Welcome to the solid verbal. I'll that for me. I'm a man, I'm forty.
I've heard so many players say, well, I want to be happy.
You want to be happy for day Edith state?
Is that? Whoo whoom?
And then and tie.
Welcome back to the solid verbal, boys and girls, my name is Ty Hildebrand, joining me as always my good friend over there in New York City.
A man Dan Rubenstein, sir, how are you shot out of a cannon? Tie? Both you and I. I think we are very excited for this episode. I'm ready. We are excited.
And full disclosure, I'm right back where we started from right now.
Uh be more specific my physical location. I'm back.
I am at Mama H's old Soliverble studio aka my childhood bedroom because at the new digs we've got a painter in there painting the stairwell. Oh and I actually I literally cannot get up to our studio at the moment, and I needed a quiet place where I could record, and so alas here I am at my old studio where I still have my old board setup and not talking into the usual microphone that gives those sweet dulcet tones. But nonetheless, I am recording here in the old setup.
I am very boring, and I'm in the new setup that I'm always in, and all my soundproofing is falling off the walls. But oh no, it's going to be okay. How you doing. How's life? You excited for Chicago? I'm excited for Chicago. I am excited for Chicago. So we sent out today we're doing the show a day late because it was your birthday yesterday. Happy birthday, Thank you very much. Twenty eight suits me, and.
We send out an email to everyone on the newsletter of intense subscriber lists, which you can still find out at soliverble dot com, which is about to change in a big cool way. We'll send out another notification about that when it happens. But we're trying to get as many people who are interested in the Chicago show to buy tickets. Still got a couple left here, if you're interested. We're going to make a big production out of it. It's our twenty eighteen Fantasy Things draft, and we're gonna
have some special guests. I think I think Taylor's coming up, the reverse guy, Taylor, you.
Remember him, right, I Treasure Tailor. Absolutely, he's coming up.
From DC with his fiance. We're gonna have some other special guests there.
Have we decided? Are we dressing up? I think we have to? Ty? Yeah, are you like full suit or just sport coate? What are you thinking? I'm going lebron short suits because short. Yeah, Chicago in the summer can get a little bit stanky. But yeah we should. We should honor the occasion by dressing in a formal manner. Sure. Absolutely, And if you already have tickets, tell your friends to
get tickets. We will have Chicago friends, media guests, college football people in attendance, making cameos, helping out with the proceedings, and then going out afterwards to have my beer and a half and get sloppy and yet some chicken tenders. If you've ever dreamt of eating chicken tenders with Ty Hildenbrand, you gotta jump on this opportunity. August eleventh, Solid verbaltickets dot com, come out and hang.
You can also find us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, all the usual hotspots. Please do subscribe to the newsletter as well as the podcast. So here's the deal, Dan, We've been doing this now for I guess a week and a half, running where we're going two shows a week because people crave that hot fire of early college football season previews. And so we've done the ACC Atlantic aka FA Atlantic, We've done the Big ten West, We've done the SEC East. Today we're going to do the
whole dang Big twelve. Yeah, the whole Tomali. We're also going to do some independence, which I lovably refer to as notre dame in BYU, can we do?
Can we do the top two teams of the Big twelve? Whoever? We determine those to be a second time at the end, just because it feels like we're honoring what the Big twelve is by having a quick little replay at the end. That is correct. I think that's the move. Is that is the move sho. We just jump right in, let's do that.
So let's start where we always start, Big twelve. I don't have my soundboard on me today because again I'm sort of in transit and unable to have the modern luxuries.
Of my new recording studio.
But Big twelve you will go over the Big Twelve twenty eighteen. My initial read was that it's wide open, absolutely wide open this year. Agreed, disagree any further? Commentary, the battle for number two feels wide open. The battle
for number one feels less open. And to me, when evaluating a conference, that anytime you look at what a team could be concerned or to be any team that because is considered to be a favorite, it's generally the team with the least questions in its consistency, it's depth, whatever.
But at this point it's hard to make a case. And I understand TCU, I understand Oklahoma State, I can I can twist my brain around a path with which they could ascend to the top of Mount Big twelve. But the team with the clear fewest questions is Oklahoma and the clear highest upside with the fewest questions is Oklahoma. So my view is that it's a race for number two. Wow, okay, how about but another good middle class, a robust, totally
thriving middle class. Which if we're going to get into a silly argument about best conferences, it's generally to me it's do you have more than one team in the top tier and do you have a pretty expansive middle class? And right now the ACC looks like it is probably the srongest in that there's I mean, we mentioned this joke free ACC, but the Big Twelve is nearing that, and this year will go a long way towards shaping our joke freeness of the Big Twelve.
I think the ACC is the strongest conference.
I think it's the strongest conference in that there are multiple teams at like in a clear top tier with and this is a Big Twelve show, so we're not going to get into the granular elements of it, but with Florida State, Miami, and Clemson right now, those teams
have the talent and ceilings and coaching staff. Florida State less so in the very short term, but in terms of power teams and then from there, I don't think there's any team that's as bad as Kansas has been, or as Oregon State has been, or as Rutgers and Maryland for a variety of reasons, granted, but I don't think there are excuse me and Illinois, how dare I leave off Illinois in their quest for like three in
the Big Twelve. There is currently Baylor, but circumstances have been such where you can't say they are are a bottom feeding program for purely football reasons right now, and only that that it's just Kansas right now, not having those multiple bottom feeders like those other conferences, like a couple of other conferences have. I think the ACC is the most devoid of jokes.
Most devoid of jokes. Okay, so we went from strongest to most devoid of jokes, which is a bit of a.
Fans and a hardy middle class, like a lot of teams being between six and six and eight and four, And that doesn't mean they're bad. That just means they're going to beat each other up and they're all pretty good.
I'm going to disagree with you, but I'm not going to disagree with you now because we promise people Big twelve content. Dan, I'm right, So all right, we both agree that there is a wide open quality to the Big Twelve, whether you're talking about the top dog or the second dog, regardless, there's a wide open quality to it that suits it quite honestly, because the Big Twelve
has always been wide open offensively. There is that I care extra about the Big Twelve this year because there are two teams in here on which on whom for whom I have bet the over Okay, on season win total because you know it's sort of legal now, and I'm going to live free or die betting on the Big Twelves.
You live near New Jersey.
I live very near New Jersey. We can do it down at the Borgotta. Now I didn't do it there, but nonetheless there are two teams. I will reveal those two teams as we go through that. I felt very confident in the over and have laid down a few of my.
Hard earned shekels on. Okay, I'm ready.
Where do you want to start here in the Big Twelve?
Let's start with Oklahoma.
Okay, where the wind comes sweeping through the planes. Eleven and one last year in the regular season, they hammered TCU in the Big Twelve Championship, lost in doublet and one of the all time great Rose Bowls to the George Bulldogs. This year, Dan, I look, the first reason to care is because the quarterback situation at Oklahoma is
just it's supremely weird. Yeah, okay, because they lose Baker Mayfield, who's one of their all time grades, maybe one of the all time grades, not just of theirs college football's that is fair.
Yeah.
They replace Baker with Kyler Murray, who in and of himself is a unique case.
Is somebody. I'm gonna say it again.
