Welcome to the solid Verbo. I'll that for me.
I'm a man, I'm for I've heard so many players say, well, I want to be happy.
You want to be happy for Dake Edith State? Is that woo woom? And Dan and Tye welcome back to the solid verbal boys and girls. My name is ty Hildebrand, joining me as always over there in beautiful New York City, the one, the only, the host of Sports Wars. Oh wondery. Our good friend Dan Rubinstein, sir, how are you?
I'm great, Tye, and I have a favor to ask you before we get into the Conference of Champions.
You didn't expect that introduction, did you? No?
I didn't, and I loved hearing it. It was almost like going on a late night talk show or you know, like they're like they plug the project right off the bat from the new movie Adventureland. My favorite to ask, though, is my wife Jody with and eye is have a bunch of work people over in let's say an hour and a half. WHOA so in like a half hour maybe forty five minutes? Yeah, forty five minutes. I need you to remind me to remind my wife to preheat
the oven. And put in the charizo bean dip that I just assembled that needs to go into the oven.
It's a two.
Factor because I didn't want to set my phone alarm to go off in the middle of the show. But if I think if we work it in organically, and even if you're listening to the show, check with me via email or Twitter or Instagram whatever to make sure I did it, because that would be a real bummer if I still hadn't put it in.
Shit, whenever this goes up, you should actually set your phone alarm because when you do that, that'll give me enough time to go through our ad read for the evening. Oh great, okay, And I'll see if I can maintain the pace, the feverish pace, no doubt, as we talk about all things packed twelve that we're going to have going. I'll see if I can build on that momentum in time for you to get back from putting the bean dip in the oven. That'd be amazing. Okay. Alarm is set, beautiful, Okay,
So listen. This show is dropping on Sunday, August the eleventh, which means you've got one week to get tickets to the Solidverbal World Tour. Which is happening approximately seven days from today, or six days if you're in Texas. We've got two shows that we're doing. One is on the seventeenth. It's in Dallas, or a little bit north of Dallas at the Alamo Draft House eight o'clock PM. We're doing
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Of these events. Yep.
The big thing is we're gonna go out or we're gonna hang out afterwards with whoever wants to hang out, and we are literally cornered. If you want to tell us how wrong we are about your team, we really are. Yeah, a few quick points about TCU that I feel like you missed. Hey, your NC State preview left me wanting a little bit more about their offensive line. So there's nowhere we can go. And it's not like we can ignore your email. It's not like we can ignore your tweets.
We're going to be standing there munch and shiit contenders, and we have to listen to your complaints in person. So it's a no brainer.
Absolutely. You know how to find us. Soliverbletickets dot com, slash textas soliverbletickets dot com, slash DC. We're also on social media. If you're listening for the first time, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, just look for solidverbal all one word. We're in all of those spots, as well as on Reddit at reddit dot com, slash our, slash soliverbal. We didn't start it, but we check in from time to time. There was an AMA that took place this week with our good
friend Jeff Schwartz, a lot of fun. We would urge every verballer to go on out there and pop in talk about what you hear on the episodes, and of course soliverble dot com if you want to get in touch as a form there, or you can email us at Soliverble at gmail dot com. Oh that administrative stuff. Aside, Dan, what are we talking about today? Reminding me to put the dip in the oven, set the phone alarm. I did set the phone alarm, right, But you're the two factor.
You're the two FA. That's how the cool tech people or you do MFA two Okay.
So we are talking about the Conference of Champions and that, of course is the PAC twelve, which is not named ironically, or at least was not at the time, and we have broken the conference up into two divisions, and yes it was us who broke it into the North and South, and we're going to ask each other questions about what we were curious about about the other person's specialty that
has been assigned. I have the North, which probably makes sense, and you have the South, which I think also makes sense given your love for a couple of teams there, and we're just gonna hash things out. We're gonna sort things out both with the Pac twelve's place in the college football world the world at large, and figure out who's good, who might not be so good, and what is intriguing.
Where would you like to start. I want to start with you.
I want to ask you the first question, Okay, because I don't think we've ever seen this level of and hype is maybe too strong a word, but this level attention preseason on Utah. I feel like every off season the storyline is like, well, of course Utah is always going to be solid, well always, you should never count out Utah, and you know, week in week out, Utah can beat anybody, but it's never gotten to the point where they're.
They're the official favorite. Right.
I think that the Media Day. The PAC twelve Media Day voters said Utah is the favorite for the conference, right, yeah, yeah, and so that is a heightened alert for the Utes, and so I think we should because you're covering the South. My question to you is if do you want to play any sounds? Do you want to mash buttons?
OKA twelve? Oh yeah, get a little usc DG. I like that.
Okay, all right, So my question is if Tyler Huntley, the now healthy Tyler Huntley got hurt last year, looks like he did last October before he got hurt, you taught to me, appears to have the clear best quarterback and defense combination in the conference. Sure, that doesn't mean the best quarterback, that doesn't mean the best defense, but the sum of those parts. Do you believe this tie? That's one and two? What or who should ut fans be the most concerned about, you know, just looking is
it their team? Is it other teams? Where's the concern? And do you believe in that combination?
Well, so the concern for me is on defense because they're losing their top four tacklers at linebacker Chase Hansen, Cody Barton and safety Marquise Blair Coreyan Ballard right up the heart of the defense. That's an issue in the secondary, in particular, how you replace those two safeties I think is of paramount point importance, impointance, important pointance. They're gonna move Julian Blackman, who is a second team All Pack twelver or to free safety from corner to fill in
for Ballard, so they've got an answer there. They've also got another senior they can plug in for Blair. They've also got an All Pack twelve cornerback in the form of Jalen Johnson, who I think bolsters that secondary well. So even though there is some turnover there, I feel comfortable with the answers, and as a whole, it's hard not to feel comfortable with Kyle Whittingham coaching the defensive side of the ball, especially when you look at what
he's got along that defensive front. He said it's the deepest front he's ever had. Just about the entire two deeped In is back from a year ago. He feels like he's got eleven guys that he can rotate in, not the least of which is Bradley and a Max to Boy. Bradley and Ay, he had a whopping fifty two quarterback pressures last year, including eighteen sacks plus hits. That's a stat from our friends over at Pro Football Focus. Up the middle very strong to All Pac twelve vers
in twenty eighteen. It's a recurring theme on this defense. A lot of All Pack twelve talent, which is going to bode well for them. So that being said, if my concern is up the spine of that defense and not with its offense, that's a new place for Utah to be, isn't it.
I think Utah has reached the point where they just they get the benefit of the doubt. They defensively, Oh yeah, they get the benefit of the doubt. So I know your concerns are at you know up the middle, that you know, inside linebacker and safety, but there's very little when you look at what Utah has done on defense this past really decade. I'm looking at the numbers of this past decade. They have not allowed more than two points per drive. This you know, since two thousand it's
more than a decades since two thousand and seven. Sure, so when you look at Utah, they just put together at worst, okay defenses, they've really never let things go offensively different thing. We can talk about that, but they are. The Utah defense is among the very few things in the Pac twelve where I just shrug and say they'll be fine.
They'll be fine. To the larger point though, Yeah, for as long as you for as long as I can remember, the big question going into the season has always had something to do with Utah's offense. This year, it's not without offensive questions, mainly because the line has some new faces, But the biggest questions are definitely on defense. And as I said, linebacker they got Phil Spots and to a
lesser degree maybe the defensive backfield. I just think you need to look at the full picture going into the season, where Utah is coming from and where they are now. Last year, this is a team that had to deal with both Tyler Huntley and Zach Moss going down for the year due to injury, and still they won nine games. Yeah. Now both those guys are back this year, as well as Britton Covey, Jalen Dixon the top four other pass
catchers from a year ago. Sure, the Lions got a little bit of turnover there with two new guys coming in, but I feel really good about this team, mainly because the schedule is so favorable. It's a good team. Yeah, don't get me wrong. They miss both of Oregon and Stanford. Their road games are at USC and Washington, which will be tricky, but honestly, everything else seems pretty workable. If Utah and stay healthy, veteran offense, really good defensive front
that's going to give teams fits. I'm looking at Utah this year and I'm thinking, all right, the over under is nine and a half wins. Yeah, that's very tasty to me, Dan, that is extremely tasty. I could envision a realistic scenario where I don't feel like I'm being over the top, and eleven and one, even twelve and zero is possible. Who is Utah's offensive coordinator? Is Andy Ludwig? Oh? Yeah? Who is Okay?
At Wisconsin and everywhere else he leaves and people just exhale.
I'm trying to put a positive spin on things, Dan. I don't want to be the guy who's been in sports media so long that everything is viewed with the tint of skepticism, So I understand and not bring up Andy Ludwig. Well here here, let me ask you this. If you were looking.
