stories about plans they had to to torture Carl wolf and get some answers out of him. He decides ultimately not to go through that because he made the choice to raise Paul Wolfe and his brother. It was a real kind of inflection point in all of their lives. But it was like morally, he always he felt like he was kind of sealed.

Last thing on this, Kyle.

Then we'll do a couple of other things for us that you lose, As if losing your mother allegedly at the hands of your father as a young man wasn't enough of a tragedy to handle throughout one's life. Paul Wolfe was handed another very, very tough blow as his wife Tammy, in nineteen ninety seven, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was given three to five years to live, and she later on passed in March of two thousand

You know, you know, he's really like I think, because he had such a high profile stint at Washington State that did not go well, right, They had the record, His record there was not good. It was historically bad in fact, but I think like he was so hardened by these scenes that he had gone through his life that just the fact that he was able to become a head coach at Easter Washington. It was the head coach at his own alma mater, where he tried to

He got there. They didn't really have a chance. But I think a lot of people just formulated their opinion based on those years and the win loss right, and you didn't hear about what.

This guy had had gone through getting to that point, right, And so I gained a ton of respect for Paul over the last several years getting to know him and learning about him and his family. They have, everything they went through and how they banded together. The story is really it's just it's a true crime story. It's a

Opportunity to try to make the best of a of a cool situation down there at Cupola.

It's the best way for people to find the pod. Kyle.

Yeah, so it just called The Unforgotten Season three, Finding the Worst Wolf. It's anywhere you know, It's on all the podcast platforms, so anyone who's who's into the podcast scene should have no trouble finding it. I've tweeted a little bit about it, kind of broke out of my Twitter hibernation to promote it a bit. So they just want to find me on Twitter. He can easily navigate. But yeah, The Unforgotten Finding the Worst Wolf. Any googling, any searching, should should be pretty easy to Fine.

There you go.

All right, let's move over to the Coach's bull that was released yesterday. My question is how much stock should anybody put into this? How serious of an endeavor is this for any college football coach?

Yeah?

Deeply, like deeply unseerious, Like if if you're like, if there's twenty five teams ranked, or forget how many actually voting members there are, like how many actual coaches voted? Like the percentage is very low. It's a lot of sids, like staffers, assistance, those sorts putting it together, and a lot of them are just looking at way too early lists and using that as a starting point, making a

Football are a right, let's let's se where it moves.

And but it's like at the end of the year and it's like nowhere near right, It's always going to be a lot different, I think in like in this era too, it's so much harder to predict it. College wole has always been hard to kind of project, what, you know, a top twenty five, But now with all the transfer stuff, no one knows anything. No one's ever known anything. But now it's it's really thrown, you know, your blind pulded throwing darts here. But you know it's good.

Years ago, because the conversation that you and I are having on air now often you know, kind of transpires where talking heads wonder whether or not any coach actually takes this endeavor seriously or if they even fill out their polls. So I texted an in state coach a few years ago, and I told him it would be off the record. So I've never brought his name on air, and I said, have you ever done this before?

And if so, how serious do you take it? He said, I haven't done it once.

You have you had any conversations with coaches about that dynamic, whether or not they even do the thing?

Yeah, so I have.

And so I talked with David sew when he was at Stanford. I was around them quite a bit in his early years. He actually did fill it out for one year, and he's like, I felt like, you know, if it's called the coach's poll, like he's felt like in an obligation to do it himself. But then he did it for one year and realized like what an exercise and futility it was, and so he stopped, like he stopped participating in Stanford, stopped participating after his one season.

He's the only one I've ever.

Talked to who admitted to actually doing it themselves. Like no one else I've ever talked to has been upfront and said, yeah, you know, you know, I do it each week up and down. I think some of the coaches probably have like who do you want to be number one? Who's your top five? And they have their staffer whoever is still out the rest there's like some I think that involvement is like somewhat common, but let's certainly not all the way through.

So the main takeaway here locally is that Jake Rretz laugh departs for Tulane, yet Byu still cracks that top twenty five.

They come in at number twenty three.

We still don't know who's going to start under center McKay, Hillstead, Tracy Borget and Bear Bachmeyer the three battling. So my two part question is your thoughts on Byu actually cracking the top twenty five and if Jake stays, where do you think they land.

Yeah, that's the good. So I think, like the fact that they're in the top twenty five, I think.

It's probably a lot of this is so based on where you did, what you did last year, independent of your way roster looks right, like right, So, I think because when they went eleven games last year, you were you're always going to get a shot to start in the top twenty five, regardless of what happened with Retslow. Obviously that's they end up in twenty three eight with him, you know, probably top fifteen, I would imagine, and some some people punished for for not having a returning quarterback.

Kind of thought that would be a little higher, not that I'm looking at now.

But again, like it's just there's no rhyme or reason to to why, especially when you get when you get out of the top ten in particular then people are I think they try to do it well at the top, and then the lower you get in the process, it's like you can't really differentiate between these teams, So any anywhere from like I don't know, fourteen to twenty five, all those teams you could probably just throw into a hat and pick out randomly and it probably ended up pretty similarly.

And just because we're the home of the Utes and they're a mile away, I'll ask you about Utah technically coming in at thirty with others receiving votes, and whether or not you think the a people next week will kind of reflect a similar area for the Utes.

Yeah, I think they'll get votes. And I think the defense was so good last year right in the quarterback playoff. Even you guys and your wisteners no more than I do.

But like you bring in, the defense was not an issue. It won't be an issue again this year. You bring a quarterback who had worked with his offensive coordinator, had success. It's a proven formula to resurrect teams right to have that sort of camaraderie. And now that you have a player who's proved proven he can run an offense and run into this exact offense.

You know, in theory, it solves the problem, right, and so you.

Have this elite defense. Even if you were like somewhat competent offense, if you taught like the team would have had a lot more wins last year. And so that simple, very rudimentary combination like makes me optimistic that they can be a lot more successful this year. And I think kind of showing a bit thirty whatever is kind of reflect that same sort of logic.