If somebody does not make the video montage of Kyler Murray set to Eminem's lose yourself, I'm gonna do it myself. Because he's only got one shot. That's the agreement he worked out with the Oakland Athletics. They're going to pay him five mill They're gonna still retain him as like a top ten pick in the Major League Baseball draft. But he's got only one shot to play quarterback, and it's just time to lose himself in that in that
college football moment in Norman. So that that is the first, I think, big reason to care about Oklahoma football this year. The obvious being that Kyler Murray is a just a weird, unique case.
Can I be a wet blanket? Please? You might not. He might. There is a chance he doesn't win the job. Can you imagine? I think there is a chance. I think coaches are good, and the best coaches are good enough to give the ball to who gives them the best chance to win in the short, medium, and long term. Austin Kendall was supposedly and he came in as a blue chip quarterback, certainly talented, quarterback had a good spring right alongside Kyler Murray. And I believe Kendall's a sophomore, right,
he is a sophomore. Yes, that's correct all things, even if you know you're gonna have him for three years. Hey, listen, I'm with you speaking. I'm not crowning. Well, no, that's phrasing, but I'm not crowning.
I get it, and I'm with you. I always felt that from it. I think I've gone on the record here on the show a couple times now. If you're a fan of Oklahoma, this isn't really a great situation because Kyler Murray, if he twists an ankle, he's.
Got no reason to go out there and chance it. Right. So I'll think you still will if he starts.
I think, but he's not a piece that you can build upon moving forward. A guy like an Austin Kendall, anybody who's younger, obviously is going to be around the program more, doesn't have those extenuating circumstances. I have jotted down here in my notes that if I were a betting man, and I've already professed to being one, I would bet on this Kyler Murray thing not working out, and I don't. I don't mean that because I think
he's yeah, a head case. I don't mean that because I'm rooting for him to get hurt.
It's just weird.
Quarterback situations in college football tend to go awry, and this really is a weird situation. So to your point, if Austin Kendall ends up getting more starts than meets the eye now in late July, Lie, that should not surprise anybody.
You didn't say this, but your phrasing is such that I am going to confirm that you were calling Kyler Murray the Greg Paulus of twenty eighteen. Wow, Yes, good woe only has that one shot from a different sport on. So here here are some facts about why if Kyler Murray, and I expect Kyler Murray to win this job, because I think his ceiling is certainly higher athletically and as a he's got a great arm, obviously going to play
Major League baseball. Everything is going for Kyler Murray. The situation around him is such that there is a talent incubation. There is a snow globe where all of the flakes of snow are just bountiful and magical, Rodnie Anderson is an incredible running back, one of the best, probably ten running backs in the country. He's big, he's fast. We saw everything he could do, especially in the back half of twenty seventeen. The receiving corps looks to be fantastic
and deep. There. You know, Lincoln Riley and that staff are recruiting super well. Ceedee Lamb looks like he's going to have another huge year. I think he's only a sophomore, and I think it's Marquise Brown is the other guy that should put up their numbers. Sure, the line, even though I think they lose their left tackle in Orlando Brown and their center from last season, they've recruited the line so well and developed the line incredibly well that
it's just not a question for me. Defensively, it was like two different teams at times. They finished the season pretty well, but obviously we're garbage or the regular season, but garbage and the Rose Bowl in the second half. I think the defense will be fine. I think it'll be like a top forty seven defense, which with what that offense can do at its peak, is fine, especially in the Big twelve. They might lose something dumb, like
they did last year to Iowa State. Not taking anything away from the Clones, Go Clones, but that wasn't a game they should have lost. And I am confident that with that coaching staff and that continuity, with what Kyler Murray should be able to develop into. You know, by October, this could be an incredible offense once again.
Yeah, the offense is gonna be dynamic. They're gonna win games with or without Kyler Murray. There's no denying this is a good team, a good cast of characters. He's just one player, even though he might be an X factor. I love the offense for all the reasons you mentioned. From Rodney Anderson, the cee, Lamb, Marky's Brown, the line. They're gonna put up points one way or another. I have concerns about that defense. I agree with you top forty seven if you want to go there, that's fine. Yeah,
they lose four of their top six tacklers. They lose fifteen of their twenty six sacks from a year ago. For the most part, that's gonna be fine. The road schedule, though, is brutal, and I think one of the early schedule and road schedule, Yeah, totally. I think one of these four road games in conference is a loss, all right. I think either at Iowa State at TCU I wrote down at Texas Tech, I don't really mean that they're not done.
You know, that's okay. I'm going to defend that scribbled note that you have.
And also at West Virginia later on in the year. One of those four games, one of those three games is probably a loss in my book. So I don't know if they get to the same heights as they did a year ago, but I still do feel pretty strongly that this is the best team in the Big Twelve.
So okay, they opened with fau which is minus last year's quarterback. I mean, an infusion of crazy blue chip talent transfers, and without Kendall Brile's running the offense the lane Kiff, it's a Charlie Weiss offense. Dan, it is a Charlie Weiss esque offense. UCLA shouldn't be all that difficult at home and only week two of Chip Kelly at Iowa State. It's going to be tricky, but I think that they will be plenty focused for that. Army will be again and it's tricky, but they'll be fine
against Army. The I do have. I mean at TCU a week after getting Texas a week after a rivalry game. Excuse me, they have a bye week before TCU, but even still, it's a string of games and going to Texas Tech after Kansas State kind of different styles. I know Kansas State has opened it up a little bit more. We saw the emergence of Byron pring the last year, but that to me feels like the differing styles Texas
Tech turning teams over a lot defensively. I know it's very strange to say that a developing Texas Tech defense could affect things, but that is, you know, typically there is that Baker Mayfield had to throw for seven hundred yards for Oklahoma to win this game, and I think we are we could stumble on a week where Kyler Murray's four fourteen wasn't enough to beat Texas Tech in a losing effort. I think that could be a situation.
All right, So we're in a green that Oklahoma's probably the best team in the Big twelve. What are you thinking in terms of a win total.
I think that they will probably win ten games. I think ten games is where it's at. If they go eleven and one with their all time best quarterback ten and two without him feels.
Realistic, totally. All right, let's go on then to our number two team.
Now, as you.
Said at the top, it's even more wide open once you start going down or wrung. I think it's Texas, and I'm torn a little bit between Texas and TCU, but my vote would be for the Longhorns. Here tell me I like Texas. I care about Texas because I always care about Texas.
Yes, that is true.
They've got a team with more experience for me year ago, and I think more importantly, they have a schedule to contend for the Big Twelve.
Here are their true road games. They go to Maryland, which.
I'm pretty high on Maryland this year, though we haven't talked about them yet. I don't know if they beat Texas, but to Maryland early, to k State, to Oklahoma State, to Texas Tech, and to Kansas. That is workable right there.
Sure.
I like that the foundation for this team is going to be a defense with a lot of experience.
They are losing a star.
At each level of the defense with Puna Ford up front and Malik Jefferson at linebacker. De Shaun Elliott in the back. It hurts to lose those guys, but there are seven starters coming back. Todd Lander has got a lot to work with. Clearly the second best defense in the Big Twelve, behind TCU. That's a good start in a conference that isn't known for defense. Having one means something.