At Utah and you're like, oh, Bradley and Nay in this defensive line and oh my gosh, year over year they keep replacing guys in the secondary and at linebacker and they just you know, they maintain that level. And now they've hired Brian Van Gorder. Are you saying to yourself, Utah will be fine? Like with Whittingham does develop and recruiting, I'm not you see, it's personal to me because he was at Oregon for two or three years when they were not good at all and super predictable in offense.
My concern with Utah is they have everything in place to win the conference and they become a supermodel version of cal where the offense just lets them down, lets down a really nice defense. Now I know, you know, they have the running back, they have a healthy quarterback, and I'm the one making the point that the combination of quarterback and defense. If Tyler Huntley looks like he looked in October, granted with Troy Taylor at offensive coordinator,
I think it was Stanford. He looked great against USC UCLA teams that, to varying degrees, had up and down seasons, but he did what good quarterbacks should do against those teams, and he was very, very good, and so I'm a little bit worried. Even though Brittin Covey's there for his five hundredth year, what feels like for Utah. I think he went on an LDS mission, But I'm worried that we are not going to get the creativity to max out the offense that's that's available to the Utes. So
I would actually go under. I would go nine to three and still with a chance to win the conference, but I just I can't fully get behind that offense doing enough to go like eleven and one. Yeah, all right, well that's you. Do you agree with the combination? Is like, do you think it's kJ Costello and Stanford? Do you think it's Jacobeeson and Washington? Who is the best quarterback defense? Combo Herbert and Oregon? Probably not, Well, we'll have to talk about probably not Chase Garber's.
No, no, And it's probably not kJ Costello and Stanford. Stanford's defense was a mess last year. Yeah, I think they'll be better, but yeah, I think Eason, it could be Easton and Washington, but Washington's a ton of turnover on defense, So I don't know. Maybe it is Utah.
I think that's the best known QB defense quantity right now.
Yeah, all right, well we had to bring up got to bring up Andy Ludwig if we're going to do a fair preview. But I'm very bullish on Utah. I think you are too. All right, Well, let's move on. Let's talk about Washington. We just mentioned they've got some turnover. Nine new faces on defense, four on offense, thirteen in total. That of course includes their quarterback. They're going to be
starting Jacob Eason this season. Maybe, maybe, presumably is twenty nineteen going to feel like a rebel the year for Washington or do you think they've gotten to a point where it's just going to be more like a reload.
I think it's much closer to a reload. And the very few benefits of the doubt units in this conference also includes Washington's defense. They lose all four quote starters, even though a lot of guys rotate in that secondary. You know, Hunter Brian has been playing there for a while, Elijah Molden played a good amount, and that secondary is and has been incredible. So the benefit of the doubt goes to Jimmy Lake and Pete Wakowski, the guys that run that defense, and I'm.
More worried about what they look like upfront.
But at the same time, they've recruited well there they have guys who've played linebacker. Is going to be tricky because losing Ben Burke Curven who was a machine among others at linebacker, is going to be different. But there's enough promise up front, and the recruiting has been so good in the back and defense and placing defense is so much about effort and buy in that I just I give Washington the benefit of the doubt on defense.
My big question is how different will they really look from where they were last year, which is the offense more letting the defense down in that alley oop in that you know, Jake Browning had some duds cal Colorado Oregon was not consistently a nice game for him on the road, even though he made a couple of big throws. And so Jacob Eason is you normally hear when a quarterback is popping a camper're like, oh, this guy special, and he doesn't have to be special, but you normally
hear like, oh, yeah, this is definitely the dude. He's a cut above, and everything that is said about Jacob Eason in the quarterback battle, it's well, you know, he made some big throws, but so did Dylan Morris, so did Jake Hayner, so did Jacob Sermon and really hasn't separated himself and over strain. They're like, hey, he doesn't really I don't know, he's not really a cut above, and so even if he starts, I'd be worried about
the consistency issues, especially downfield. And I like Air Fuller and Ty Jones Hunter Bryan is back very good at tight end. No more Miles Gaskin, but I still like the running backs there. The line should be very very good. That is a clear strength. But I'm worried about not hearing the oh yeah, this guy's the guy about Jacob
eeson right, And that's troubling to me. So defensively, much closer to a reload, just because of how well they've recruited and how well you know, you look at who they would lose in twenty eleven, twenty twelve, twenty thirteen, twenty fourteen. I know it's different coaches part of that time, but year over here they just keep bringing back studs
and developing him into that system. So last year they go what nine and four, A kind of a disappointing year given the experience that they had, but I want to see them get better. Situationally, they really won with turnover margin and discipline.
I am.
I think the best case right now for Washington is Easton is really good, which I think is possible given his arm. They're better downfield, they're more creative in the run game, as Miles Gaskins sort of took a step back last year, and they go ten and two or eleven and one because the schedule's great, the schedules really nice BYU feels a little bit trappy on the road
early on. I think it's a look ahead before the USC and on the road against Stanford, but they get a buye between Oregon and Utah and they miss what I think is going to be a pretty feisty UCLA team. So I feel pretty good about Washington. I think their bottom if they bought them out.
It's an eight and four year. It's a Jersey mix kind of year for them. What does that mean? Will they be a sub.
Above You can't just make that joke and not go out and sell the sponsorship yourself to a sandwich company, not an official sponsor, But do you think they're closer to their best case or their worst case?
Given? I mean, you didn't deep dive Washington, But what is your feeling? Well, my feeling is that Chris Peterson. Part of what he's done is obviously bring Washington to a level of prominence that they were hoping for, but also raise the floor. And granted there are going to be thirteen new faces, but I think those new faces are going to be pretty darn good. I am worried about the running game a little bit. Losing Miles Gaskins. I agree took a step back last I love Salvon Ahamed.
I love Ahmed. I do. He's got better speed in the open field, but I don't know if he's got the patience of Gaskin. That's something that they've got to try and train into him, and so I don't know. I'm curious to see how the running game goes. Running game important for first time starting quarterback or a new starting quarterback I guess on a first time for the Washington Huskies here.
Yeah, I'm curious to see if teams employ a very similar strategy to what happened last season, which like, just make Jake Browning beatch you, just making beatch you because he regressed. As much as I didn't want it to be the case, I was always impressed with him from
where he was in twenty sixteen. I know he had injury issues and his receivers changed omhere, John Ross, things like that, but from where he was in twenty sixteen to how he finished as a senior, there was I think definitely some appointment and Washington fans would probably be the first to tell you that.
And you know, to your point here and to my point, I guess about raising the floor, the line is huge. Line. The line is incredible for Washington. That takes a lot of the heat off the quarterback and the running game too. Sure, it allows those positions to excel.
Yeah, I think Trey Adams and Nick Harris are you know, among the best duos on the offensive line in the conference.
For sure. So you're feeling pretty bullish on Washington again, I think so. Yeah.
I think just situationally, the fact that their schedule is what it is, they don't have an Auburn early on the schedule, you know, works out nicely and they'll have time to work in new guys on defense. I'm curious about the line because that's where they've really whether it was Greg Gaines or vite Vea, all sorts of guys that really succeeded, especially inside. That's what I'm most curious about.
What does Washington look like inside on the line and inside in the linebacking core because that those guys have been the difference maker these past couple of years.
Well, let me stay with you then, before you have to put your dip in the oven, I want to talk about I want to talk about your Oregon Ducks. Okay, I don't have I don't have a deep, prodding, thrusting question about the orgle WHOA, that's my territory. I know it is, but Oregon is your territory and I don't want to limit your answer here. So okay, I wanted to be broad with this question and just ask you where does Oregon need to improve the most. Do you
think they're going to be able to do it? Well?
I answer actually changed in the last couple of days. So the key improvement area for Oregon is the combination of creative play calling and receivers improving and part of that receiver improvement is guys that are new to the program, either freshmen or transfers. So Michah Pittman is the big name. He's the younger brother of Michael Pittman, a starting receiver USC and son of you know NFL great quote unquote Michael Pittman, who is a running back for a couple
of different teams. He has come in and I think he's already on the second team and I think he'll work his way into the lineup pretty consistently. So that's a nice addition. And then the bane of your Penn State existence at receiver, Juwan Johnson. Yes, he steps into the fold. I don't know exactly how he's going to be used, if he'll be used in the same way. I think he'll be looked at as a red zone target. I think primarily because of his size, but he certainly knew.
I don't know if I feel great about bringing in a receiver to a core that had some drop issues, with a receiver who for sure had some drop.
Definitely had some drop issues going to Yes, So.
That combination of figuring out the creativity of finding seven yards and getting to second and three finding eleven yards because a lot of times justin Herbert locked in on guys. Dylan Mitchell was the clear best and he's not back, he's in the NFL now, and he.
Would go he would throw the ball deep.