According to both this Coach's poll and then pretty much everything else, including Bill Conley's rankings for you guys over at ESPN, it does feel like Arizona State is a prohibitive favorite and there's a bit of a gap between them and everybody else. To your point, we look at what you did a year ago, and we know what ASU did a year ago. Seventy nine percent of their production is returning, including Sam Levitt. Does it feel like they are the deserved favorite in the Big twelve this year?

Yeah?

I think so.

I mean, like ludn' skattaboo is tough, right because he, I mean, he was so much of what they did as a rusher, you know, as a pass catcher. But and It kind of goes back to what you were saying about Retzlaf, like you have if you have a good team and your starting quarterback is coming back, you're getting That's just like people are just gonna think expectations are going to be high, and that's the case with Asu Elevit's coming back. He had a good year. I

A really productive year as well. But yeah, I think like it's earned right after after the year they had and the good showing in the playoffs. I mean, they probably shouldn't be Texas. They probably felt they should be Texas, I guess. So the fact that it was a it was a coin flip game against a team with a ton of talent, you know, shows that As is for real.

As I always say, I will not ask you about the depth of Raal saw Lake and whether or not their third left back is something you think can lift them into the playoffs. But Kyle Sonce you and I spoke. Diego Luna had himself an ice little Gold Cup run. He's been back on the ground here for a little bit and he is by far their best most productive player. They did bring in a couple of summer additions, one DP a nine and then what their manager calls a

I you know, it's I wouldn't say like fully, it's not fully set in stone yet. I expect him to be on the team, and I'm almost ready to think that he has a chance to play like he hasn't.

I mean, that sort of.

Trajectory is so rare in American soccer, to jump so quickly through the USL, through an MLS team and to being contention for a roster spot when there's so many of the other guys at his position are playing at big clubs in Europe. Right, I think, you know, RSL fans should enjoy him as long as they can, because I think he's got a future that's going to take him places with much brighter spotlets.

One more soccer question for you, I wonder and I've drawn the parallel on the show between Rest in Peace, Grantwall, the Beckham Experiment, the David Beckham MLS partnership that has continued into his foray into ownership of the Miami Club, and Grant wrote a great book called The Beckham Experiment that I read that I thought was awesome.

And then the.

Parallel between David Beckham and what Lionel Messi has brought to the league now I always hesitate to do it because then you get soccer pe. I know that Messi is twenty times a player that Beckham was. I understand that, and maybe when you're that good, you don't necessarily have to be the type of state hatesman that Beckham was for MLS. I mean, Beckham came here multiple times and Kyle he stayed after matches for hours and signed autographs like he got it. He understood what the deal was.

So that's really interesting because it's been massive, undoubtedly, Like the exposure that the league has gotten as a result of having Messi in the league is significant. And now like how does it meet the other side of Like now it doesn't.

Meet expectations, Like whatever Messi does, and.

It'll probably be for the rest of his life, Like he goes on vacation in his seventies, he'll still draw a crowd. Right, He's that type of just talent and just like personality just that people just gravitate to him and he's like a god for people in Argentina and really around the world.

So I think he's been an overall it's been incredible for the league, but I also don't think the league has done enough to make to maximize him at the same time, if that makes sense. So like there's so it's kind of too pronged at least.

Like it's been huge. It's who he has certainly benefited, like a lot of the people who bought Apple Plus subscriptions just to watch Messi. It's probably hard to calculate. I mean, there's a reason that that was part of the deal for him, right, he gets a cut of subscriptions to the league just for internationally, just because they're not buying the subscriptions to watch MLS. They're buying subscriptions to watch Lionel Messi play soccer wherever he's.

Going to be.

So I think ultimately what we'll find out is long term, like when he's gone, what does the league look like and how will his time in the league have have pushed it forward. It comes at an interest time with the World Cup coming and that's also going to have an impact. But I thought there was like a really strong wave of Messi storylines and just like involvement when he came over. But I really feel like it's tapered

How many what will m l what will attendance look like in Miami when Messi is gone? Right, We'll find out because it's not there. There are not very many inter Miami fans. There are Messy fans who are going to support him wherever, and so we'll find out.

It's hard to calibrate right now.

Last thing I'll set you loose. Less than a year away from the World Cup. What's the Kyle Bondeger A confidence level in our team? Whatever that means to you, I mean, get out of group whatever, something that could be somewhat exciting for the Old Cup.

Yeah, I mean I think you have to get out of the group more. It's a massive failure, especially with an expanded World Cup.

Right, so you go from thirty.

Two teams to forty eight teams. That inherently is going to dilute the competition. And so it should be easier to get out of the group.

Because there's less good teams. And you got out of the group last time and a tough group in a sense, and you have known who's really aged out, right, so you should have that. You should have essentially the same team, but guys who are like further deep into their prime. You have a coach who is you know, on paper better, right, he's really a bigger name and has achieved more at a higher level of the sport, but that hasn't shown up.

You know, in the last two years. Obviously Burhalter was with them during during COPA and that they crashed out early.

The Gold Cup.

You have a small complement of the full team in the tournament at all, which was so you can't really evaluate the team and how they've done. You're not going to have the qualification process. I feel like interested in the US national team is really down right now just because of all those factors.

So yeah, I mean, if you don't advance, it's a abject disaster. And you probably because there's an extra I believe there's an extra round of the of the knockout phase two, so you probably need to win a win a knockout game as well to really define as a success. But I think if you had asked me about expectations about this team after the last World Cup, I would say, look,

Kyle, thanks man for the time, excellent work on the story and the pod. We'll make sure to send it out on our socials. Have a great week and we'll chat soon, all right. Thanks ros about it girl. ESPN covers college football and soccer. This new podcast that he has with Adam Rittenberg is about the disappearance of Paul Wolfe's mother, and I read the written description of the disappearance of Dolores wolf. I have not listened to the pod yet, but the story is gripping and it is

It's the ultimate lawn owner power move.

With our good friends over at IFA, I got to bring in Spencer Lynton from BYU TV for the latest on the quarterback battle down South will do some big picture, big twelve stuff with Spencer Today. The USA Today Coaches Poll was released yesterday. BYU comes into twenty three Utah others receiving votes, technically the thirtieth rank team in that poll. Interested to see what the AP poll manifests coming up

The quarterback battle is down to three players.