I think that bodes really well for Texas. And then offensively, I care because I think the quarterback battle is interesting, even though I don't think it's much of a battle. I like Sam Ellinger. I think he's the dude. I think the running game gets better. It's just it's been so long since we could be jazzed up about a Texas running game. I don't know how good it gets,
but it's got to be better than it's been. So all of those things together, combined with a pretty good offensive line, the complete defense, I think all of that is working in Texas's favor. I don't like that they lost their punter. Is that weird of me to say?
Ty, I was gonna wait. You stole a little bit of my thunder. I was gonna wait until you were done. But I don't know how you begin rattling off Texas players who are no longer with the team because they've gone to the NFL. And you don't talk about Michael Dixon, the single most important departure football, the single most impactful departure. Wow, Oh, I'm gonna cut ahead. You'll be mine forever, baby, Thank you.
Michael Dixon's gone. And what I'm hearing from you is I ty hildenbrandt am chaining my hopes and dreams and big twelve picks no too. Offensive coordinator and probable play caller Tim Beck. Oh, I'm just and I know. I know our pal herb Hand is the co offensive coordinator as well, and we'll have a big hand in that offense. I said hand twice. But I watched the Texas Bowl and I've watched previous Tim Beck teams and godspeed ty yacndios.
Beck Meyer syndrome. Yeah, damn, thanks for throwing the cold water on the Texas pick.
I just I want a more complete picture and I'm not going to keep playing songs. But Deshaun Elliott does have bad blood, sort of speaking about a rumor that Texas coaches were bad mouthing him and other players for leaving early. Of course, Toshaun Elliott recruited by Charlie Strong and that staff. So I think Texas is in a very good place, especially when they made that shift defensively.
They're going to be They're gonna be fine. I think all around a very solid team. You know what you're getting with Texas. I feel very confident that with all they have coming back, they're going to be just fine. And at this point in again late July, I feel more confident about those pieces coming back, just on both sides of the football. Then I do a team like TCU, which TCU, to their credit, the defense should be good. I have many questions about the quarterback position and just
more questions on that side of the argument. So I will take the Longhorns as my number two team in the Big twelve.
Fair, I disagree with you about Texas and running the ball. I don't see somebody that impresses me. And to the point where I'm excited about Texas on the ground. I know they got the cal transfer Trey Watson, but how often did we talk about Trey Watson last all the time every show? This is a Trey Watson dedicated show. And hope he's great, Hope he's fun, Hope it makes
Texas offense more dynamic. Hope he takes the ball and whoever else in the backfield takes the ball out of the quarterback's hands so that these quarterbacks aren't counted on to rush at twenty times a game. But yeah, they've got some interesting receivers. I like Colin Johnson. I really like litle Jordan Humphrey. He's pretty versatile. They move him around the field a good amount. But yeah, the line should be pretty good. I don't think it's particularly deep.
They have the Rice transfer taking over at left tackle, and I am excited to watch this defense. This will be one of the faster, if not the fastest defense in the conference, just because of how well they've recruited at defensive back and they get five or six of them on the field at the same time. The big name to know, the big new name anyway to know this year is Caden Sterns, so I think is going to get into the rotation. Five star coming in and
familiar names Chris Boyd and PJ. Locker back. So I anticipate this Texas defense being one of, if not the best defense in the conference. But I just cannot align myself with Tim Beck in the way that you have.
Sorry, that's fine, that's fine. I think the ground game is better.
I am.
I am not going to go quite to my Texas is still Texas level of admiration. But I feel pretty good about where this team is headed under Tom Herman.
That seems reasonable. You want to go through their schedule real quick, real quick.
It seems pretty good at the like that's what I said at Merril home against Tulsa, home against USC tough game home against TCU at k State, the neutral Cider Red River shootout against Oklahoma, Baylor at home at Oklahoma State, West Virginia at home at Texas Tech, Iowa State at home, and then closing out the year with the Kansas Buffer.
It appears the farthest they go, maybe by geography is wrong in the Big twelve because they miss going to Iowa State and going to West Virginia. They don't have long road trips. They have the Maryland one that I think it's in Landover, it's not in College Park. But still they should be better. But we said that last year, so you know, I think they'll be fine. I think they're an eight and fourteen.
All right, Dan, Before we go on to our next team, here. I just want to remind folks that you know it's still summertime, and if you are thinking about saving money this summer, why not start by paying less interest on your credit card balances?
SAME's reasonable.
Why don't you refinance with a credit card consolidation loan from our friends over at light Stream, Dan, Why don't you?
I have no good reason. I'm on their website right now.
It is an easy way you could save hundreds to even thousands of dollars and lower your interest rate. Light Stream offers credit card consolidation loans from five point eighty nine APR with auto pay. That's lower than the average credit card interest rate of over eighteen percent APR. You can get your funds as soon as the day you freaking apply because light Stream believes that people with good
credit deserve a great interest rate and no fees. Say goodbye to high interest credit cards this summer and start saving with light Stream today. Our listeners here on the verbal can save even more with an additional interest rate discount on top of light Streams already low rates.
But the only way you can.
Get it is if you go to light Stream. That's l I G H T S t R e a m dot com slash Solid, widestream dot com slash Solid.
You're gonna get.
A little bit of an extra kick here because you're a soliverbal listener. Of course, all of this is subject to credit approval. The rate includes a point five percent autopay discount. Terms and conditions offers are subject to change without notice. Visit lightstream dot com for more information.
Dan Boom, I still miss Michael Dixon. Yes, did you see him? No, he's really good. He's super good. He penns teams inside the ten. Yeah, he was.
I believe, according to our friend Bill Connolly worth an extra first down per drive or something crazy.
I'll take it. I'll take it.
Really really good, and we'll hurt to lose him. Let's go to TCU, shall we. Let's okay? TCU ten and two a year ago. Because we are framing all of this out in the con text of why we care about each team, why we care about each conference. M I care about TCU because TCU has the best defense in the Big twelve, And as I said with the Texas Capsule, I view having a defense in the Big Twelve as a competitive advantage because again, the conference isn't
generally known for it's defense. You have one, it helps a lot. They do lose five starters from a year ago. But defense is sort of Gary Patterson's thing. Now, I'm gonna qualify that a little bit just by saying that it.
Hasn't always been his thing.
Like the last couple of years, defenses have fallen short of expectations at TCU, But generally he's a good coach, he knows defense. I think this is going to be the best defense in the Big Twelve. Do you feel the same.
Well, I think defense is one thousand percent his thing. I don't think there's any doubt about that. Yeah, there's there have been times where TCU's defense hasn't been phenomenal, but by and large, in a conference that is year in and year out, so fun and so potent offensively and spreading teams out and playing with tempo and having Gary Patterson recruits and put so many talented players on defense and to cycle so many of them in year over year and get the results that he's gotten, threatening
to win you know, ten plus games totally most years. Yeah, I still think even if he doesn't meet the expectations of his best recent defenses, they should have an incredible defense. I think I agree, and so much of that is, you know, offense is about rhythm, and I think defense is in large part like if you have decent coaching about effort and just caring and having you know, a
decent too deep everywhere to mitigate any injuries. And Gary Patterson and his defensive staff every year seem to get these players to care and to play with with enthusiasm, and I think that's huge. Yeah.