He has this giant arm and he would he go deep, or he would fire it in for something short or try to squeeze something in intermediate. And I want there to be some sort of creativity like they showed last year later on in the season Arizona State, UCLA, whatever, where there were some swing passes, there was motion, there was play action, and the better that they got doing that, the less they were running it out of the pistol. And I said a few weeks ago that I felt
Oregon had a nine win pistol ceiling. If they're really leaning on that pistol, I think I feel that way. Maybe it's a little bit harsh. I think if they don't get to nine wins, it'll be a combination of the pistol in a pretty tricky schedule. But at the top they're in good shape with Herbert, who has the potential to be the best in the conference and elite nationally. Running back is by committee. They don't have like the
Belkow dude like they had in years past receiver. I've mentioned the offensive line might be the best in the country. If it's not the best in the country, it's in that group. There's a ton of experience. You know, Pinay Swell might be a top ten twelve pick when he's eligible to come out at left tackle.
Defensively, I think they're going to get better. I think they're going to.
Get more unpredictable. They add what it was, number one, number two red root in the country in Cavon Thibodeaux, who at least will be a rushing a rush end specialist type linebacker. Their experience, they're okay Troy Dies, you know, he's been there now seventeen years and he should lead the team in tackles once again. And they're improving in the secondary schedule though, like I mentioned, open against Auburn,
they're at Stanford this year. At Washington, they host Washington State, They go to USC, who they missed last year, and a lot of that is like I think it's Washington, Washington Schools and USC are back to back to back in October and early November, so it's a rough there's no stretch of ease for Oregon. So the best case scenario is, you know, they go ten and two, Justin Herberts and Assassin, the receivers improve, the offense takes those open yards. It gets creative. Worst cases, they go eight
and four again and the offense stagnates. They're not that great on the road, the defense is inconsistent. So I have them squarely between those at nine and three.
It'd be a good year, though. Would you be happy with that? I think so.
I think so, with the potential depending on who they lose to. If they lose the Auburn game, so you're only losing two Pac twelve games, so you can get into a pretty big Bowl game. I just I'm too concerned about the offense and what it looks like on the road in big spots, and what it looks like down four with three to eighteen left. I'm not going to be nearly as confident in this Oregon offense as
I was in years past when it was working. So that's where I think the losses come from, just offensive disorder at times.
I have a more important question, though, Okay, can I still make the joke that Oregon's a finesse team because you know Mario Chrystobaul has been doing this thing where he's trying to be a little bit more physical than previous regimes.
It would be you can criticize Oregon for a lot, and I don't think they were ever a finesse team, but you can criticize them for a lot or just be snarky about them for a lot. Finesse running straight between a center and a guard, or between a guard and a tackle, between the tackles insisting on running down him with a shotgun or a pistol look, and a running back directly behind the quarterback running straight downhill doesn't feel finasy to me. Damn, I know, I know, we'll
have to find a new team. So that's where I'm at with Oregon. I'm the thing I'm most excited and curious for is actually what they look like on defense.
There's nothing.
There's not much that I feel like they can evolve to offensively with the same people and the same coordinator. But they hire a new coordinator in Andy Avolos from Poise State, who I think ran a really interesting defense there. I think you're gonna see a lot of pre snap confusion and unpredictability and I'm I'm all for that. I love that kind of thing. So I'm excited to see what.
They do there. Fair enough for what do you want to go next? All right, let's go to.
I guess we should talk about USC, right, Yeah, we should, let's talk about USC. I'm actually so a lot of the attention has been on what are they gonna look like as an air raid team? What are they going to look like? You know, as they get a little bit healthier, they're replacing their secondary on defense. If the Trojans are going to take and this I think is a fair question, if they're going to take a dramatic step in either direction, which group will be the cause?
Yes?
So if they get well, I'm saying even more specifically, okay, what position group will.
Be the reason?
So if the most likely dramatic improvement or regression will be because of what position group, I would say, there's my terreso alarm. So you're having you got the alarm right now? I have the alarm right now, I'm texting Jody with an eye. Can you preheat the oven to four hundred degrees please?
Okay, So if USC takes a step forward, what specific group is responsible for it, Yeah, I think or back or back or back. Yeah, I think I'm gonna say the offensive line because it has genuinely been the week spot for USC the last couple of years, and as we just got done mentioning with the Oregon Ducks, with the Washington Huskies, even with Utah to some degree, the line can paper over a lot of sins and you need to be strong in the trenches. I think with
USC it also has a direct impact on the running game. Now. I don't know what the running game is going to look like this year, being so maybe they are switching to more of an Air Rady type system, but they've got so much talent at running back. Wasn't Stephen Carr a five star?
Stephen Carr was a five star the vave Malapi. I've definitely got that pronounced wrong. He was like an Army All American because he was I'd remember him because he was committed to Oregon for a long time.
Yeah, it's just like we haven't seen any breakouts at that running back position, despite the fact that USC seems to always have five star talent since the Texas Tesla. Right, Yeah, that's right. So I'm going to start with the line, and I'm going to work backwards. I do want to address the question though, that you mentioned about the air raid and the offense. I just I look at this team. I don't think there's a whole lot of mystery here. The offense needs to get better. Anyone who follows USC
knows that the offense needs to get better. Clay Helton, he knew it too. M h. He's not a dummy. That's why he fired T Martin. He brought in Cliff Kingsbury. Cliffee, of course, was there for what that month month in Manhattan Beach, had a lot of fun. Then he went to the Arizona Cardinals. Now they bring in Graham Harrell from North Texas, which I think is an equally aggressive move. That definitely it definitely, let's put this way, signals some sort of new philosophy on offense.
Yeah, but Cliff Kingsbury was wildly successful as an offensive mind than Graham Harrell. Okay, interesting, intriguing, but.
I think Cliff was way more proven. I think that was more aggressed. Definitely more proven for sure. Okay, The question now is what's the realist expectation going from T Martin to Graham Harrell. Again more of an air raid guy. Doesn't mean he's not going to find some hybrid version that works for USC, but there's certainly going to be a transition here, and the question everyone's asking is will it click fast enough to meet the expectations to save
Clay Helton's job. For me, I really like JT. Daniels at quarterback. He looked really good look the real deal last year, and I think he's got a solid wide receiver corps that should be primed for a big year. Did you think he looked really good last year?
I thought he did. I thought he showed enough promise. Do you know why you thought that? I'm going to tell you why you thought that?
Has he looked he looked good.
Against Notre Dame, and that's probably when you watched him most closely.
I still think he's got a ton of talent, and I feel I feel good about JT. Daniels, and I think the receiving corps has a ton of talent with Michael Pittman Junior and Tyler Vaughns. He's still there and they've got They've got talent up and down the depth chart at wide receipt. Still no word if they're going to let Bruce McCoy play right, which in case will.
Be other transfer back is eligible at corner, but I haven't heard about brew yet.
So we'll find out. The point is here, they've got talent at wide receiver. If they're going to run more air raid stuff, presumably that would be a position that that would have a big year. It's just I don't know what it's going to look like, and that bothers me. I like the talent, but we've liked talent at USC for a long time. The line has certainly underwhelmed. That's why I mentioned them first. And the running back core.
I don't know what to expect there right. Defensively, defensively, that front has to have an outsized impact here because I'm comparing the secondary to Gumby Dan because they're thin and green. Oh okay, I think a lot comes down to this offense. Is that fair? They've recruited really well in the secondary, though, they have, but they're thin and they're they've been shaky though. Yeah, you're right, they're young.
Yes, I think the offensive line will decide things in an interesting way, although part of me also thinks they're going to design this offense around getting the ball out of whoever the starting quarterback's hand is pretty quickly, and so to mitigate any of the worries there, because they get rid of the offensive line coach last year who was there for a little while, and so I think Tim Drevno is sliding from running backs coach to he's an old Harbaugh guy too, back to the offensive line,
which is where he was before. So it appears that they're going to have a better coaching and more solidified situation there on the line. The Mike jinks Hire is interesting to me.
They hire him.
He was a head coach, but he was at Texas Tech under Cliff Kingsbury as a running backs coach and did a really nice job with the running backs for the Red Raiders. So it's interesting to me to see who shines from that running backs group from an all purpose standpoint. But even if the line isn't great, if they're getting the ball out of the hit, they're getting it to whoever you mentioned, Michael Pittman and Tyler Vaughn's and Devin Williams and all these guys that are really
really talented and they're just getting to them immediately. It feels like they're gonna be in a much better place. They were awful on third down last year. Yeah, so if they just if they can pump out six seven yards on first down more often than not. There they had like the eightieth or ninetieth best offense in the country last year. It was We're going to be immediately a top twenty or thirty offense just from doing that.
Can I tell you the biggest fly in this college football ointment, oh place. This schedule is unrelenting. Whoa, it's such a big start. It is unrelenting. They've got Stanford, Utah and a road game against Washington all in September. Yeah, then there's a bye week before they go to Notre Dame. They've also got Oregon in the first week of November and a road game at ASU that has not historically
been great to USC. The very next tarmac firing filled. Yeah, not the problem Clay Helton, who everybody loves but no one would recognize in Hudson News. As we've elaborated on the show, I love that stupidity of the statement. Yeah, nine and three may be the absolute ceiling for USC given the schedule, and that could be a problem for him if.