McKay Hillstead, who has eight starts under his belt up at Utah State. I believe he's a freshman, Trays and Borgae a couple of years of Western Michigan. And then the true freshman, Bear Bachmeier, who played his spring ball at Stanford, who has the measurables that the other two don't. It's like six two six three, two fifteen to two twenty during their spring experience and now in fall camp he's worn number forty seven, which is an odd number for a quarterback. I believe Bear was a running back

They've got a Jettist in everybody.

Well, Jason Tatum continues to recover from that Achilles. This will be a just kind of a weird year in Boston where they're not gonna win a lot of games. They're probably gonna maybe compete for a playing spot, but ultimately if you're an owner of an NBA team, and the Celtics were sold last year. You're probably not interested in riding an extra five hundred million dollar check for a team that's not going to be serious about competing. That's where the Phoenix Suns found themselves last year.

So a little.

Unexpected NBA news that will get with Smitty with coming up in a bit. If you missed the Kyle Bonagurra interview, I would encourage you to go to his socials and check out this new problem that he and Adam Rittenberg front of the show have undertaken about the disappearance of Paul Wolfe's mother. Paul was the coach of Washington State for a number of years. Didn't go well for Paul as the coach up there. I think he was nine and forty if I remember correctly. We'ch just do a

And there was no body.

There was no answers, and then four decades later the information came to light about what had happened there, and ultimately the lone suspect was Paul's father, Carl Carl passed away at the age of seventy. He was charged at one point, but they didn't have enough evidence to kind of keep him locked up and then go forward with the charges, so he was released and then lived his life.

So good stuff there.

Kyle's socials at Bonnegura ESPN is where you find him. And then of course we talked a little big twelve football and will Diego Luna play for the US men's national team. But there's a quarterback race about forty miles down south, and nobody better to break it down than our good buddy, Spencer Lytton from BYU TV. Spencer, Happy Tuesday, Sir, How are you good, Spence?

Great to talk with you, man. And what's this you mentioned of a quarterback battle. I didn't know something was happening there.

Oh am, I breaking news for you.

I mean, look, if the BYU media members need breaking news on the Home of the Utes about BYU Spencer, We've got something to talk about, buddy.

We're in trouble. We're in trouble. Yeah, clearly Spence. That is all anybody really wants to talk about when it comes to BA football at this juncture is who's going to be the starter? You know, whether I'm at church, or I'm in the grocery store, or I'm walking to my car, like, I can see it. I can spot

The main difference between you and I Spencer, even though we have similar names, is when you walk into church, they say who's the quarterback? When I walk into church they say, what the hell are you doing here?

With open arms? My friend?

Oh, oh for sure.

Speaking of which, do you know anybody named Spencer under the age of like thirty five? I feel like for about ten years, if you were raised in an LDS household, there was a good chance your name was Spencer. And now I don't think anybody will ever be named Spencer again.

That's a great point. No, I mean, my oldest son has my name is his middle name. But yeah, I now that you ask that, I do not think I know anybody at least not in my close circle that I could recall at the top of my head that shares my name that is wild Man. We need more love for the name Spencer moving forward.

And honestly, I believe we're close to the same age. Again, I know dozens of Spencer's in Healds families that around our age. But I think after a while people are like, yeah, the names all not all that great.

We're gonna move on.

It's been, it's washed up. It is, it ran its course, it's good.

It is, it is.

But indeed we traverse on all right, Well, I know you're sick of talking about it, but it is the one thing people want to know. So McKay Hillstead eight stars under his belt at Utah State, the tracing board, gay kid, that's been a couple of years of Western Michigan. And then bear Backmeyer, who I feel like a lot of people are really really high on. How would you handicap this as of now and how do you think it's going to play out?

Yeah, it is really splitting hairs at this juncture, and Aaron Roderick, the offensive coordinator, said late last week it's going to be a minute, it's going to take some time, and I know that others have been outspoken. Brandon Doman, a former Boa quarterback, He's like, no, they I mean you have to make decision now. You've got to like, you got to make your decision, and got that the earlier the better, it's going to be more advantageous to

If I were.

Making the depth chart today, I'd probably have McKay starting Tracon very close second behind, and Bear is intriguing because he's a guy that you could implement some specialty packages for with what he brings to the field. And I know that people hate the idea of how multiple quarterbacks. Like I'm not saying Boa needs to play multiple quarterbacks, but don't be sprised to BYU. In the red zone on the ten yard line and all of a sudden, bear Bachmeyer comes in and the defense is like, Okay,

You referenced the number, and as I was watching some film, I'm like, can we get our guy a different number than forty seven if he's playing quarterback? Like, it's just a little bit odd, Like what's the origin story of bear Backmeyer who is trying to be a quarterback at BYU wearing number forty seven?

You know, he likes the idea of just being different and almost like a linebacker's mentality where he's just football player. So we need to dive into that some more. But from what I've gathered, it's just kind of a I like it because it's different and I feel like I bring a physical nature to the game, and so forty

So the Coach's Poll is released on Monday, and we just said Kyle Bonniger on the show, and I asked Kyle, throughout his entire career covering college football, how many coaches he's spoken to that admitted they actually did this, and he said one. It was David Shaw who said he did it one year and that never did it again about three About three years ago, I texted a coach in state and I said, off the record, how many times have you done this exercise? He said zero? Now

Absolutely, I did not expect BAA to be in any top twenty five, whether it be notable preseason magazines like Phil Steele and Lindy's and AffA on certainly not after the Jake Retslock news broke that he was leaving. It's like, okay, now BYU is not in that top twenty five category.

Completely hypothetical, so no way of knowing.

But if Jake stays and is not facing a suspension, none of that goes down.

Where do you think they land?

I would put them probably between sixteen and eighteen in the media poll. If Jake retzl Off is still the quarterback. Now you've got like a real case for a team that has some continuity. Right, they still have continuity. But when you bring back your returning starting quarterback and a team that feels like their defense is not going to have a lapse or at least not a significant lapse,

I do think if you're a BYU fan, you take a little comfort knowing that a Rod and Kolani have traversed the quarterback battle space for what three straight years maybe, and they've made the right call every single time.

Yeah yeah, yeah, no at fair point.

