Welcome to the solid verbal. Holl 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 a day? Edith Steak is that woo woof? And them and Tye.
Welcome back to the solid verbal Boys and girls. My name is ty Hillebrand, joining me as always over there in beautiful Chicago, Illinois.
The one, the only, the.
Illustrious, the incomparable, the man with the plan. Dan Rubenstein, sir, how are you? I'm good, But today's show is not about me. It's about us for sure, but.
It's not necessarily about your guy. Damn. I am thrilled to be here today as always. I actually took a shower for the occasion right before, so I just I would cleanse myself of the past. Yeah, can be as future looking as I could possibly be. So I'm very excited for the show. We are continuing questions we've got. We were sort of inundated with questions via all of our social platforms and email, and a lot of good ones came in a little after the horn from Tuesday's show,
so we figured we'd answer a bunch of questions. But it's also a pretty big news day for the solid verbal, is it not? It is?
Indeed, we will get into our news here momentarily. A lot to report. We've been very busy this off season planning out all sorts of fun things for all y'all, which we're going to get into here momentarily. But before we do, don't forget, go on out to all of our social media platforms, those being Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, anywhere else we're doing our best to grow the solidverbal footprint. Also,
go on out to solidverbal dot com. More info on that wink wink, nudge nudge momentarily, where you can sign up for our newsletter.
It's a big old yellow box there.
If you you can't get it to work there, or if you choose to go to a different url, you can go to newsletter dot Soliverble dot com. You can also subscribe to the newsletter there also more information coming on the newsletter Wink Wink, nudge nudge, Big news day. Whoa at SVHQ Dan, Yes, I would say so myself. Yeah, why don't we just get into it.
We have Brooket News.
So first and foremost we should add that starting next week, we are going to switch up our cadence. You're only gonna get two shows next week, but those two shows are going to be on Wednesday and Friday, and that is in preparation for our full blown switch to three episodes a week, which happens every year around this time. But starting next Friday, we are kicking things off with our ACC preview, the first of two ACC.
Previews Bop Bup, Bup, Bup, Bye Up ACC and American Athletic Conference.
Previews Strike Me Down, Strike Me Down. Also talking about the AAC. Yeah, yeah, we have broken all the Power five conferences into two shows, so each of the Power five they will have two different preview episodes. We're trying to split it up as best we can give each division it's due.
Of course, the Big Twelve is a.
Little bit different, being so there's only ten teams. We split that up accordingly as well. So as we get closer.
Bowl Double Texas preview, we'll talk we'll talk more about that.
But for all intents and purposes, starting up next week, specifically next Friday, you will get your first crack at preview episodes from Dan and I and all things solid verbal But Wednesday, Friday, and then here to four, Dan, it will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday all throughout the rest of the college football season.
Yeah, and let me emphasize because you said Power five conferences, which is true, but the G fives are divisioned off as well, so that there is going to be each episode is going to be a division of a Group of five conference and a division of a Power five conference. And I think seeking our teeth more than we ever have, I would say, into G five, not just in previewing, but the hope is the season at large. Obviously some weeks it gets ahead of us, gets away from us.
But I'm more excited and I talked about this on Tuesday. The roster of quarterbacks returning for Group of five teams has me particularly Jazz Top. Yeah, so I'm as excited for G five football as it's I mean, it's FBS football, and we'll talk independence. Of course, we've worked them into the mix as well, So we have a lot of research and takes and big picture thoughts in the coming days, weeks and months. Breaking news drop too.
Also starting up next Friday, the much awaited, the much anticipated return of written cool fun content to solid verbel dot com. So we did this long ago back in the day, you wrote a piece called the click Chorus. Oh you tried so hard to say that smoothly, which was every bit as immature as I think it was intended to sound.
Mm hmm.
I had written some stuff for our website as well. Starting up next Friday, we have now actually taken a very real, very professional step to try and build out soliverbal dot com. We brought on some folks. Remember we had our our our writing trials, if you will, a few months back. We only had three slots, so hopefully at some point in the future we can expand and incorporate more because we had a bunch of awesome writers who submitted their work to be part of the endeavor here.
But starting up next Friday, that will be the grand reopening of editorial content on soliverbal dot com. So that is all the more reason why you should go on out and subscribe to the newsletter, because we'll be sending it out there, but you can obviously find that on soliverbal dot com, where we'll also be posting stuff to our social media feeds and there'll be a big to
do around this content. Starting up on the website again on July the twenty third, in tandem with the start of our previews Peek.
Behind the Curtain, our website has been able to handle written content for three hours. Yeah, but it's able. It is able.
It will be ready one week from tomorrow for those of you listening on Thursday, Yes, the fifteenth. And we are excited about this. It's an exciting next step for us. Yeah.