They go nine and three and win the Alamobile and get to ten and they beat I don't know who they would play in the Alamobile, but if they beat somebody in the top twenty ten wins with the top twenty Bowl win, is that enough?
Just show improvement, okay, show improvement from start to finish. That might be enough. If you win eight wins.
I don't think that's enough. I think, yes, an admirable eight wins where you just barely lose to Washington, it just barely and you look competitive. I don't think that's enough. I think that number is it's a red number. That's the scarlet number for USC. I think they're cardinal and gold. But it's close enough. Eight wins is not enough. A wins is just not enough. I think it's it's gonna take nine with wins over big teams, and maybe they're there's a context for why they lose a couple of games.
Quarterback.
It's hurt they you know, some some explanation. I think in all likelihood it has to be double digit wins for for Clay Hell to keep his job, and double digit wins winning the conference probably doesn't. Don't They also have Fresno to open the year. Yeah, Fresno's a good team. Yeah, Fresno's been putting out top ten defenses. So Fresno Stanford, they're going. They're on the road at BYU, who's got a promising young quarterback. I think USC wins that game.
But in terms of there's there's no letting off the pedal. Fresno Stanford BYU, Utah, Washington, Notre Dame, UNREMT that's going. That's going into an Arizona game where there might be the single most dangerous quarterback in the conference. You might talk Do you want to talk about Arizona next?
I'll talk about Arizona next, Yes, please do. What's your question about Arizona? I do have that question about Arizona.
That is the least interesting question there is because it's what everybody kind of wants to know. Am I going to get to watch fun Khalil Tate in twenty nineteen? I know last year that the nol Mazzoni offense where he was, you know, getting used to being more of a pocket guy and not really in that rich Rod Mold of all sorts of his own reads and just doing it all himself. Can he do it all himself?
Again please, because the defense is not going to be super good and so it's not they will find themselves in a well, they're down forty to twenty eight with eleven minutes left.
Sure, it's Tate time. Tate time. Nice, that's it I'm begging. Okay, So you mentioned the defense. They gave up thirty two points six points per game last year. Yeah, they did. That was almost as bad as Oklahoma for content.
The Tate Show with I was doing like a late show thing and then it just didn't all add up.
Sorry. The issue is defense, for sure. Okay, let's get back to the elephant in the room here. Yeah. I want to believe they get better on defense. The linebacking corps should be okay, Okay, Well, I am kicking myself personally that I did not include Colin's Schooler on my dude watch list.
Oh man, Actually, can I jump in right here please. The reason I said that my answer about Organ's receivers has changed in the last couple of days is because starting receiver Brendan Schooler, yes, broke his foot and he's out six to eight weeks. His younger brother, who you're about to talk about. It's a very, very good linebacker for Arizona.
Really good linebacker. And again, this isn't a program recently that has been that notable on the defensive side. Of course, he had Scooby Wright a couple of years ago, but otherwise not a lot to love on the defensive side. Colin Schooler is one of those names you should watch out for. And the secondary is three starters back and they should be okay. So I don't know if I'll believe in any defensive improvement until I see it, but they can't get a whole lot worse than they did
a year ago. Good news, bad news situation for the Wildcats is this. I think there is a ton of reason for optimism, not just seeing Khalil Tate in the backfield, but also JJ Taylor. That's exciting. Preview after preview, rider after writer, everybody who's writing a preview about Arizona this year is focusing on those two guys and how much fun they're going to be. I'm with them. I'm excited. The problem the bad news is that eventually it hits you like, oh God, this is all on Khalil JJ Taylor,
isn't it. It's fine by me, It's fine by me as a fan, if you're an Arizona fan, yeah, it's not sustainable. But as a college football fan, yeah, you're going to find some games where they're down forty to eighteen late and we're going to see some creative stuff. Last year, the main reason I believe we saw a different Khalil Tait was because he heard his ankle in the second week of the year and he didn't run as much. Yeah, and it's new coach, new system. This
a coach new system. But Kevin someone was very clear, very clear in saying that, Yeah, Cleil Tait's really good when he can run the ball, and he just didn't run the ball last year. He was hurt. So hopefully he's healthy this year and we could see more of that. And let's talk about JJ Taylor. We talked about him, I think on our Dude Show. If we didn't, maybe we should have, but implied established dude, but a revelation
in his sophomore year had over fourteen hundred yards. Dudes, only five six, not big by any stretch, but a ton of fun to watch out there. The absolute wishing on a star best case scenario for Arizona is like seven and five. Yeah, I think that's right. Seven and five. I can't go more than seven and five. Texas Tech in week three should tell us a lot. Listen to the road schedule. Did you see this? I don't have it in front of me, but I'm winning at USC,
at Stanford, at Oregon, at Arizona State. And that's in addition and territorial by the way, to home games against Washington and Utah. So not easy for Arizona. What do they miss from the north? Do they miss Wazoo? They miss Wazoo. Oh, that's pretty good, but otherwise it's a murderer's row. Doesn't relent at all. And seven and five is probably your best case scenario.
So that means the defense in a best case scenario goes from being below average because they did improve last year. They go from being not great to all right. You know, take the good, you take the bad. That kind of thing for Arizona and Khalil Tate returning to form as essentially a borderline Heisman candidate. Yes, okay, I'm curious about
the receivers. If they have those, go to guys that will pair well and keep defenses honest or teams are just going to keep spying on Tate and you know, make his life miserable as often as possible.
Okay, yeah, where do we want to go from here? I want to talk about Wazoo since you brought them up. Yes, great story. Last year, both sides of the football, right, Gardner Minshew has a breakout campaign. Tracy Clays his first year, Remember they brought him in to try and help the defense. That went very well, good defensive mind. This year, now they're in a different place, a familiar place, but a
different place, bringing in another transfer quarterback because of the system. Now, is it fair to say that the Wazoo offense is completely relying upon the success of their newest transfer quarterback.
Yeah, They're only going to go as far as their quarterback takes them. I think it's more than that. But because of the way Washington State's offense runs through the quarterback, as the quarterback is responsible for both the passing game and in some ways the running game, with short little passes to running backs out of the backfield and screens to the receivers. Yes, the good news for Gaje Gubrud allegedly gauge, but come on, it's gotsche The good News
room is. He had a bunch of coordinators at Eastern. He had Bo Baldwin running things on offense and Troy Taylor who ended up at Utah. He's year over year. Has had to get used to being thrown into a new situation. Now going to Washington State and playing against PAC twelve competition every week, it's different animal. It's for sure,
different animal. We saw Vernon Adams do it from going from Eastern Washington to a PAC twelve North team and looking sensational, and it could happen again for Washington State here quarterbacks are different and relying on this sort of year over year thing. It's real tricky again. I saw it with Dakota Prucop coming in a year after Vernon Adams. Different quarterback for sure. It's just tough to the lightning
in a bottle of Gardner Minshew happening again. I think the odds are not great, but they've been built well enough. Washington State. They are right now in a probably better place than Oregon. They've beaten the Ducks four straight years, and a couple of those times pretty emphatic. They go, they win ten games. Last year, they lose the Wonky Game to USC with the referee issues and the late hits, and then obviously they're nailed down by the Husky Hammer. Hey,
that's pretty good. That's your nickname in high school. So the offense is very very good. So yes, it's going to depend on guy Ja Gubrud. They had trouble running last year, which would have taken off some of the heat from Gardner Minshew in a couple of those games. They didn't go downfield as much as they have and so I wonder what that looks like with a really nice receiving core back tay Martin des Patman. Jamiir Calvin inside is really good. I think he had a huge
conversion on third down against Oregon last year. The line should be pretty good even without Andre Dillard, who now is sort of your neighbor, right, He's an eagle, sort of, isn't he? Yeah, sort of your neighbor sort of. A couple hours the defensive lines rebuilding, but they bring in a nice transfer. I think his name is McDougall from West Virginia. They've got rotations, back, rotation guys back at linebacker. I think secondary is gonna be a little bit tough.
They lost Jalen Thompson, who was even potential All American but certainly All Conference. He had an nc DOUAI violation. I think declared for the supplemental draft.
Schedule's nice. Schedule's nice.