Like last year with Jake Retthloff and Gary Bohannon was like, man, it literally came down to the last week and they're like, hey, we're gonna We're gonna make Jake the guy, but Gary, you're you're right there, And so that was a tough one and they I mean, there was a lot of back and forth there because Gary's shoulder was better and he looked really good, and I don't know that they

Tell me about the on line, I mean Ultimately that's where it starts. And Klonnie, of course, you know, learned a lot of his trade under Kyle, and Kyle wants the trenches. Every coach wants the trenches dialed in and b Yu with some losses on that old line.

How's it shape it up?

Yeah, they are expecting a lot from a guy like Bruce Mitchell at center to take over for Connor pay and that he The good thing for Bruce is Connor got injured Buster and Bruce had to start at center in multiple important power forward games. So they feel like they for the most part, won't skip a beat with the guy who's ready and experienced it, and so they feel like they have their center and their captain on

Both Utah and BYU have a bit of a soft landing into the season with some non conference games. Portland State the opener for BYU, then Stanford at home Stanford Fire Troy Taylor. Frank Reich is in as an interim coach and it's an agreement from both sides that it's a one year deal and then it's at East Carolina

Yeah, it's it's interesting, but it worked out that way because at first I was like, man, I'd like to see BYU play kind of one of those banger non

And talked about this earlier with the coaches poll released yesterday and the AP coming out on Monday. I need three or four I need three or four games before I can I always say observation, not conclusion, the first three or four games of the season. Now, the complication with this dynamic when it comes to a conference is you could go zero to three in non con turn

How many games you need do you need on your belt?

I'm not far off of what you're you're saying there, Spence. I I feel like I have a really good idea of what a team is probably four games into the season, because I think you've you've seen at least one conference game, and you've seen them work out some of the workoffs, some of the russ work at some of the kinks

I had a chance to catch up with Brian Santiago Big twelve media day. What's it been like first couple Well,

Yeah, I joked to him. I actually spoke to him this morning and joked of them like, hey, you signed up at the perfect time.

You know, nice easy.

Transition into revenue share, your starting quarterbacks leaving the program and going through that craziness and then sold out arenas and students being mad because they're not of rock passes and season ticket holders wondering if they're going to be able to be in the building, and you know, we kind of, you know, joked about a tongue in cheek, but I mean, ultimately he said, it's it's this is

We say you lose.

You probably can't talk about the Dean Rucker kid, right, the new the new prospect that's time for twenty six.

Yeah, so it's funny like we can't talk about him on a university based program like say his name officially, but on your show, I'm happy, it's happy to talk about him. Yet Bean's just another another big get, like another four star guy and another important in state win

To expand the question to more of a macro standpoint, I know you referenced that BYU fans would prefer to fly under the radar, Well, I don't know how many people really understand what this basketball team has. November fifteenth, Yukon in Boston, and look, it's it's really tough, Spencer, because you know me, I'm a basketball guy and I

Unlike that I think anyone's seen down there.

Yeah, and.

Come on, let's be real, Like as exciting as football is, I feel like there is a strong growing content of the fan base that is more excited about BA basketball because this is a brand new stratosphere and this isn't

Final four, no doubt. I buddy, appreciate the time. As one of the last Spencer standing. I always enjoy a commerce stations. Have a great week. We'll chat soon. Okay, all right, Spencer Litton b YU tv B, why you still looking for a quarterback? Prior to their opener against Portland State. Speaking of driving my car, the minivan is back.

Here we go.

George Niang has made his triumph for return to play for the Utah Jazz. I got to admit, and this mostly is a me problem. I think most nicknames are horrific, and I think most nicknames that broadcasters try to make up.

Are really really bad. The Minivan's pretty good. I like it. It's not bad.

And also I believe it was George himself who nicknamed uh. He coined the nickname himself because I think he was asked a question about like Donovan's athleticism and he said something like Donovan's like a I don't know, nice Lamborghini or something.

I'm just more like a minivan because it, excuse me, it works.

George is not, how to put this gently, George is not built the way that most high level NBA players are built.

Is that fair to say?

George is built literally as he is like a guy who has had a lot of beers in Iowa, which he has done. A lot of beers and a lot of corn. That's George Neian.

And also George lived in the same apartment complex I did for a while. He lived up with the NBA players like Derek favors like the nice apartments.

I was in a normal person apartment of course, sure.

And I can tell you walking into certain pool scenarios or party scenarios in said facility. He likes to have a good time.

Yeah, he does.

You know you you always hear stuff about guys that are are, you know, playing here. George was always apparently having a really good having a really good time.

I think he will continue to do so.

Luckily in Salt Lake, You're not gonna like get into much trouble if you're just outsmashing natty lights like it, it appears George George likes to do. But I think he's also a guy who maybe not you know, an elite defender, good locker room guy.

Whenever somebody says good locker room guy's code for he's not very good at basketball.

Do you think George? Do you think George is a natty light guy?

I think I at least at one time saw him drinking a natty light, but you know, maybe not specific to that. I don't think he's a bad NBA player, and I think he plays beyond sometimes what is like physical limitations might appear really good ball mover. I think he's a really good communicator on the floor, So you know, could be worse.

Well, it's a low risk move.

The Jazz get two second round picks attached, and essentially it's taking on George's salary for a player in r J Luis that probably was not going to play. And the Celtics said, okay, if you take Kniang's salary will also attach two second round picks to it. The Boston motivation is getting under the second apron. George is thirty two. That makes me feel old. I feel like you just came into the league. He was a really good four year player at Iowa State. Ultimately, this is not a

Yeh.

Well, and you go to like a college campus and Spence, there are multiple since is where there's a former player who he might not be on the coaching staff, but he's there and he's getting paid and he's practicing. Sometimes he's in uniform, sometimes he's doing film cut up. Sometimes he's like, this is something that you know, you don't see it in the NBA on that level, But you can't have a guy where he's on your roster and he's not necessarily on your roster to be a rotation piece.

Are we back to the moniker that pops can't raise pops? You remember last year when they signed Patty Mills and Drew you Banks and we're like, what the hell are you doing right? And Xanik or whoever would address to me and it's like, hey, pops can't raise pops.

And then this it's all pups.

So are we gonna hear somebody under the phrase when they announced this once again the pups can't race.