Absolutely, And that, by the way, is going to test Ohio State in week three. That games a neutral cider in Arlington. It's going to test Texas in Austin on week four. We will find out very quickly how good this defense is, at least out of the shoot. With that being said, knowing that there are some heavy hitters on that early schedule, my question about TCU is on offense. All I can say right now is that I like
some of the parts. I don't know about the hole, And a big part of why I don't know about the hole is because of Seawan Robinson. He's their sophomore quarterback. I will be saying a prayer before each show this fall so that I don't call him a Shawn Robinson.
Okay, well he is a Shawn Robinson. He is. But that's just you know me and how.
I thought you were going to say a prayer for qb aggies, but well, of course we always do. But I'm just saying I'm worried, you know me, that is something that I might end up doing. I may just go full a Sean Robinson by the end of the year. But nonetheless, I like what TCU has coming back on the whole. I think they're the third best team in the conference, a close third behind Texas. And you're not going to believe this, but TCU was one of the two teams I bet on good.
I think that's a good bet.
Twenty eighteen, it's been a crazy year for all of us. I personally have been trying to focus on what's important to me, and TCU just means too much to me. So we're back together right now. TCU is over under a seven and a half wins. There are five games in the schedule that I look at and I think are potential losses, the Ohio State and Texas games that we talked about. They play Oklahoma, They're on the road at West Virginia and Oklahoma State. I will eat my
solid verbal dad hat. If Gary Patterson goes zero to five in those games. All the other ones I think are winnable, which is why I bet the over. So I'm back together with TCU. I'm all in and maybe not second best team in the conference, but they're still going to be pretty darn good.
I love the schedule, and I say that knowing Ohio State is neutral, but it's coming to Jerry World, right, That's where they're playing. That's right, And I have no memories of Ohio State succeeding in Jerry World. Hold on, just give me a take, am innute. No, they don't leave the state. They have somebody early on I think Southern, and then they go across town essentially to play SMU. And going to Austin is not all that difficult. I'm
not talking about traveling. I'm the experience of playing at Daryl K. Royal is not an intimidating palace.
It actually may be tougher to navigate Austin traffic than to play in the state.
And hope they don't get crushed by a crane, because that is basically in downtown Auston is a town of cranes here. I always like when I see pretty easy teams as road trips, and that's what I see on this schedule. I see at Baylor and I see at Kansas. They finish with Oklahoma State at home a week after Baylor. It's a good time to get them. They go to West Virginia a week after Kansas State. That's going to be tricky, but that's fine. They go to Kansas. They
have Oklahoma and Texas Tech and Iowa State all at home. Scheduleized, this is great. I could not see them going anywhere less than eight and four this season. I am big on Sean Robinson, even with a kind of green line in front of him. I can't believe Cavante Turpin is still in college kill Somehow in college I felt the same, why care about TCU? Cavante Turpin is immortal, That's why you care about That's why you care about the horn Frogs. If you watch their bowl game last year against Stanford,
you were introduced to Jalen Rager. It was as if he just walked up to America and said, oh, hey, I'm so I'm jail and this is sort of what I'm about. And he caught like a thousand yards worth in that game against a pretty good Standford team. So I like Jalen Reger a lot. I like Darius Anderson was fun to watch for multiple stretches last year. Defensively, zero questions even without I think it's Tahata who was their best corner list Miguel tea Hata. Yes, Miguel Tahta
was moonlighting for TCU. I like this team a lot. I think the there experienced enough and deep enough, and you know, very quietly recruited well enough that it is difficult for me to see them finishing any lower than third in the Big twelve. And I think I have them second. I agree.
I agree, we're pretty gung ho ONDCU in twenty eighteen.
Give me the frogs.
All right, where are we going to go next? Then let's go to Oklahoma State? Okay, because I think they're fun and interesting. What say you about Oklahoma State? They went nine and three a year ago. You would have to assume, because it's a my Gundy team, that offense is going to be fine. There's a new defensive coordinator. The back half of the schedule looks difficult. How are you feeling about the Cowboys?
Yeah, it's a tricky schedule for Oklahoma State for sure. I like the higher at defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles from Dukes or Blitz a lot. He is going to do that. I like that element. They're going to give up big plays like Duke did last year, but he dramatically improved Duke's defense without having nearly the talent that
Oklahoma State has. I don't. I think they're pretty experienced in terms of who they bring back from last year, so I would like to say that they're going to improve and become like a top forty five, not forty seven times wholla, a top forty five defense, even in the Big twelve. It appears Taylor Cornelius is going to be the starting quarterback, or at least he is going into and will be during fall camp. We'll see if the Hawaii grad transfer Drew Brown emerges at all. But
I love them at receiver. I think Justice Hill took a step a little bit backwards last year. He wasn't as efficient if you look at some of Bill Connolly's S and P numbers and is his efficiency metrics on the ground. But I do love those receivers. The line should be pretty good, and I just like the continuity on offense with Yrsick coming back. I am. I am a fan of this team. I'm a fan of the
depth of this team. And yes, even though the back half of that they you know, they end going to Norman and then host West Virginia and go to Fort Worth for TCU, which is a pretty difficult one two three to finish things out. I am. I think by that time Taylor Cornelius will have developed into something at least pretty good. And they're right in that. I mean, if we're saying the Big Twelve is also pretty joke free. You know, Oklahoma State could finish anywhere between eight and
ten wins. To me, Wow, And it's always nice when you have Baylor and Kansas at the bottom. Yeah, because the wind totals are a little padded, even though they are kind of joky right now. Well, Kansas is in perpetuity, but I it's hard not to see a bunch of seven, eight nine win teams on that second tier in the Big Twelve. Yeah.
Well, look, I like Justice Hill. I'm curious to see if he's going to be more of a focal point. This year had fifteen hundred yards sixteen total touchdowns a year ago.
New quarterback, to what.
End will they lean on him until Yukon Cornelis, how dare you forget the name? Gets his stuff together. He is a mountain of a man by the way, six six, two thirty two. He's only got twenty four career passes, so we're gonna have to wait and see how much he could fill the void after Masa Rudolph walks away as one of the all time grades in Stillwater. But Mike Gundy, he's a good coach. He knows his way
around the quarterback position. He said just last week that Cornelius was going to be quote our guy for this coming season, so he is clearly very confident in the direction of the quarterback spot. The back half the schedule is rough. I'll say it again. Texas at Baylor, which haha, at Oklahoma West Virginia at TCU. There's a lot of heavy hitters there within a very very short period of time. But nonetheless, I tend to agree with you that Oklahoma
State has a lot of promise. It does feel like the same team every year, though, doesn't it?
Oh does? And we did neglect something that is actually consequential. They have Boise State, Yo. That's right in Stillwater. But nonetheless they have Boise State. Yeah, okay, and this Boise.
Defense is going to be fast and angry. Best group of five teams Boise State.
It is, it appears to be the best group of five team they return. I mean, it's Brett Ripens, what fourth year starting? I don't I'm not fully versed on Boise the way I will be when we eventually talked Mountain West Mountain. But I seem to recall like their front being intact, their secondary being intact, and they're they're good. That is not a sort of rollover by any stretch non conference game. And I may even be edging towards Boise at this point.