I know they have Houston early on and they're at Oregon Washington, but it's all pretty cushioned. They have Colorado before Oregon, they have I think it's Oregon State at home before Washington. So yes, it depends on him. He was a good quarterback, had a foot injury last year that I think he's still trying to shake a little bit,
but I think he's ultimately going to be fine. So the best case scenario is Gajay is minshew esque, the defense stays fast and dangerous, they keep winning the close ones. They had some fifty to fifty games last year. I think Cal was real close. And the worst case scenario is it's just too much to ask for two grad transfer quarterbacks in a row to generate that lightning in a bottle, and the defense leaks a bit a little bit in the secondary, and it's a tough quarterback road
for Washington State. They have Derek King Houston, they have I think what's going to be We're going to get to him probably next dt R, Dorian Thompson Robinson, the UCLA. They've Tyler Huntley, Stephen Montes, Justin, Herbert kJ Costello, and potentially a very good Jacob Easton or whoever starting at Washington. So that's the worst case, and they would in that case go seven to five and six or six and
six something like that. This all seems right to me, Dan, Are they in a better place to you than Oregon with how they've been these past few years where you are feeling more confident that they will figure things out. I'm feeling more confident because they have despite maybe the stigma that Mike Leech had about coaching defense, they've actually been pretty good on defense last couple of years, and that to me has been a steadying force.
Right. So I guess with that in mind, I would I'd be inclined to answer, Yes, I think it's close, though, I mean it's close.
Who is more able to say we have got a great blank and it's I think it's Washington State in their offense.
Yeah, I think you're right there. There's been a level of consistency at Wazoo that's been admirable. Danger got a credit Mike Leach for that. He's done a good job for sure. But we'll see you at the new quarterback. What's your ceiling for Wazuo this season?
Ceiling if if Gaja goobrued works out and the defense you know, is able to replace guys and work rotation guys in nicely. I think Washington State has like a man nine and three again with a chance to win ten in a bowl.
Let's do Ucla. What do you got for me on Ucla? Man?
This is gonna be very similar to my kalil take question. Am I going to get to watch Chip Kelly football Capital F football in twenty nineteen in a way that will make me? This is a complicated, baggage filled It'll make me happy, it'll make me sad, It'll make me a little scared watching UCLA? Or is that is that a twenty twenty combo of emotion?
Is this? Is this you being invited to an ex's wedding?
Not anymore? He's already been back to Eugene at this point. I just it would be fun to see a good UCLA.
So you've you're you're burying the past.
Yeah, yeah, we had our great times. It was passionate, memorable and I'll remember it forever. I just now I want to see somebody live well.
As a Southern California kid, Yeah, growing up watching sports, were you more inclined towards USC or Ucla? Oh? Ucla for sure, really for sure. Yeah.
I really liked the basketball team. So they won the national championship and what ninety.
Four early the tias Edney team.
Tias Edney over Miszoo and yeah, yeah, I was about to say Kyler Murray, but that is not correct. Different player. Yeah, that team was incredible and so that really got me going with UCLA, as did like the cade McNown era.
In oh yeah, middle late nineties.
So I was into that and so I've talked about this that that cade McNown Ucla lost to Miami at the end of the season. That was postponed from the beginning of the season when UCLA was about to, I think go to the national championship if they win that game. That was Edger and James ran for five thousand yards on a Nick Aliotti defense for UCLA.
Yeah, all right, Ucla went three and nine last year. It was not a good season in Westwood, but they were super young and They're still young this year, they will be better, will be better this season. I am super interested in your boy Dtrnson Robinson, their quarterback, as well as Joshua Kelly and how our boy Charles chip Kelly is going to use both of them. As you know, Chippers got a knack for the whole running thing, and Joshua Kelly really came into his own towards the end
of last season. Elsewhere, the wide receiver corp is mostly back. They got four guys on the line that are back. The defense was super young again last season, mostly mostly back this year. So I don't know if I have any deep level of analysis on the UCLA Bruins, just that they were so young last year learning a new system. Most of the team is back. I think it has
to improve. Now to what end will it improve? That's hard to say, Dan, because when you look at the schedule, it truly qualifies as manslaughter in like one hundred and fifty countries. This schedule is brutal. Opening the year at Cincinnati. Not a bad team, right, They'll be better this year,
for sure, not a bad team. Then they come back home against San Diego State, which is no pushover the next week they host Oklahoma, difficult game potentially zero to three, potentially, and then the Pac twelve road schedule is nuts at Wazoo, at Zona, at Stanford, at Utah, at USC. Are you freaking kidding me with this? That's a rough. That's a rough. They could improve by leaps and bounds, and the best case scenario still might only be six and six. That's
how tough this schedule is. That's one hundred percent more wins. One hundred percent more wins? Yes? Is my math? Does my mat check out? Three? Nine to six and six? Yes, one hundred percent more wins. You're right?
They miss Oregon though, right, they miss organ Yeah, they miss Oregon and Washington. Is that how I'm reading this correctly? So that's at least some relief. There's at least something there that it could be worse. The back half of their schedule is pretty rocky. The middle of their schedules all right, beginning as you mentioned, is you know that through the Arizona game late in September, that's tough.
I am.
I'm very excited for DTR. I'm they have speed at receiver. I think whatever they lack in talent, they are gonna be one of the few teams in the country that they can say we can outscheme people, we can add wrinkles that make our offense hum more smoothly than it should all things considered defensively. Have a lot of questions defensively. What they look like on the road. Yeah, so last year on the road, UCLA gives up forty nine, thirty eight, thirty or they give up seven in a win.
To cal which is great.
They give up forty two to Oregon, thirty one to Asu, and then they finish the season, and I would consider this a bright spot. God Wilton spate through for almost five hundred yards against Stanford in a shootout loss to the Cardinal in Pasadena, so they're in a decent enough place. Dtr will be healthy. What he looked like against Washington, especially as they almost upset them in the Rose Bowl. I think we're gonna get a lot more of a full off season. The Chip Kelly program, I think, is
gonna pay a good amount of dividends. They're gonna be fun. They're gonna be a fifty to fifty team. They're gonna plan a lot of like thirty eight thirty five types.
Yeah, and I think that's a great argument against your theory that this could be the last year for Charles Chip Kelly. There's so many I don't think we'll have to do with what they look like on the field though, so well, that's potentially true, so much youth. I think Dorian Thompson, Robinson and Joshua Kelly should be awesome in the backfield. Very curious to see if we get that retro Chip style of offense. That would be fun. Like I do.
I'm worried about them up front, but I like their their linebackers on defense. I like, God, he feels like he's been here forever. It's Kaishaan Lucier South. Yeah, he was, He's been there for a good amount of time. And Chris Barnes was really nice as well.
Last year. He was all over the place.
So if he can be if they can look like what they did at linebacker like four years ago, the Anthony Barr era, Yeah yeah, that's it's a high bar. But at least when you have those guys cleaning things up, you can get off the field, and that's that's enormous.
Hey, Dan, when you were in school, what was like the cool thing you have, like a trendy thing when you were in school in high school. Growing up, you went to like angel Dust saying no slap bracelets. In high school was that? That was probably? I am That was probably elementary school for both of us. Right, High school was POGs Now ska ska. People listen to SKA. You're talking about like collectibles, Yeah, like a Rubik's cube or like Pokey. We were before Pokemon, quicksilver shirts, quick.
Airwalks, Yeah, a lot of you know what it was that skater shoes like DVS airwalks, vans.
That was very big, the coolest thing in school. Now they're Bombas socks. Oh, absolutely, And I have something to say about this. They have the most comfortable kid socks ever. They're designed with several comfort innovations that helped make them feel better than any other kids sock ever made. They're colorful, literally bursting with color. Dan you know this. Yeah, they even have a little colorful b on them. Bombas donates a pair of socks for every pair purchased. So great.
You should get some for yourself too. We've got Bombastan. They actually were kind enough to just send us a pack. I have yours downstairs of No show socks, which I've been into.
I'm full no show life. Other than when I have to wear a suit. I'm a no shower now.
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Can't recommend them highly enough.
I remember when I was whatever, it was, fifth grade, eighth grade, whatever, where I get these socks and popular brands, whether in Nike, whatever, Adidas and the elastic wares, and you're like, Wow, I can't wear these anymore. These look like clown socks. I've had the original pairs of Bomba socks that they sent us. I don't know when we started partnering with them seven twelve one, two thousand and one predated podcast by five years. Yes, I still have those.
I still work out in them. The elastic hasn't changed. They're just as comfortable. They've got that mid soul like webbing, the beehive type webbing thing. I could not be a bigger fan of them. I actually just watched a video about the company. I didn't know we were talking about Bombas tonight. I just watched the video. They're doing great. The socks are wildly popular.
Get in on this chase good stuff.
What's worse than throwing out a pair of socks? You're like, well, now I gotta go buy more. Because these things couldn't hold elastic for a year, they last forever. According to me, I do not guarantee that.
Hey, while we're at it, while we're doing advertisements. I mentioned it at the top of the show, but I did want to call out something that you're doing. You're doing another podcast, which I'll never let you live down. But it's okay. I do it alone. I don't have another co host. You do it alone. You're not technically cheating on me, so it's cool. Yeah, but sports Wars has dipped into a college football arc, has it not? Yeah, we are.