Pups, Well, you know pups. They can't raise pups in the wild, just they don't. They don't get anywhere. So if it's just pups, they have to figure it out in some way. But it may not be pretty, but they'll figure it out.

But if a pup figures it out without like a savvy guide, doesn't that pup turn out to be like a badass wolf or something?

Can be I'm stretching, you're the you're the nature ex can be Okay.

You know, some sort of lone wolf. I think so it'll uh, you know, iron sharpens iron. So if if these guys are, if these guys are you know, working towards the same goal, I don't know, maybe they'll help them.

Iron does sharpen. Do you think the Jazz have a next man up mentality?

Maybe not yet.

They need they need the starters in order to have the next rod. You need five in order to have the next man up.

That's true. They need more than like one good player. Uh.

George's best year was probably in the year after he left the Jazz.

He had a decent year in Cleveland when he was reunited with Donovan. It's been kind of interesting.

So he leaves the Jazz in twenty one, goes to Philly and then lands in Cleveland, plays with Donovan again and actually spend some time with Atlanta last year, playing with Quinn in twenty eight games for Atlanta last year.

Twelve points. Why am I reading George Niang stats on air? You know what?

Whatever? None of this is pertinent to the role he's gonna play for the Utah Jazz. To Porter's point, a vet safe, you know, safe guy that you can bring into the locker room, show the players, young players how to be a pro, knows the city. Don't know how familiar he is with will, but an unexpected move made by the Utah Jazz today.

R J.

Luis is a Boston Celtic.

George and Yang and two second round picks come this way to Salt Lake for the Utah Jazz ESPN seven hundred twelve. Some of us were pleased to welcome Simple Plan with Bowling for Soup.

I don't know why I find that band name so funny.

Simple Plan Bowling for Soup and three zero zero three to the Plaza at America First Field, August sixteenth, twenty twenty five. Make sure to tune in to the Shot O'Connell show for your chance to score a pair of tickets to Simple Plan Bowllying for Soup and three zero h three at the Plazat America First Field, August sixteenth, twenty twenty five. Smithy's going to join us today forty years with Utah Jazz. Jazz made a trade today George Dyang on his way back to Saul Lake to play

R J.

Luis heads to the Boston Celtics. But let's do some more college football. And I just never know what's going to happen when our next guest is on the show, But it's always entertaining. Dave bar two College Football Matrix. All right, Dave, where are you at? What are you doing?

Dude? I swear I'm sober for this show man, come on break all right?

No, but but for real, where are you right now?

No?

I'm actually I'm sitting on my deck and right next to me is my bow because I just got done building a whole new arrow set up for archery season, and I'm sighting in my bow from twenty to sixty yards right now.

Okay, all right, fair enough, I'm going to dig deeper and ask for some fun off season stories. Where have your travels taken you during the college football off season.

Probably the best college football one in South Carolina for a week. We have a new program for early player identification, for athletics and just just finding kids either off the beaten path or before anybody else does, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen year olds before they get the camp. And I kind of toured the state, rolling the whole thing out statewide. So really excited about the direction of that.

Very nice so around these parts University of Utah football fans hopeful that last year was a moment in time and not the new normal for Utah football. What gives you the most confidence that year two in the Big twelve will look better for Utah than year one?

Did?

Dave all of it every day. I mean, you know, I still look. I know fans love recency bias, right, That's the biggest thing about being a fan of what happened last game, what happened last month, what happened last year. And there's probably a lot of people, you know, pushing the panic button, but you know, years like that happened, and I still go back to my position on where it was a year ago. It is one of the

I know I asked you this every time you join, but just for listeners that may not be familiar. One of the things you do that I've always enjoyed learning about is you ranked stats, You rank coaches, you rank coordinators. So Utah once again coach wit is back, Morgan scally coach, and waiting defensive coordinator, but new offensive coordinator Jason Beck. How do you analyze and rank the current iteration of the Utah coaches?

Well, what we like his upside. Now, he hasn't been an offensive coordinators, he hasn't handled enough game to get a full OC grade relative to everybody else, but we have a really good trend on him, and as a young offensive coordinator, we like the direction that he is going. So we're real positive about it, but at the same time not a big sample size, so let's not get

He also brings a quarterback that this program badly needed, and Cam Rising will always be a legend around here for a couple of Pac twelve championships, but the poor kid could not stay healthy.

Cam moves on.

He's now the offensive coordinator of his high school, so he'll be entering the coaching ranks. But what's the Dave Bartwo take on the new QB one here in Salt Lake.

Devin Dampier, Well, you know something, what I would do with any quarterback it doesn't matter, is you know how many starts has he had and what did he do to elevate his team relative to expectations? Kind of like coach with what has he done with the talent to elevate the team beyond what he recruited? So I guess I would ask the question of anybody you know with the new quarterback, how many starts and did he elevate

The dynamic of moving up in competition, whereas New Mexico Mound West Conference School and now Devin dan Pier is playing in the Big Twelve. Certainly plenty of examples, namely cam Ward recently number one overall pick of players who've been able to make that jump and do it at a very high level. I don't know if you have data for this, but when it comes to, you know, a group of five quarterbacks making the move into what now is the P four?

What sort of insights you have there?

Nothing really other than like I said, is did they elevate where they're at before? Look at cam Woard. Did he elevate incarnate word yep? Did he elevate wise in a state?

Yep?

Did he elevate Miami?

Oh my gosh.

Yes.

He made a guy with almost no play calling experience in Shannon look awesome. Right, you know, look at Pabia New Mexico State to Vanderbilt. Boom elevated New Mexico State. Now he's elevating Vanderbilt. So while you say. People would like to say, well, it's really hard to make that job. I just go with kind of like what I do with coaching. If you're good, you stay good no matter where you're at. You know what, would Morgan scally be

Morgan.

As you know, Dave is the coach in waiting, and there are more than a few people that believe that transition will happen at the end of next season. I don't know, you know, when it comes to coach Wit, I've always said, as long as he's under contract, he's

What do you think that looks like?

Well, I think a lot of it depends on on two things in particular, certainly the culture continuity. The coaching continuity is going to be there, But I think it depends on how good the offenses this year. Does Morgan have to make a team this year or when he comes in and who's he bringing in as a defensive coordinator?