Whoa, Okay, yeah, yeah, I could see that, Dan, I really could. Let's go to West Virginia. Okay, West Virginia seven and five a year ago. I care about West Virginia because among the long list of teams that I took into the lab, west Virginia's over seven wins seemed like a no brainer to me.
Oh, I can't wait to bet against that.
I threw some US American currency on that one. Wow, seven wins?
Is that a joke? Seven wins.
If you told me that West Virginia was going to be eight to o headed into November, I'd say that's totally believable, really totally believable.
Okay.
If you told me that they were eight and four after November, I'd say that's also very believable. Okay, because it doesn't get really tough until the very end.
But hap it out for me.
I am infatuated with the Greer Sills combo at quarterback and wide receiver. The line is good. Running back, We'll just have to wait and see. But this could be Kennedy McCoy.
He's good. Yeah, I know, but I just we're gonna have to wait and see.
At their running back position. I'm not totally convinced yet. They're gonna have one of the better offenses in the Big twelve. This is gonna be a high powered offense, if only because they've got the pieces in place and they got a coach who knows how to coach offense. True, the defense is pretty good upfront, questionable in the back. I think they improved from a year ago. I do kneel at the altar of David Long and Dravan Askew Henry. Okay, I'll just get that out here. It did sway my
bet a little bit. All that being said, though, if they make it through maybe the first three weeks of the year, which I should not just pan, I'm feeling eight and four, nine and three and over seventy mesh.
Yeah, I'm pretty high on West Virginia this year. We've talked about a little bit before, but I just agree. You don't like you don't like the defense at all, do you. I don't like this defense all that much. I don't like the front that much. I think the secondary is at least interesting. But I believe a lot of these big twelve teams should be able to run some on this West Virginia defense and controlling the clock, keeping the offense off the field a bit. I love
Will Greer. I'm not ashamed to say it out loud on this show here and right now. I love Will Greer. I love his options at receiver, and I don't you don't have your soundboard, right, I don't know love his left tackle Yatney Cajust. If that's how you pronounced it. It's a dude. That would have been my top pick.
But when you have September, they have what Tennessee, which I'm not terribly worried about with West Virginia, but Tennessee and Charlotte, they go to n Z State, which should be one of the better quarterback matchups of the season, and finishing the way that they do with what it's at Texas TCU at Oklahoma State Oklahoma. And you mentioned that you mentioned that November a long November. To was that the Counting Crows doing long December? Oh? Yeah, I
think so. I believe. Yeah, it's gonna be a long November, all those kids getting my and appreciating my Counting Crows references. October is fine, but I see them losing at least a couple two teams in weird ways in the first you know, in September and October, and I don't know, three or four out of those November games. I think it's just going to be raw when you don't have the depth, when you don't have just the immediate skill
on defense. Happy to be wrong, happy for West Virginia to be in the national spotlight with one of the better quarterbacks and receiving corps in the country. But if we are going to parse out what our concerns are and how dramatic they are. The West Virginia defense is not bowling me over.
So this is one where you and I really do disagree. I'm pretty high, you're pretty low on the mountain years West Virginia.
I think West Virginia should be appointment television. Oh totally.
It's going to be one of the better TV shows in college football. Yes, one hundred percent, and that stands for something. Yeah, all right, let's go to Iowa State, Dan, speaking of fun TV shows. Iowa State had a great year last season. It was an odyssey to go along with Matt Campbell and that Cyclones team seven to five
regular season. I seem to remember very vividly us having a conversation at one point, maybe three quarters of the way through the year, or somebody on Reddit or somebody on you know, one sports site figuring the solid verbal Subreddit by the way, yes last solid verbal. Come on, get out there and do that. But somebody out there on the interwebs put together the formula for Iowa State winning the Big twelve last year. Okay, and at least for a fleeting moment, it was it was a possibility.
I care about Iowa State this year because they're they're gritty as freaking hell.
Oh e g.
Yeah, and you know what, those teams are fun to want to see. Yeah, it's a good TV show. They play hard for Matt Campbell. They're like, I was trying to think, how would I compare this Iowa States the older guy in the rec league who is just there to collect rebounds. That's all just all.
Holts and screens, call out shots. Sure, I'm with that, all heart, all heart.
The quarterback position also makes them sort of interesting, hopefully not as interesting as last year for their sake. The last time that the same quarterback played a full year for Iowa State was the year we started this podcast in two thousand and eight.
Oh damn. They have not had world it was.
Yeah, any stability at the quarterback position, you will remember last year they had Jacob Park for the first four games. Then Joel Lanning, their other quarterback, moved to linebacker.
Kyle's awesome, Yeah, incredible at lineback. He was very good.
Kyle Kemp comes in beats Oklahoma in his first ever start, then he gets hurt and they go to Zeb Nolan for a brief run. Eventually, Kyle Kemp heals up gets the job back, throws for like a sixty six percent completion percentage, fifteen touchdowns, only three interceptions, and now, somehow, some way, against all odds, Dan he is back for his sixth season as a college truble. Literally his sixth year.
He petitioned the NCAA and got it. And on top of that, there's even some depth behind him this year. So things are shaken out, okay at the quarterback spot, and that's a big part of the reason why I think Iowa State can continue some of its momentum from a year ago.
If I were do you know what an exploding offer is? Ty, of course, if I were to offer you right now here on this show, and you had to give me an answer to the next ten seconds, so the offer is off the table if I offered you. As of today, Matt Campbell is Notre Dame's coach. Are you taking it? Seven?
Yes?
Yes? Six? Okay? Wow? Wow? I love that. I really like Matt Campbell. I liked watching Iowa State last year. I have serious concerns about their offense if their defense is not turning teams over at the rate that they did. If you remember that TCU game was quite ugly because Iowa State was so adept at turning the frogs over. It was was a final score fourteen ten, fourteen seven something like that. They did a masterful job. They held everybody down pretty much, including Oklahoma in that win. But
I'm not buying Iowa State because of this offense. I don't love David Montgomery. Feels like somebody who survived being locked in a pantry for like a month. Wow, how did Iowa States offense survive for so long? Like rice cakes? You know? That kept him alive. David Montgomery wasn't glory, he wasn't beauty, but he just he was. He got to give the ball to somebody. David Montgomery was that rice cake.
So you're saying that twelve hundred yards last year essentially fell off the back of the truck for Sir David Montgomery.
Yeah it was. It was not a particularly efficient or explosive twelve hundred yards, but he stayed alive. He kept that team alive with rice cakes. And there's something to be said about that. All right, Defensively, I mean you didn't mention the most important I mean, I can pull up the boys to men once again. But Duke of Hazard, Alan Lazard, Yeah, Gahazar a Czarre Gonzo, huge web and love when a team has that one enormous weapon and defense is still can't stop him, like Alan Wizard was
for the Clones last year. I think defensively, they return enough to be fine. Uh. The schedule is such that you know it's they're they're not going to sneak up on anyone in the way that they did last year. They have Alasico Week two in Iowa City and from there it's it's tricky at Oklahoma State, at TCU, at Texas later on in the season. The good thing is it's spaced out nicely, so I could see Iowa State is going to go to a bowl game once again. That is that is like a lock of the preseason
to agree, I do. By the way, did you know that's amazing to think about.
Did you notice during the World Cup all the tweets we got about the Belgian national aiden Haizard.
Oh yeah, it was nice. I like that. He's good player, right, he's a good.