As we were recording this in the middle of the world's largest outdoor cocktail party, deep Diving Florida, Georgia or depending on who you are, Georgia Florida, and just the history of the show, the big names, the big stories and like why they hate each other and the baggage
that everybody has. If you're a Florida fan looking back at the herschel Walker Georgia teams or what they've done these past couple of years are if you're a Georgia fan and Steve Spurry or era where they just wreck them, especially wrecking them in Athens, which I had totally forgotten about when they were remodeling in Jacksonville. So we go through all the old stories and bring it up to
current day. We're doing the cocktail party, and then we're doing Red River, Oklahoma, Texas Texas Oklahoma and going through the history there. We figured we'd start with the two big weird neutral site rivalry games. Would love to do Army Navy, so that's also a neutral site rivalry game. But these these really sang to me and they're really fun. So I recommend Sports Wars wherever you're listening to this
right now, go download Sports Wars. Really good for like a flight or just a car ride to zone out to weird sports stories.
With I enjoyed. I only had a chance to listen to the very first for the Georgia episode, Thank you Well.
The new for the second one came out literally today as we were Yeah, so I had never for a chance to listen to it yet. But it's cued up, but it's ready to go. Good stuff, man, keep up the good work. They wouldn't let me do my spury or impression I wanted to do it.
Weal, weal, Sorry, ty Dan, I want to talk about Stanford. I am concerned about Stanford. I am concerned because there are lingering questions at running back, at offensive line, on defense. All three of those positions were underwhelming last year. What the heck is going on with Stanford's identity is David Shaw?
Is he going to rediscover that physicality, that brand of football that really brought Stanford to prominence here of late or are we watching a program that is somehow evolving into something else?
Are you asking if David Shaw went on like an Eat Prey, Love, find himself vacation to figure out who he really wants to be.
Look, you can call it whatever you want, But what are we in the midst of here? Is he trying to get back to basics or is he trying to do something different with this team.
I think he's going to try to do something a little bit differently with the same Stanford DNA, as much as that sort of conflicts as a sentence, I think they're going to still play relatively in a relatively conservative fashion. But when they saw that the run was not there last year, they leaned heavily on with a Cadence Smith and Kolby Parkinson and.
Jj are.
Fago Whiteside and Trent Or when they really started to air it out and throw the ball down field, and when they had success it was because of that, and Bryce Love was beat up and certainly didn't have the return season that he thought he would. So I don't think they are going to be putting in ten offensive linemen at the same time like they were wont to do in year's past. But I think they're still going to try to be that team that uses power to
set up downfield stuff to set up play action. I just don't think they're going to get the same amount of success doing so, and they will adjust accordingly. They'll throw on first down a little bit more. They're going to air it out a little bit more. I know they don't have necessarily the game changing receivers, but the Kolbe Parkinson's still there, and he's a very good tight end.
Cameron Scarlett's guy at running back. I'm curious to see what they look like because kJ Costello is very quietly maybe the most talented quarterback in the conference.
Well, next my question was going to be about kJ Costello because it does seem as if now they're trying to run the offense through him. For a while, it was Christian McCaffrey and then Bryce Love sure, and you know they got serviceable play out of guys like Kevin Hogan. But not since Andrew Luck have we really had a quarterback around whom it felt, Oh, David Shaw was truly building. I think we've got that now with kJ Costello, don't.
We First of all, First of all, in this house, we celebrate Kevin Hogan. Kevin Hogan was really good. I'm not diminishing Kevin Hogan. Did he in the NFL for a little bit?
I have no idea. I don't care, I don't That's not what I do on Sunday. Well, I'm just saying he was pretty good.
He was zone right at least he was a long time starter who won big games and big got them to big ball games. I mean, they weren't going to Rose Bull. After Rosebull. They were in a great place with Kevin Hogan. Kevin Hogan was fine. They weren't building around him like he was Andrew Luck. Yes, in terms of talent, throwing the ball downfield, and size and athleticism, kJ Costello is you know, every pretty much every team in the country should be jealous outside of about five
or six that Stanford has, kJ Costell. The big question to me is what can the defense do in doing their part because last year we saw a backslide that was unexpected given where Stanford was defensively even three, four or five years ago, putting out top ten fifteen defenses nationally. So at end, they're pretty strong on the line, they're pretty good at outside linebacker. It's up the middle, which seems to be an issue everywhere in the Pac twelve North.
It seems up the middle, you know, playing tackle, playing inside, on the linebacking core. They're pretty thin there. They have maybe I don't know if he's the best corner in the conference. But Paul Sinadibo is he's a ball howking star tie.
Yeah.
Everywhere else though in that secondary is sort of wait and see. But I think having they have pieces to potentially have not a special but a pretty good defense, which would be an improvement. So I'm not with Stanford where I am with Utah and Tyler Huntley in their defense, but I think potentially they could be close. I like Lance Anderson as a defensive coordinator. So I'm buying Stanford stock like I tend to do this time of year. Sure, always always buying Stanford. But we talk about how USC
opens the year and a couple of other openers. Stanford's got themselves September.
Well, if you're talking about defense, dan yeah being a question mark. Look at the schedule. You don't like what you see through the first six weeks of the year. They open up at home against Northwestern, which wasn't.
That the body Clock game a couple of years ago. It's weird, weird, long longer ago than that. But yeah, it's what Hunter Johnson's team now. Hunter Johnson's team.
Now. We're going to preview the Big Ten next that'll be on Wednesday, so stay tuned for that. But then at USC in week two, at UCF in week three, which is intriguing. It's Wimbush time. Oregon back home the following week. Should have lost last year but pulled it out. There's an Oregon State road game in there before they come back home against Washington. That's all before the bye
week on oct Over the twelfth. So defense is going to be a real question mark through the first half of that schedule at least.
So the good news is, I mean, talk about Utah missing Stanford, then it's probably good that Stanford misses Utah of their drive towards getting back near the double digit win and mark of their schedule of their program. So the back half of their schedule is at least manageable in that there's not two brutal weeks in a row.
It's Washington, Ucla, Arizona, Colorado. They have Wazoo before Cal, which I think is striking in their differences, and it's on the road in Pullman, and they have Cal the week before Notre Dame, right, so they have the wonky rivalry game with Cal before the end of their season. So it's a tough schedule for sure, but having a quarterback who can I think you're feeling confident at least, you know, down three with a minute forty seven left,
you're like, all right, we're not out of it. Where some teams you're down closely you're like, well it was nice. So I like that about Stanford. I don't think they're getting a double digit wins, but I think they're going to be. They're going to be a more interesting, impressive team this fall. I want to stay with you and talk about Cal now, Okay, so I love talking about Cal.
I love Cal. Here's the question, and I am rooting for Cal. I was really high on Cal a year ago, m and that didn't work out. The whole Bauer hour thing was sort of a disaster. Yeah, I would say, so he's no longer the quarterback. But we're at a place now where we look at Cal and I think
we're both pretty excited about the defense. But the offense is a huge question mark, and I'm just wondering if there's any way to avoid Cal being one of those teams that we joke about halfway through the year being one of the half teams where they're really good on one side, of the ball and then aggressively mediocre on the other.
Oh Man, that would be that's aggressively mediocre. Is the nicest thing that anybody has said about the twenty eighteen Cal offense. No, those those half teams, whether it was the Boston College there was the last Don Brown Boston College defense and what they looked like on offense. What twenty fifteen miszoo, you know, the Texas Tech teams during the Cliff Kingsbury time, there were some horrid units on the other side of the field from a pretty excellent one and that was It's no different.
With Cal last year. So is there hope this year that they.
That they're like a seventy two percenter instead of a half team? Yeah, yes, probably.
Why do you feel that way about this offense?
Well, it could be a different Starting quarterback Chase Garber's wasn't great, but it could be. Was it Devon Modster, the UCLA transfer they're battling right now. Yeah, Brandon mcawayane's moving to running back. Chris Brown was at least serviceable. They get CoA Crawford, the Michigan transfer receiver, They've only gotten more talented. They were basically only okay, on offense running the ball was Patrick Laird last year and he's
gone on. But with how much they return on defense, I understand that means the degree to which their half team can only go up because on all three levels they're bringing back their best players essentially. But I think it has to get better. I think they reached rock bottom, so I think they can simply be bad. I think they can simply be not great, and that would lift
them up. They win what they go seven to five last year with nothing on offense correct, and then I mean it's what six and six if you include the bowl game and the fact that one of those wins was against an FCS team, but nothing the ugliest bowl game in the best possible way in the Cheese Bowl against TCU, and they're a bowl team with nothing on offense. Essentially, they lose their best receiver before the season starts last year to transfer. I think it's something to build on.
I think you're like, Okay, well we were able to win without an offense, so even if we have a little, it's an improvement, and so I think they're going to get there. I think they can get to not great, win an extra game and go to eight and four as a best case is six and six, five and seven. But man Evan Weaver and Cameron Good it's probably the best linebacker duo in the conference.
Correct.