So ultimately, last year the Big Twelve preseason media poll proved you know that none of us know anything as far as what we're talking about. It was wild the way it was flipped up upside down. And we didn't do a preseason media pool in the Big Twelve this year, which is probably the right thing to do, so we all don't look like morons. But in addition to Utah, who you like, who else in the Big Twelve do you think will have a chance to be standing at the end.

Well, I think you got to go with your best talent and your best coaching, right, I mean your best talent. Your best coaching is still Utah, really good head coach still Kansas State. I know everybody loves Arizona State, and I love Arizona State simply because I think Sam Levitt is just an amazing quarterback. You know, because if you look at their offensive coordinator Arroyo, when he doesn't have an awesome NFL quarterback justin Herbert, Oregon, he is a bad,

I would imagine by you outshot expectations a year ago by a long shot, and even by their own admission. You know, we had their athletic director on the show during Big twelve media days, Brian Santiago, and I was surprised that he actually admitted, because BYU fans don't love to admit when they get great luck. He said, the ball bounced our way all year long. They they're breaking in a new quarterback. Jake Rrett's laugh is now Tulane. We don't know who the starter is going to be.

J Hill. Now year three is their DC.

What are your expectations for the BYU Cougars this year.

I do expect a little regression, but Klannie has been a plus coach effect for his entire career about a game and a half, so I think BYU is still going to perform above expectations. But I don't think it is going to be as the ceiling as high as it was last year. I think there just has to be some regression in regards to that, but still great football coaching. Actually, the whole state of Utah, between Utah and BYU, even Utah State, now, there is really good

How how do you think the QB the storyline will affect them. I mean, Jake was eleventh in the Big twelve last year. In QBR, they won a lot of games, again based off of a lot of lucky bounces and some really really stout play on the defensive side of the football. They return a lot of players on defense, They've got a stacked running back room and a lot of good wide receivers. But whoever takes the snap against Portland State opening Day will be playing quarterback for BYU for the first time.

How do you think that's going to affect him.

It's got to affect him, right, I mean it is unless they get lucky, you know how it is. You know in college football, sometimes you just find that diamond in the rough and they get coach well and they're a great player, you know. But typically kids that do great in their first year in college elevated their high school team, right, you know, in terms of quarterback effect. We just talked about the guy transfer him with back

Always a little tongue in cheek about the Coach's poll that's released that was released on Monday, Ultimately, We've had a couple of college football guests on the show since the release, and it seems to be a consensus that most, if not all coaches don't even fill out the thing. It's delegated to an SID or maybe even below that. How much stock, if any, Dave do you put in the coaches poll that was released on Monday.

I don't put anything into any of them. It's all for entertainment. That's it. All of it's for entertainment. I was laughing when your commissioner at Big pels like, we're not doing a media poll because it adversely affected our teams. No, you're scoring efficiency adversely affected your teams. That's what it was. It wasn't that, you know, you weren't good at the beginning. Again, that's that's a selection bias that fans have. None of

Well said.

Now, Having said that, Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, top five according to your model and your knowledge, just generally speaking, best teams in college football this year.

Oh jeez man, this is going to be the This is going to be might be the best year of my life in following football. I have no idea. I really don't. I really don't. So last year, the five teams that checked off all the boxes to win the national title. None of this blue chip ratio crap where there's seventeen to twenty teams that could be competing. That's all a bunch of knockoff bs is what it is. Last year that were five, it was Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia,

We follow up the battle Ohio State.

You're the first person I have heard say what you just said about them. It feels like a lot of people still believe that they have a shot to win the whole thing.

Why are you down on the Buckeyes?

Oh, I'm not down on them, And certainly they have a shot to win the whole thing. They get to play a schedule and they're a top ten recruiter. But look, okay, they got a new quarterback never played before, right, they got a new DC who's never been to DC at the collegiate level, and they got a new offensive coordinator that has the same amount of play calling experience as you and me. Now, I know Ryan Day is right there to hold Brian Hartline's hand, But teams with a

Do you still believe we are headed?

You know, this is a topic we talk about around here all the time because the Big twelve is a fine place to land for now. It is, And if you're BYU, if you're Utah, you appreciate the fact that you're in a P four conference. But there is this storyline narrative that permeates, you know, kind of behind the scenes about what this sport is going to look like eventually.

Answer a question with a question, do you think America is still full of greed and will sell tradition for a dollar at any cost?

Let me do some quick math.

Yes, I do, yeah, yeah, so so yeah, I think this is still heading towards this totally sucks. I hate it, I really do. You know, as great as this country is, tradition is for sale. Everything is to the highest bidder. You know, when I hear when I hear talks about private equity owning college football programs, think about that private equity owning college football programs and I thought that was a bunch of I thought it was nuts years ago.

And I just.

We don't need another homogenous football league. But boy, does it feel like college football is just absorbing the greed and going right down that same path tradition and everything else aside.

Seems like the topic of collective bargaining and players unionizing as a lightning rod.

And it depends on what side you're on there.

For me, Dave, I just like you, I don't love the direction, but I'm also a grown up and I understand what capitalism means and when nil became a reality and transfer portal became a reality, I come from a background of pro sports, and so for me, if you want to solve some of these issues, namely keeping kids on campus for at least a couple of years, or you know, bringing some sort of uniformity and what you can pay them, I do believe that the best route

Do you think we're headed in that direction. Do you think it's the right thing?

Man, Two different answers. I don't know what the right thing is because everything changes so quick. Nobody's happy with, well what happened last year. It's just an instant oatmeal drive through fast food society, and we don't take time to really take a break to think about long term ramifications that feel like so. But to answer your question about collective bargaining, understanding laws and rules and so forth, of how it's all laid out to me, it almost

Yeah, and I don't think you're alone there before you say you lose you know, again, along the lines of just accepting what reality is. If the Big ten wants four auto bids, and I know it's the SEC is kind of backed off that.

Stance a little bit. But if the SEC and the Big ten.

Want four auto bids for an expanded sixteen team CFP, they're going to get it, aren't they.

If that's if that's the hill they're going to die on.