Uh great dribbler. I well, I agree they're going to a bowl. They may or may not pull an upset along the way. At a minimum, they're gonna put some better team to the test because they're so freaking gritty. Good for sure, good TV show. Let's go to Texas Tech and he's recruiting super well too. This isn't smoking mirrors, No, no, absolutely, he's attracting talent rightfully. So let's go to Texas Tech six and six a year ago. Dan, I I don't care, to be honest, you don't care about Texas Tech.
No, I don't. Oh, I don't.
Every year of Texas Tech football is like the seventh season of twenty four.
Were you a twenty four fan? You watched a show early on exactly, so you're a Texas Tech hipster. You're a Graham Harrel Texas Tech fan. You don't like this third wave Red Raider. Well, we just know what's gonna happen every year. We know what's gonna happen. The offense.
Will they be great, Yes, they'll be great. Will the defense suck? Yes, the defense is gonna suck. Will Cliff Kingsbury win six games where the bands on the sidelines and then be part of a debate at some point in November about whether he should be fired? Yes, Clik Kingsbury will be part of all that that's it's a he's thirty and thirty three, thirty and thirty three, Yes, in six years in Lubbock.
That's how the season is gonna go, right right? Sure? Uh? Did you like Seinfeld? Tie? Of course, there's something fun about watching Seinfeld reruns. You know it's gonna happen, but you know George is gonna freak out a little bit, Crammer's meal, little Kookie, Elaine's gonna misread a boyfriend's situation. It's still Seinfeld. There's still something fun about watching a rerun and Texas Tackle find a quarterback will wing the ball around a bunch. I think their defense is going
to improve again. I think they led the big twelve and takeaways last year under David Gibbs, who I think is one of the great underrated defensive coordinators with listen what he was handed when he arrived, and to get to respectability being passable in more ways than one, that's great, and Texas Tech will be If we're gonna consider other teams good TV, Texas Tech's gonna be good TV.
Well, Texas Tech brings back ten guys on defense. So there is to your point, there is a pretty good chance that This is going to be their best defense in a long time. Sure, but Texas Tech's best defense in a long time is still a relative statement. It could still be bad and their best.
They open in tricky fashion. They have Ole Miss I Believe in Houston, and then they host Houston. A couple of weeks later, they go to Oklahoma State and they host West Virginia and then there's I think a bye week before they go to TCU. So it gets real, real quick for the Red Raiders. They're probably gonna start McLean Carter, who played at quarterback, who played some in relief last year but didn't look wonderful. The other name,
I don't know how good or bad he is. I won't pretend like I do, is jet Duffy or it's good name duff Jetty. I don't you know who's to say. If he wins the job, I'm probably gonna call him duff Jetty. I apologize. I'm terrible at this, I know, but it's just something that appeals to my dumb brain. You should care about Texas Tech because they're consistent in what they do, okay, and I like that there are there to me if their defense is top sixty eight,
which is roughly like you know, upper average whatever. Then they become the wild card that we love about every conference, whether it was pit from a couple of years ago, whether it was old Texas Tech, whether it was Utah in the PAC twelve, or Oregon State way back in the mid two thousands. There's something about adding that, like a little droplet into a into a stew that changes the complexity. Tie. That's all I. That's all I I'm gonna do. Defend six and six, six and six, Okay,
Cliff's job. I don't know. They love them. Yeah, I wouldn't blame them for keeping them. But it's the same thing every years. Every year, it's the same story. Yeah, I think they might go five and seven, but I think they're going to be super entertaining when they do. So let's go to k State.
K State seven and five a year ago, Dan another year back with Bill Snyder, indeed Bill Snyder, the timeless coach for the Kansas State Wildcats. They've got eight returning starters on offense, and that terrifies me, to be honest, It's never been the most electric offense. They really like to play that ball control style. There's nothing really truly sexy about it.
But they're very you are talking about it's never been electric as if I don't remember the name Darren Sprowl, remember robson a little tank was something else.
But this is just not an electric offense in the way that a Texas Tech or Oklahoma State offenses. But they practice their ball control very effectively, and they will beat teams.
They will beat teams.
They get Texas at home a week after Texas goes to TCU, which on the surface looks like a very, very fun TV show to watch. Here in the Big Twelve, I feel like I undershoot every year on K State. Where do you stand?
I think they have two pretty capable quarterbacks, neither of whom is overwhelming in what Skyler Thompson and Alex Delton. I think Thompson's the better thrower, Delton's a better runner. I'm probably getting that mixed up. I liked Alex Barnes. The last time we saw Alex Barnes, he was jogging through the UCLA defense in their bowl game. I say that in a joking manner, but I specifically remember him just running straight through the line of scrimmage and be like, oh,
nobody's here. Huh okay, dok so. I like that element. I like Dalton shown the offensive line has experienced, the defense is pretty new. I don't like that Byron Pringle is gone. I thought he added an element when I think they won their last what four or five or five of six or something like that, and the big thing was they were opening up that offense. They were throwing down field. They were hanging with the supposed more electric offense. They put up forty five in a win
at Oklahoma State in Stillwater. They were like last year, they were the team that they were a great litmus test, like how good really is Iowa State? We know they beat Oklahoma, they get edged out by Kansas State, And how good is West Virginia. Oh, they're pretty decent. They're pretty decent. They can beat Kansas State. They dropped forty something against Texas Tech in an overtime win. I think they're good. I think they are not going to threaten
ten wins. And I could see them going seven and five, eight and four, Yeah, totally, totally. I don't they have Joe moorehead in his second game with Mississippi State in Manhattan. You know, UTSA could be tricky. They lose a couple of really big guys from last year, they have a long road trip to West Virginia. But other than that, like, it's not bad. They go two aims to finish out the season. I know they have Oklahoma and TCU in consecutive weeks. That's tough, that's not great, and I think
they're gonna drop at least one of those. They'll probably drop both of those games. But to say that they're going to lose more than five games would be insane.
No, no, no, I'm with you. Seven and five, eight and four feels right to me. Yeah, all right, let's go to.
And you might be asking to yourself, are our picks mathematically possible? Note with our win totals? No, And to you, I will say every day Ty has been texting me we are rock solid, air tight with our mathematics.
We will have someone email about that. Yeah, all right, two final participants here in the Big twelve. Yes, Baylor went one and eleven a year ago. You might remember that they signed Matt Rule to a seven year deal with Baylor before last season. After the season, he promptly interviewed with the Colts. He didn't take the job, Dan, But I just wanted to get that on the record because if that's not the most college football story ever, I don't know what is.
Can you imagine the headspace of matt Rule getting this like crazy long guaranteed contract and after a year he was like, I gotta move to Indiana. I gotta find my way to Indiana.
If he would have bolted given all the strife at Baylor on a seven year contract one year into his tenure, we would have had a new Mattie Ice in the NFL.
I I would have, and he would have. He will probably in the next two years, end up somewhere else. And it's hard for me to blame anybody for leaving the Baylor situation. I just I can't find a good reason. I understand that he is recruiting, in convincing kids to come to Waco blah blah blah, But given the circumstances there, given the rebuilding job that's needed. You know, Bill O'Brien gave Penn State a couple more couple of years and that at least was they were almost in better shape.