Up front, Luke Beckett was a monster at times last year, especially that USC game. And then these are both not their best units on defense because their secondary is locked in with you know, Ashton Davis is an All American caliber safety. Jalen Hawkins also really good at safety, and then they've had Cam bindenm and Elijah Hicks on both
sides for what feels like eleven years at corner. They're so locked in on defense that the offense is going to have every advantage the offense should be starting on third base. And so for that reason, for that reason, my chips are being pushed to the center of the table. Not that KL is going to be a good team, but that KL is going to be a nasty team.
If Kl's a nasty team. Am I allowed to talk about Evan Weaver as the newfound dream Weaver in sing this? Sure?
But you got to keep it going all season long through thick and thin dream Weaver.
How's that also nasty time? But Cal?
The CAL defense is legitimately fun to watch. Evan Weaver is a converted defensive lineman and just wrecking shop had like one hundred and fifty some odd tackles last year.
I love it all Right? Do you want to answer the final question on your side? And then I'll get three in a row? Oh my gosh. Sure you want to talk Oregon State football. I want to talk Oregon State football. Our friend Bill Connolly. Bill Connolly has Oregon State projected for two point six wins this year. Yeah, one of them is over cal Poly. I want to know who the other one is over, and I'm going to read the Oregon State schedule here. I want you to tell me who you think the most likely second
victory or third victory, if you're feeling dangerous, would be over. Okay, you're ready, Yep, I'm ready. First week of the year, Oklahoma State at home.
Don't have a quarterback. I'm not confident though, so I'm going to say no at whole.
Second week of the year. Possible, possible. Why is it tough out, but possible?
Cal Poly pretty much by the way, shout out San Luis Obispo.
I would move there in a second. Then we get into the real meat out of the PAC twelve schedule home against Stanford.
If you're a believer in the body blow theory. Stanford has Oregon the week before, they play Oregon State. Two teams that are just going to be mashing each other on in the trenches.
Next week at UCLA, I don't think they.
Get the UCLA defense in the stronger part of Oregon States. Definitely be offense. They have Jamar Jefferson maybe the best running back in the country. You've probably never seen, good shape of receiver, offensive lines, experience not great, but not bad.
Home against Utah, tough to Utah.
Yeah, they have Wazoo the week before, as we mentioned, which is tough, tough game. That's Utah is going to probably win that game.
Yeah. At Cal at Arizona, Washington, Arizona State, at Wazoo at Oregon. Can you find another win in there that you're confident in outside Cal Poly, Yes.
They don't have Colorado, who they beat in Boulder last year in overtime, right, Yes, so that's too bad for my case. It's gonna be on the road at UCLA or at Cal. I think is the most likely because those are two teams with pretty big questions on one side of the ball, and it happens to be that UCLA's defense is not great, and there's Oregon State's strength, and Cal's offense isn't great, so perhaps they can't again
take advantage of Oregon State's pretty lackluster defense. So one of those is where the win's going to be.
Do we feel like Oregon State showed signs of promise last year? Oh? Yeah.
They were down a touchdown to USC going into the fourth quarter, they were down five going into the fourth quarter against Washington State, and they beat Colorado in Boulder. They ran all over Ohio State for a chunk of that game, and I think they beat Colorado with that Labiska chanault. But like your favorite word, that the feistiness was there for long stretches, which is all things considered, not so bad.
What do they need to do in twenty nineteen for you to continue feeling like they've got things going in a good direction.
And he's run the ball. I mean, if their offense is average, which it definitely can be, whether it's Jake Luton or Luton Luton, Free Luton Luton Luton or the Nebraska transfer Tristan Gebia Jebia. Yeah, I mean what Jonathan Smith did at Washington, if he can be seventy percent of that this year. If the Oregon State offense, they're going to be a not fun team to play. That's as nice as I can probably say about them. Because the defense is it's improving at a very slow pace,
not like the offense is. The offense has gotten good transfers. It's what the Nebraska quarterback anti John Lindsay comes from Nebraska, who is a former blue chip a linebacker's gotten a little bit better. So yeah, I think the best case scenario for them is the offense is legitimately okay and the defense is only not great, just to take phrasing from other teams, and the best case is they go.
Four and eight four innate. I would agree with that.
If it's more of the same and the offense isn't good enough to overcome a still lowly defense, it's two and ten again probably all right, And even then you were searching for that second win, So I guess it might be two ten, one and eleven, But I'm more confident in two to four wins than anything else.
Where do you want to go next year?
Three left all right, let's go to Asu because you told me earlier that you feel the tingles about Asu.
I do. I do feel the tingles, Dan.
So okay, let's hone in on a more specific question about Asu other than something about your tingles. Their offensive output was pretty similar in twenty seventeen and eighteen between the Todd Graham and Herm Edwards era, but the defense last year took a pretty impressive step forward. Where's the twenty nineteen jump more defense or the offense with a new quarterback makes a jump after they didn't last year?
Right?
Right?
Well, it's a tough question for me to answer because I s feel like the quarterback competition, at least as of now, is really a race to see you who hands the ball off to Eno Benjamin a thousand times this year, which is the smart thing, And there's not a lot of depth along that line, so they've all got to stay healthy. But at least on paper, the running game looks like it's going to be in a good spot with Eno Benjamin again and they're going to
probably give him the ball a ton. So I guess with that being said, I'm looking at defense as my biggest question mark. We'll talk about the quarterback position really momentarily. Yeah, I just I got a lot of nice players there. They do, they do. I'd like to see him take another step forward. The defensive line sees some turnover. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of Jermaine Woll, who looked great as a true freshman a year ago.
He did. Very excited to see him. And a really exciting linebacker corps as well, with Merlin Robertson and Darien You ever see a picture of Merlin Robertson. Oh he's a monster. It's a man. He's forty. Yeah, Tyler Johnson also in the linebacking corps. I've got it bolded here on my note sheet. They're very, very stout. The secondary is developing. Both corners are back. Should see some improvement
at safety now. If they can collectively grow and get better, that's an asset to have in the Pac twelve, sure, a true asset to have. They can take a step forward there. I think it serves them well. It also serves them well in some of these road games that they have. I'm looking at Michigan State in Week three, which is I'm viewing that as a Bell Weather game.
Michigan State has like nineteen starters back this year. Maybe not the most exciting team in college football, but it's a veteran group nonetheless.
And their offensive coordinators was their PA announcer last year, and their defensive coordinator was the mascot he played Sparty last year. The defensive line coach ran the website up Charizo alarm.
Your alarm's going off just in the nake of time here. Yeah. My point is this, I think they need that defense as a stabilizing force while they try to figure out what exactly they're doing on offense with their new quarterback for sure, with their line. They got that road game in Week three against Michigan State, which is important elsewhere, a road game in mid October against Utah which will be tough, home against Wazoo, USC and Oregon. The schedule
works out, Okay. I feel really good about ASU getting to eight wins, maybe even more. Wow, I do I really do? My biggest question though, not where's the jump going to be? My biggest question is on offense. Yeah, what it look like throwing the ball? Right now? The favorite at starting quarterbacks seems to be Dylan Sterling. Cole mm Hm he's a junior, but there's a ton of steam on Jaden Daniels, who's a four star true freshman, got an offer from Bama and a handful of other
West Coast schools with picked ASU. He was really good in spring. He opened a lot of eyes. He may not be the guy right away, but I think it's only a matter of time before we see him.
Okay, I don't know if who's who's catching those passes because Nikhil Harry, I mean, Frank Darby is very good too, but Nikhil Harry was such a big part both in what he did and his his gravity exactly exactly.
So I think initially the focal point of the offense is going to be handing the ball off to Eno Benjamin m hm. He does have experience blocking in front of him, but just not a lot of depth. So staying healthy up there is going to be the key. Running backs should be in the pretty good spot given it. Eno Benjamin and he had a ton of work last year. But Nikhil Harry's gone out wide, as you said, and I think the wide receiving corp is fine. They just
they don't have a weapon like Nikhil Harry. They don't have that alpha, that true playmaker that when you look at the depth chart, that's who they're going to be targeting. So I think that guy needs to develop in order for me to feel better about this offense. Is certainly the wide receiving corps is only a bit of a safety valve. Yeah. I mean I'm not going to feel great about the quarterback position until that true number one target develops. Yeah.
And the good news is so the games they lose, they're competitive in. They lose to Oregon by too late, Stanford was close, Colorado was close, and that's not a great loss losing Colorado last year, but the Washington game was very close. San Diego State probably shouldn't have lost San Diego State. It was not a great ass tag team last year, but even in their losses, they never were outclassed by anybody and perhaps until Presno State in
the bowl game. But it's something that I feel a lot better than I thought I would going into the Herm Edant Sarah.
Yeah, I feel for as much fun as we made of Herm Edwards and the awkward introduction at ASU, this is a pretty good team. This is this is a pretty good team. They've got a good defense. They got to figure out quarterback, they got to stay healthy along the line. But there are weapons here. If they can figure it all out and piece piece the machine back together, I think it. I think it's gonna be a good year for Issue. So I'm excited about them not going crazy like I did a couple of years ago, and
I picked them to the playoff. Yeah, but this this should be a pretty good team in the Pac twelve. I like it. I like no more sitting on the fence for ty hilden brand I'm not not at all. Where are we going next? All right, let's go. Let's go to Colorado. I want to go back to Boulder. I miss Boulder. The number one thing. I believe you.