Yeah, well they got the gold, they make the rules, right, they carry the big stick. Yeah, I guess they can try to die on that hill. That's fine, And you and I both know one year it'll work out. Two or three other years it'll look stupid. But I don't blame them trying to leverage their position to ensure as many teams are in this playoffs, no matter how many teams are in there as possible. Can't blame them for that. And if that's the direction they ultimately want to go,

Last thing, the twelve teams this year. Do you think the Big twelve can get two in?

No?

Sure, sure, you know it just it just depends on how it plays out. Again, the ball's got to bounce right, you know. I mean, is it hard to conceive to twelve and no teams in the Big Twelve title game? Sure it is. You know, is it hard to conceive two teams that are both twelve and one that can get in the playoffs? Yeah it is, but it's possible, not probable, because the talent and coaching balance in the Big Twelve is really really tough. But you know, look

Dave, Thank you, sir for the time, always entertaining.

Best of luck and whatever incredibly exciting endeavors you have coming your way over the.

Next few weeks, and we'll get you back on again soon. Okay, you know where I'm at.

Don't be a stranger, buddy.

Yes, sir, Dave bartwo College Football Matrix. Get them on Twitter at CFB matrixes where you found them find him. Excuse me, some good stuff there with the coaching dynamics in State. One of the things Dave has always done that I've found very interesting is he does deep dives on coaching staffs. He analyzes his head coaches, coordinators, and then you know, juxtapose that with the talent you have coming back to try to understand the landscape for what college football is going to look like.

And he nailed it.

When it comes to these preseason polls, it's fodder for conversation, and if your team is ranked, you enjoy it.

If your team is not, you think it's a bunch of bs.

We'll see what the AP brings coming up on Monday after the Coach's Poll was released yesterday. I'm here live in studio because I show up.

And I grind.

Our next guest is Richard Smith, who is probably on a beach with his feet up enjoying the sunshine.

Smitty, where do we find you on this Tuesday afternoon fast?

Uh, You're you're missing the lead here. If you you're you're not telling the listeners that you spent a lovely week last week up in beautiful sun Valley, Idaho. Just boss over that and go right into your hard book schedule. I know that you have back again in the studio. That's tough to you.

Well, I'm not about yesterday's news. I'm more about where we are today, Smitty. So yes, I am grinding live in studio. Where where do we find you? Or would you rather just land on a location unknown?

Hey spend Now, I had to follow your lead, so you were you you and your family. I know we're in Sun Valley last week, and I had to follow that league. So I'm up and I went even further north. And sitting out on the deck today at beautiful quarter Lane, Idaho. Who nice and at the Quarter Lane Resort, and we had a nice round of golf there yesterday and went over to Struggling Raven. It's about twenty minutes oight side

Very nice, very nice. As I often say, it's good to be Richard Smith. So Smitty, some breaking news. As the mini van is making his way back to Salt Lake City, the Utah Jazz made a trade today.

R J.

Lewis Junior goes to Boston George Dang and two future second round picks come to the Utah Jazz. Georgia's salary is about eight million and change. It goes into the trade exception from the John Collins deal. If you're Boston, you're shedding salary. If if you're the Jazz, I guess you're getting two second round picks in exchange for absorbing George's money. But what are your thoughts on what the Jazz and the Celtics did today?

Yeah, well, I think in the grand scope of things spent, my opinion is that it's you know, much ado about nothing. It's uh, you know, the Jazz are obviously still in an asset acquiring mode and they get a couple of second round picks that they could you know, use at some point or move those along as they see fit

Losing going forward, certainly, And as I stretched to make this a topic, you know, it's interesting last year when the Jazz acquired Patty Mills and Drew you Banks and some other borderline veteran players. The walking line from the coaches in the front office was well, pups can't raise pups. Well, it's a much different approach this year because basically, outside of Yusef Nurkic and now George Niang, these are all kids.

Well, George is a great guy. He's a great personality. He never gets down, he's never in a negative space, you know, very similar to Jordan Clarkson, h you know, who obviously has moved on this summer to the Knicks.

Uh.

You know, maybe George is being brought in to fill that space as far as uh the locker room presence and and uh you know how guys need to handle a business day in and day out. Uh, usually you know that influence is really more felt when it's with someone who would have a greater impact on the team uh in games. Then I would foresee George would have going forward. UH So I don't know. Again, I haven't

Yeah, and I don't know they're going to be doing a lot of winning anytime soon. I will ask you about what sort of And again this is me stretching to find something topical. But since you and I last spoke, Kyle Philapowski was named MVP of the Vegas Summer League, not just MVP of the Jazz team, MVP of the whole thing. A lot of the other players maybe a little bit left to be desired. Most of them were

I think just just for him and his own confidence being able to play in that setting. You know, the competition is great, mostly guys who were trying to make a team or trying to get a fall camp invite from someone you know, a lot of a lot of the draft pits that were in this Juns draft, they didn't play either in the summer league for whatever the

We're still a few weeks away from the opening of camp. But as these players start to trickle back into the market, and some of them have been here incrementally and others, you know, go elsewhere for their offseason season training.

If you're Austin Age, if you're justin.

Zandik, if you're the Jazz front office, and you're the Jazz coaching staff, based off of your experience, what do you what are you looking for as they return as far as whether or not they've been you know, doing the things they need to be doing during during the off season.

Well, you know, a lot of that has stub to your evalue is an ongoing situation with individual coaches the way NBA teams do it now, every coach, as a player or to assigned to them, they have a regular workout schedule. They have a skilled department schedule, they have a conditioning schedule. All these things are laid out, you know, in in no book notebooks and programs that the players are given go and go over with their individual coaches, uh,

It is really tough, even after a few years to analyze a few of these players as far as who they are in the league.

But it is going to be.

A big year because there's some decisions that have to be made on some of these young players. Let's launch into a couple of these players one by one and then then I'll let you go, and let's start with Kyante.