It's easier to recruit I think given what the you know, Penn State's history. It's a it's hard to blame that rule for leaving Baylor behind. Here's the thing, Baylor's your favorite effort team, right, I love it. I love Baylor. Love their effort. You Baylor is like an eleven year old who tried to dunk from the free throw line and tripped and didn't get anywhere near there. And you're saying, listen, I get it, that was a one and eleven attempt,
but there was some effort there. They played, they were they were better than one and eleven last year. Okay, most teams in the country, thank you.
They played really hard. They have seven teen starters back. I think they take a jump forward. The defense is going to be better. Charlie Brewer completed sixty eight percent of his passes last year as a fresh right spot. He's got his entire wide receiving core back. Baylor's not going to make a Bowl, they're not going to challenge for the Big Twelve, but they will be better and they will be more interesting.
So Jalen Hurt becomes a receiver at Baylor, right, I don't know if that actually means anything. They have a really good nose tackle named Ira, which I'm on board. Great. Sure. And the interesting thing too, is because Baylor's defense was just the bismal last year. Phil Snow, who is kind of the Jim Cheney of like defensive consultancy, has just
been everywhere. But he had huge success at Temple turning that defense in from like a joke into a top fifteen defense, you know, and developed NFL draft picks over the years. And this is year two with a lot of experience, not necessarily upfront, but you know, people are going to be more familiar with what he is asking of them and his play calling. You know, you saw those.
This is we're talking about Temple largely shutting down everybody, including Notre Dame, which was probably like one of your least favorite nights ever. Yeah, when so, I imagine Phil Snow will have this defense going from atrocious to below average. And that's if you are a football nerd pretty good. If you are a Baylor fan, Phil Snow probably won't be there in a couple of years. I mean, he's an older dude anyway, and he may just follow Matt
Rule too. I don't wherever Matt Rule ends up the Cardinals or the Chiefs or wherever he is in twenty twenty one. But they could start for and out. They could Abilene Christian at ut San Antonio, Duke and Kansas to open the season. Yeah, that's not bad, all right, effort.
Finally, let's go to another one and eleven team, the Big twelve. That would be the Kansas Jayhawks. Dan, is this the year for David Batty?
I mean the year he gets fired? Fired? I don't know what is there like an over under date we can wager American dollars. Man listen, Kansas is not going to be very good. No, they played Rutgers on September fifteenth. Oh, and that's amazing that they have Rutgers and Baylor in consecutive weeks. So Kansas opening with Nickel State at a disappointing Central Michigan team, Rutgers and Baylor. If you want to talk about Fluke records to start the year. And
I like Kansas's running back Khalil Herbert. He went off. I think he went off against West Virginia last year. The defensive front should be pretty good. I think the secondary is trash, but the front should be serviceable. If we're talking about a race to they won two last year, but three FBS wins. I'm saying, hell, yeah, and that's it. Kansas going three and nine.
I'm googling talking to your kids about a three Kansas, oh four win Kansas, A four and oh Kansas.
So after Baylor, Kansas's best shot to get to four wins is probably Iowa State on November three at home. All right, fair enough?
Yeah, that does it for the Big Twelve again, we're both going to Oklahoma. Some dispute over a few teams in here next tier, Yeah, a few teams in here. I guess the most polarizing would be West Virginia, But otherwise, general agreement about the direction of the Big Twelve conference should be a really fun year.
Wide open on.
Some level, whether you think it's for the top spot of the second spot, but a lot of interesting TV show is going to take place this year.
I think that goes with that same. Yeah, I think that's right. We have a second part to this show. If you've downloaded, you already know what that second part is. Tye breaks down his favorite and least favorite girlfriends. Right that was You have a power ranking prepared?
Right?
That is right? Yeah, We're going to talk about independence, which of which there are like one and a half interesting ones. But I see Ty. I thought about doing it the serious XM voice, but I'm sorry my true identity the serious XM host. But I wanted I want to be more selective about what I do in introducing things and going over things in a different way. And since we are getting into independent teams and now, oh god, it's time for the Notre Dame Radio Houra, brought to
you by Duncan's Extra Nicotine Cigarettes. What all the boys are smoking these days? And he has your host, Ty hilden Brands. Hey, what do you say, Ty? How are the fellas looking? Are they gonna give the pretty boys from Southern cal Or run for the money? Wham bam slam, come home, go Irish. Are you done yet? Yeah? I'm done.
You do a very convincing like nineteen twenties voice. Thank you, thank you, Notre Dame, my beloved fighting Irish. It went nine to three a year ago, they did. I put a lot of thought into my Notre Dame preview this year. I jotted down my notes at four point thirty in the morning and I couldn't sleep because we were in the process of preparing for this show, and I knew Notre Dame was on the docket. It woke me up early. I had to get up. I had to capture my thoughts.
There is objectively a lot to like about this Notre Dame football team this season. By Mike cow we got fifteen started back from a year ago, nine of which a're on defense. If you listen to this show the Regular Dan, you'll know we've been talking about the defense since sometime in June. Clark Lee, the new defensive coordinator, was one of my pivotal people.
For the twenty eighteen season.
They're very good at linebacker with Tevon Coney, really good in the secondary with guys like Julian Love. Feel really good about where they're going to come in with the back half of that defense. Two things that normally don't go together. Is Notre Dame in a good secondary, but I think they have it again. So it hurts to lose Mike Elko and all that, but the defense is still going to be really good for sure. Most of my questions are going to be on offense. Did you see that one coming, Dan?
Yeah, I guess I did. Tie. Yeah, I'm right there with you.
The offense loses Josh Adams to the NFL. They lose Dion McIntosh got booted from the team, so there are questions at running back. They lose Equinimia Saint Brown who left early, and Kevin Stefferson.
He also got booted off the team back in January.
And you know, we talked a lot about eq last year and I was a big, tall, freak of an athlete and all that, but Stepherson was actually their most consistent deep threat and he led the team in receiving touchdowns. And then on top of all that, Quentin Nelson and Mike mcglinchy, two high profile offensive lineman.
They go in the top ten of the NFL draft. Mm hmm.
Notre Dame's recruited really well along the line. They're gonna be fine. But that's that's a lot to lose, right, that's a lot.
Oh yeah, I mean they've developed really well along the line, but they lose Where did their offensive line coach end up seeing the NFL? Yeah, so different guy there. Schedules Actually, I mean we're recording this late July, and this is something we do every year. We say Notre Dame schedules is not too bad. And we get to the end of the season, you're like, wow, that was that was rough. But in looking at it in late July, I'm going to keep that up because yes, Michigan should be tough,
but that's in South Bend. Yes, the the one to two going to and Diego to play Navy and then going to Northwestern and then Florida State, that's gonna be pretty top going to USC But for whatever reason, it just doesn't stack the way previous years schedule.
And this is the kind of schedule you build for yourself back in the old days of like NCAA fourteen.
Yeah, I know, it's a good year to travel to Virginia Tech. Granted it's after it's a bodyblow game after Stanford, but I don't love the Stanford defense.
You want to have that A minus schedule so you can be a good tender, but you want to space it out so the tough games aren't all back to back.