I'm talking about you, Tyler hilden Brandt. To be most confident, it is your boy. Stevie Montes to Laviska shanof Scott Stevie Montes.
Stevie Montes feels like he's been there about as long as Joel Stave was at Wisconsin. There's something about the Mountain region. Let's go through it.
Kellen Moore and Brett Rippon eleven years a piece of pois state. Sure, Taysom Hill, Chuckie, Keaton Tanner Mangum is going to be what a true sophomore this year?
I think so.
There's something about that Idaho, Utah, Colorado triad that that keeps people young in playing college football for many, many years.
If you went, if you went to one hundred college football fans, yeah and ask them, is Kellen Moore playing quarterback this year for Boise State? What percentage would answer? Yes?
They would there would there would be eight percent, no, fourteen percent of people. I was like, the sort of skinny lefty Yeah, yeah, I think he Yeah, I think I saw him in a preview.
Yeah, he's back. Could you get to forty percent with that? I think you could. Is he not the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator? Now he's something like that, He's I think he's done well for himself. But to your point, I'm not sure college football fans that don't listen to our show would know that that's it's.
One hundred percent true. So those that connection Stevie montees Lavisque Schnaults, we know that's gonna make for like a fun, lethal stew Right good situation. Yeah, especially since Katie Nixon is also there and take some of the attention away. But if you were to turn that stew into a complete meal tie, what is what is the buff's best side dish to go back to a bowl with. I don't know where I'm going with this comparison, but what's the side dish if that's the number one thing?
If it is all right? Well, first off, let me back up here. Colorado was a new coach, Yes they do. Colorado went five and seventy year ago. Their new coach is Mel Tucker. He's been a defensive guy his entire career, most recently at Georgia and Alabama, but way back when was at LSU and Ohio State. And he's got some experience in the NFL, so he's been around, good experience
on the defensive side of the ball. As you said, good situation for him in year one with Stevie Montes our boy and La Discas Shenault also our boy, Everyone's boy. Really yeah, of course, less than ideal situation along the line, loses three starters, loses his top two running backs as well. Not feeling very optimistic about that offense outside of the Stevie Lniska combo. I'm intrigued by their defense though, because they're very young and this is a defensive minded coach.
Mustafa Johnson is the most experienced member of the front seven and he's just a junior. And I think, I just I keep coming back to this. I think it works really well for mel Tucker. Maybe not this year, maybe in year's two and three, Okay, and probably not with this schedule, but I'm just so curious to see what he does with the defense, with a defense this young that I guess, if I'm forced to pick, that's the side dish that I'm intrigued by. You know, that
front of defense. That's the stuffing mixed with pineapple, Like, yeah, maybe maybe not my first choice, but it's intriguing stuffing in pineapple zoo? Do you put pineapple in you? You can make pineapple stuffing? Yeah? Is that something that you would be on your Thanksgiving table in the right situation. I'm just saying, like, it's like that. It's interesting. I just thought you that's the first thing you went to as a side dish. It's I don't know, Dan, it's
been a long day at the mysterious day job. I'm standing up. It's the last team we're talking Colorado. Give me a break here. Okay, all right, you've earned a break. God.
So what what does their schedule look like? That seems unmanageable to you?
Nebraska Week two? Yeah, at Arizona State, at Oregon, at Wazoo home against USC. They close out the year with Stanford, Washington and at utah Mm hmm. That ain't easy.
Yeah, I think they're gonna be interesting on offense. It's it's tough to find because they started the season out so well last year and just completely collapse. And some of that obviously has to do with key injuries at a couple different places, but it's going to take a while. It's hard for me to see them as a bowl team unless they're just over the top explosive on offense and they win those fifty to fifty games. They won that game against Nebraska last year with the wild.
Ending, I think.
But the Huskers are a much better place in Colorado. I don't know if they're better or worse, but they're in a much newer place with a new coach and a new staff calling plays. So it's tough for me to see them bowl eligible this year.
But I think I'm with you.
Saying that, you know what, and I think there's more talent there than we might think about with how they finished out last year. The defense has gotten too a pretty interesting place. They have good receivers. It's just the week to week consistency with As you mentioned, Roade Oregon road, Wazoo playing at UCLA is not particularly tough. But you know, the quote unquote rivalry game against you on the road, it's it's rough, man.
It just is. End of the year is really tough. Yeah, and you'd know the wins. You hope that maybe they get better by that stage of the season. But Stanford Washington at Utah not the easiest way to close out your campaign.
No, And it could be an even feistter UCLA team. It could be a wide open, fun usc team. And we know Wazoo is just going to be, if nothing else, an incredibly tough out.
Yeah, so I don't know. I mean the back half. I like the hire of Mel Tucker, and we've had guests on this show throughout the off season saying that Mel Tucker seemingly is a pretty good hire. I'll hire that people are excited about. Yeah, I think I mean that camp it's just it's like so many other programs, it's going to take a while to get there. Like that, he's got a young defense that he can mold and at least in year one Stevie Montes Laviska Chanault should make these games very watchable.
The thing that has me a little bit worried, and maybe this is has been adjusted and maybe the attitude has changed a little bit, But when he got there, the sort of cliches that he gave and his press conference is just we're going to be old school, yeah tough, We're going to you know, we're gonna run the wall
and that. First of all, it doesn't mean anything either way necessarily, but that mindset, I think gets in the way of progress, gets in the way of interesting hires to run an offense that you are locked into ways that will set you back instead of moving you forward.
But I'm hopeful, I'm hopeful because of his experience on defense, that you know, the defense is going to jump from being okay to pretty good pretty quickly, because I believe in him as a recruiter and I believe in him as somebody who can put together a nice defense.
Alrighty, there you have it all twelve of the PAC twelve here on the show. Please do right Insuli Verbal at gmail dot com, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, read it. Let us know what we got right, what we got wrong, who you're picking to win the conference? Doing our best here to try and go through all the teams. Give you a portal into what's going on at all twelve of these schools and really all of the Power five
schools and some group of fives. As we progress through here the month of August talking about like twenty nineteen college football season. Dan. One final note, please Dan, please, only a few days left. I need you to make your most desperate plea to all the reballers who might be in North Texas. Might be a plea see area. Please do give us your best sell job for why they should come out to the show.
We don't need them. I don't need to plead with them. They know what they're getting with us. They're gonna show, not just two people talking on stage. You're gonna show. I'm not gonna plead with you. You should come. I think you should come, and it's gonna be a great time. I cannot wait to do these shows. We got a bunch of different things planned it's gonna be a great time coming out at the Alamo Draft House. We have a big old screen behind us doing stuff on the screen.
Same with DC and Union State. I've got a couple of incredible shows planned and just the dancing, the spectacle, the fireworks, the pyrotechnics. Tie has been doing back handsprings for months preparing. I just yeah, soliverbletickets dot com, slash Texas, solidverbaltickets dot com, slash DC, get on there. We're running low on tickets. I would recommend them. There's air conditioning, the Shiit contenders. I just those are two boxes that if those are checked, I'm in.
I'm there. Bring a friend. Yeah, everybody knows somebody. If you listen to this show, you know somebody else who likes college football. Bring a friend with you. Even if they don't listen to this show, bring them along. We're gonna make it fun. We've done enough live shows now to know what we're doing our way around a live show. Damn it, this is true. It's gonna be a lot of fun, even if they're not the biggest college football fans. We promise. Yeah.
Can I ask you a question though about the PAC twelve, Please will this conference acquit itself as a conference, fairly or unfairly? As you know, how they look early in September, how they look in bowl season, who's at the top, and how they are perceived nationally? Will they perceive well? Will the PAC twelve look better nationally to you in twenty nineteen, say stay better?
Worse? No, They're going to kill each other off. So if you're asking this, if you're asking this within the framework of the existing playoff system, I don't think the PAC twelve gets in. I think they all kill each other off. Who's in the championship game? The PAC twelve championship game Utah and the winner of Oregon Washington. Okay, who wins that game? It's in Seattle. Games in Seattle. I will go with Utah. No, No, I mean who wins the Organ Washington game? Utah.
If Utah wins the Organ Washington team, oh my god, I'll out say everything about Andy Ludwig.
I'm gonna go Oregon. Okay, Oregon, Utah. Let's you know what, let's double up WI. On that note, for everyone out there, thank you so much for listening to the show. We will catch you all in a few days when we talk about the Big Ten. For that go over there my good friend Dan Rubenstein, for myself, Tie Hildebrand. Enjoy the rest of your week if you're listening on the weekend, your day at work, whatever you're doing, stay solid, Peace,