Yeah, this is gonna be a big year for him because he's gotta he's got to show that he has some pensions, some ability, uh to to be able to defend and to be able to contribute, uh in a defensive scheme where where he's not always seen as the weak link. And if that's if that's going to continue to be the process, then he I would think he would have a hard time sticking around because I think

So I suppose it just simply is not realistic for Isaiah Callier to fix a jump shot in a matter of a couple of months, but I was hoping to see maybe some progress in the right direction during Summer League, and we just saw the same stuff. We saw a bullish, strong kid who can get to the tin and is very athletic and strong, with some feel for the game, and probably a better feel for the game than Keyante, hence the decision to start Isaiah and bench Keiante last year.

Yeah, well, you're exactly right and that and that's that's one of the things he's going to have to show.

Uh.

And and again, Benson remind ourselves that that all the guys we're talking about here, whether it's Philip how Steamer, or it's Collier, whether it's George whoever. You know, they're all in their early twenties. And so you know they've got they've got some growing to do. But they've got to show the coaching staff that they're trending in the right direction, uh, in in the in the areas of

Development, who in your experience, you know the answer might be Carl because when Carl entered the league, he was not a great shooter, and he turned himself into a great, you know, faceoff jump shooter and and really solid free throw shooter.

But the old Saints Smittian basketball is great.

Shooters are made, they're not born, and there is a lot to like about Isaiah, but he does have to fix this issue because it's such a big issue.

In your experience.

Is there a name or multiple names that come to mind of players that you know twenty five twenty six percent from three put in the work and turn out to be really good shooters.

That's a good question, you know, guys who uh sometimes you know, if if you're looking at guys, I can't come home with somewhere else the top of my head. But I would say this in responds to your questions. Guys who are showing that they make some kind of improvement, you have to leverage that against what else they do.

You think there's a chance. Walter Clayton Jr. Is the starting point guard for the Jazz on opening night.

Well, good question. Is there a chance? Yeah? I think there's a chance. Again because he's an older guy in terms of their groups. He's he's older than those other guys we're talking about because he was a five year college guy and has that kind of experience and and and big game pressure and uh has shown that he's

Moving over to Ace Bailey, who is a player that I think a lot of Jazz fans have hope for, and hope right now is something this fan base has not had and quite frankly needs. The list of players ready to play high level pro basketball at that age is very short, and we didn't see a ton of Ace in Summer League. Uh, there are obvious things to like,

Well, you know, he just asked to show that he can play, you know, with a certain level of energy, a certain level the games of and showed that he's able to learn from his mistakes, which there will be plenty of. But does he keep making the same mistake over and over and over, or does he seem like he's a guy who can understands that, you know, he tries to do last game is going to work, and so he changes it up tonight and the next game.

You know, he's there top five pick and a lot is being made of him, and so he's gonna he's gonna have several years to show that he's making improvement.

It can be one of the the hopefully for them, the foundational peace and what they're what they're trying to build going forward. And you know it's good for him because he'll get all the kinds of chances he wants. And all you have to do is show that he's willing to work and improve and earn more playing time to earn more opportunities as as his uh as his career.

In Bark Smitty, my friend, I'll set you loose.

You go enjoy the good life and we'll see you soon in studio when you're back on the ground.

Okay with you.

All right? Great Richard Smith.

Utah Jazz made a trade today George dangas on his way back to Utah. The Celtics t Niang and two future second round picks to the Jazz for R. J. Lewis Junior and Boston saves money they get under the second apron, and the Jazz add a couple of more second round picks to their compendium of draft assets that at some point hopefully they turn into players that are good at basketball. So where Niang fits in the grand scheme of things? Smitty with some good stuff there. Maybe

It's like one hundred and fifty million in change.

Lowry's on the books for forty six point three Nurkics nineteen point three. Jordan Clarkson's salaries actually off the books. We'll see what happens. Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love. You know some of these veteran pieces, is there really a place for them on the team.

So the song will always remind me of Happy.

Gilmore, Speaking of which, have you watched Happy Gilmore too yet?

On Netflix? Have you checked it out? I started watching it. Unfortunately, not good.

It just it it felt more like grown ups than I did Happy Gilmore, which you know, that's kind of the route you're going in with with.

Our guy at this at this hour. But yeah, I giggled a few times. I have not watched it yet.

I'm sure I will, and right now is probably a good time to check it out because do respect to the.

Little League World Series, which.

By the way, Utah, Nevada tonight at seven o'clock Mountain time on ESPN. It's a good time to get caught up on shows and movies when there's just not a lot of sports going on.

So maybe I'll check it out tonight.

Also, well, you're gonna guess the answer, right, because there's no other way for me to ask the question. The state in our country that has the most plastic surgery per capita is who this one?

It's Utah? Yeah I knew that. Did you know that?

According to what I read? And I wasn't like looking for the information. It just popped up thirteen plastic surgeons for every one thousand residents.

Wow, we know the exact number, But yeah, I didn't know we were.

Up there, which is the most in the country. What does that say. I'm not trying to psycho in. We don't have to intellectualize everything, but that's got to say something about culturally keeping up with the Joneses here.

Does it not.

Absolutely there's a thing there. There's a little cultural aspect to, you know, an appearance and looking a certain way. There's also disposable income here. Right when you got all the bills paid, well, you might look at other things. So there's a litany of things that play into this. But yeah, there's a there's certainly also a cultural aspect of trying to trying to look good for your friends, your fan. I don't know, have you ever had plastic surgery? No,

All right.

Well, I mean, I guess if you live here, you're in good company. All right, fun show today, lot going on Porter, What comes our way? On a Wednesday edition of the program?

Yeah, on a Wednesday edition of the Drive, of course, we'll continue talking some offseason football, off season hoops, maybe some baseball with our guy Tony Parks.

All Right, Dave Fox stops by.

Of course you'll be on TV with our friend Dave Fox a little bit later on and on a match day. I think Jason Christ will join us from Reale Saul Lakes some off season football with Max Chadwick.

Our friends from Fiddler's are going to be in studio.

Yes, Fiddler's is u is returned to sugar House, so a bunch on the show on a humpday.

Join us for a Wednesday show that will be a fun program. We'll say goodnight and a special thank you today to Kyle bonne Gera, Spencer Lytton, Dave Bartwo and Richard Smith for any of the sad you may have missed. Website ESPN seven hundred sports dot com. Make sure to download a mobile app and take us on the go. Then, finally, for what we do in our space every afternoon, check out our podcast page. It's called The Drive with Spence.