Jerry Tillery is a member of the Immortal Cavante Turpens. Yeah, because I believe Jerry Tillery was on this defensive line when we started this show in two thousand and eight. Jerry Tillery is the name I've heard for a long time and I am, Yeah, he's back. I really like Drew Tranquil. Yeah, he's in like sort of a hybrid role. Will drop into coverage lot at from the linebacker position and take on a bunch of different types of pass catchers. He'll get after the quarterback. I think he is a
sort of prototypical versatile defensive player for twenty eighteen. I think he's great. And because of this defense, even with the new defensive coordinator, even with on offense cycling in a couple new offensive linemen to take over for two great, great Notre Dame players, it's hard to see them losing more than four games. Oh my god. Yeah there, I would say four losses, eight wins, four losses, eight wins, four and eight.
There isn't a team on the schedule that you look at at first, blush and say that's a definite loss.
Right, you know, I feel pretty good about Notre Dame.
All the pieces are here, and I still think it's going to be a potent offense. But I have questions about running back, wide receiver, offensive line. The biggest one, and I haven't mentioned me yet, is Brandon Wimbush. He is truly the X factor I have ripped on Wimbush since Week three of last year, So today I'm going to try and strike more.
Of a hopeful tone. Dan Okay, he's a dynamic runner.
If he can become a more reliable and more confident passer, Notre Dame could be a good tender.
Who knows, Brandon won much scares defenses more than anybody else in that room. Totally.
Right now, it seems like he is entrenched as a starting quarterback. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see if Brian Kelly has a quick hook in that Michigan game, depending on how things go. I don't know how entrenched he is at the quarterback spot. We saw what happened down the stretch last year. Kelly went to Ian book more than once, so I got real questions about where this is all headed. I think a lot of it falls on the shoulders Wimbush. I do agree with you, though.
I think eight and four is probably the floor, and there is a lot of room to grow in that schedule.
If I were a Notre Dame fan, yes, If I were a Notre Dame fan, I'd be a little disappointed in Florida State weren't earlier in this schedule. Yes, that's fair, and this would have been a very good year for USC to come to South Bend with inexperienced quarterback. But even with Sam Darnold, USC did nothing at South Bend last year, so I would assume feel pretty good about that.
It doesn't come after a big emotional game elsewhere, that USC game on the road, So it shapes up pretty well for Notre Dame totally.
Yeah, eight and fours. The floor defense is going to be rock solid. Offense really has to prove itself. There are going to be a lot of new name Dexter Williams, can Tony Jones fill the void a running back. Just a lot of questions for me about who the contributors are going to be around Brandon Wimbush.
Do they have a good tight end this year? Is mac Alis mack is back? Yeah? Okay, that's good. I mean traditionally they've had good tight end play to bail them out of third and eights, and that seems like it would be helpful.
I look, the offense was really good in spots last year two, but what ended up happening against teams with better defense is they figured out Brandon Wimbush and that he couldn't throw, or that he wasn't confident throwing from the pocket. They need to add another dimension to that offense this year, and whether it's Wimbush or Book or Phil Jerkovic the last four games of the year, I
don't know. They have to find some way to add a little bit more spice to keep teams and some of these defenses off balance.
So I would say, the reason to care about Notre Dame, I'm not caring that much about this anymore. Pause.
Everyone cares about Notre Dame. You care because you hate him, You care because you love them. We don't need to tell people why they should or shouldn't care.
The football reasons to care is there will be a very good defense taking on probably let's see Karan Higg then, top fifteen running back in the country, Bryce Love probably the best running back in the country. Cam Aker is one of the most talented running backs in the country. USC has a bunch of offensive skill talents, so you will see the sort of hat on hat if you're a football nerd, there is something fun about this defense going against some of the country's best on offense.
All right, very quickly, because we promised, let's cycle through the independence here rip through real quick. Army UMass and BYU.
Army is pretty good, which is good because we like watching Army Navy and they beat Navy and they don't have a mod Bradshaw, which is kind of a bummer. You didn't get a year of eligibility. But Army is still going to be good and their defense should be better because they weren't that good last year, so that's good. Army Navy will be fun and they play Lafayette. I mean, what's not to care about with Army. Then UASS has
been tricky. They return their quarterback. They gave us scare to both Mississippi State and Tennessee last year, and they host USF and stay relatively close to home to take on Boston College. So keep those anten I up. BYU decided not to hire a former quarterback with no college coaching experience as offensive coordinator. Sorry, and so they have a better one unpresumably and maybe they'll go better than four to nine and get to a bowl game. But
their schedule is not great. They go to Wisconsin, to Washington, to Boise State and two Utah. Good luck with all of that, and very quickly, did you know New Mexico State's defensive coordinator was Frank Spaziani. I didn't, no, really, and their schedule is pretty good and they should, which is a good story. Go to a bowl again, So
go Aggie's. And if you really deep into FBS independence, you know that the Liberty Flames are debuting as an FBS independent team, and you should care about Liberty because if you've ever asked yourself, where's Turner Gill? The answer is Liberty. Where's where's Ian macaw? The awful former Baylor ad He's at Liberty? So go team playing Liberty? O. Okay, there you go, yes, and I will say this Ty. We talked about Independence. We talked about the Big Twelve.
And if you are a fan of I don't know Carolina State or Washington or Penn State or Notre Dame, why do you care about the Big Twelve? I was thinking about this. We talk about it the Big Twelve as a TV show and I don't go to mall's all that oftentie, But if college football were a mall, the Big Twelve is Brookstone, Brookstone. Do you know Brookstone? I don't. You don't know Brookstone. I don't know Brookstone. Brookstone.
You probably have an equivalent. Brookstone is one of those stores that sells a lot of what you'll see in like one of those airplane magazines, Like they sell like a bunch of stuff you don't think you need, but it's like, oh, a massager in my shirt collar, okay, And there's some of it is sort of luxurious and they're just things are just a little bit like a vertical CD player, like, oh, I didn't I don't think I need that, But that's kind of fun that that exists. Like, oh,
they're still selling Mike stoops defense. That's weird, but there is something kind of luxurious and fun and you got to take a look. And that, to me is what Brookstone is. Okay, and the Big twelve and the Big twelve. Let's leave it at that.
You got to get to a Brookstone, ty you'd love it. See what I can do? So gmail dot com is the email address. Look us up, hit us up, let us know if you have any questions going out to solid verbaltickets dot com. Got a live show coming up, a big one help Chicago on August the eleventh. Come hang out, pick some fantasy things with us, and hang out with us. Afterwards at a nearby establishment. Also find us on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, and don't forget
to subscribe out on Apple, Google, iTunes. I said Apple twice, but whatever, Spotify, Stitcher, tune in all the usual hotspots, look up the show, and if you're looking for any other way to keep in touch, you can do so out on the subreddit at reddit dot com, slash r slash soliverbal or by going to our web page soliverble dot com and signing up for the newsletter of Intent.
Chicago Friends, Chicago people List. This is only for people in Chicago and in the Midwest around Chicago. Do not miss your chance to attend the Fantasy Things. Really, it's gonna be fun. Do not miss your chance to eat chicken with mister hilden Brandt. That's right, hashtag tenders with Tie. I need to end this show. This is This is my signal.
For that guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubinstein, for myself, Tie hilden Brandt, thanks again for tuning into the show. We'll catch you all in a few short days. In the meantime, stay solid, peace,