Yeah, We've got some really fun things planned. We're excited. The breaking news.
Yeah that in our little, solid verbal universe may actually break the news in a literal sense.
Yes, this is is this the biggest piece of news as it relates to our show specifically. We've partnered with other places that you know, everything has been really fun talking to other people. We've done all sorts of things to advance and grow the show successfully. I might not that I'm very proud of, but just within the confines of these audio walls, breaking new this is pretty big, breaking news, Floria yours.
We have had all sorts of excitement along the way over the last decade plus of doing this podcast. And Dan, what is the what is the first question that you and I get asked anytime we go out in the road, anytime we open up the floor frankly for questions from the Verballer hood, be it in person or virtually. What is that first question that we get asked?
Are you going to shut down the show at the end of the twenty twenty one season as you've always promised? Now maybe I can see how this goes the first question that's always asked. I think I might have I scared eleven people by saying that. The first question we're always asked is can Ty can you tell us what your secret day job is? What's your secret day job?
Ty?
What's the what do you do when you're not broadcasting? What do you h what pays the bills? What's that mysterious day job? What is the m d J?
Dan? What is the mysterious day job? Anytime I go out in the road, people want to know. We've kept it a relative mystery for the better part of the last decade, now decade plus, of doing this show. I am pleased, I am excited. I am overjoyed to announce that starting today, literally today Dan July the fifteenth, twenty twenty one, the mysterious day job is no longer mysterious. The actual day job is now the solidverbal that is I like I had the warm fuzzies just erupted in
my heart. Ty as of now officially officially official. Literally today people use literally too much no no literally today literally literally today was my last day at the previous mysterious day job. And starting like right now as people are listening to this, m I am full time, solidverbal and I am thrilled to be here. I honestly when we started this never thought it would get here, right. It finally came to a point where it's go big
or go home. And if we are serious about creating out this universe and making it as good as you and I both know it can be, it's going to require all hands on deck, and that certainly includes one of the founding members of the show, not just you. So here I am man. You got me for the foreseeable future. Let's see what we can build.
I am a loss for words, which if anybody's listened to the show for a while, you know that's very difficult for me. But I'm at a loss for words. I am incredibly proud of you. I am incredibly overjoyed for what we're going to make. And it's not just this, It's not just what you're listening to. This is solid verbal media. This is expanding this universe. This is partnering with people to make new shows, empowering people. That shows that we are not on like, the possibilities are pretty endless.
We've had a lot of interest in doing things like this and in expanding this universe, and we haven't been fully able to do it. And it's not just because of your day job. I had a long time, full time gig as well. It just happened to be in sports media. But we have had to turn down opportunities
because I was unable to because of that job. And so now we are fully unencumbered and I have had opportunities since leaving that job that I have no intention of pursuing anymore because this is where my heart is, this is where, this is where my ass is. Ty. It's in this chair about making a show and making a thing with you and the people we make these things with.
So it's very exciting. It's a long time coming. Well, we started this back in two thousand and eight. I had always hoped that maybe you could get to this point, but.
Just couldn't couldn't see the path.
Here we are and with all that I mean says, yeah, there's I have a question for you though, Oh please, what was the mysterious day job?
Well, it's funny we should ask Dan because.
I'm not going to yell at again. I need to try and preserve the pipes. Now, this is what I do for a living. Please excuse me.
Yeah.
Yeah, but if you go on out to our patreon for Ballers dot com, as of noon Eastern on July the fifteenth, when many of you are listening to this show, we will be making our updated Patreon benefit Tears Live. Now. Look, this is not me shilling for money, yeah sir, but but it kind of is. In light of the news that we just shared, Patreon support is now a little bit more important to keeping the lights on than it was previously.
So oh, it definitely is.
Yeah, go on out again noon Eastern time, July the fifteenth, Thursday, if you are interested or just if you're curious about what we have to offer. Your support is very much encouraged, very much appreciated, And starting on what July the sixteenth, tomorrow, Yes, we're going to be dropping a show where we go into painstaking detail about that mysterious day job. We're going to demystify long last the MDJ. We're going to talk
it through. You're going to interview me about what's going on, and we're just gonna we're just gonna fully steer into this as a cornerstone of the soliverbal community and talk it through. That is a Patreon only show, Yeah.
No, this is I mean, I know you're a little bit bashful about it, but this is what we do.
This is this is the bread and butter, This is the nine to five and it really is more like I don't know, seven to eight or something like that a lot of days just in terms of when we're studying six five am during the season, and so we really do need your support we do to not just keep the lights on, but just keep doing the show, keep building the show, and you know, the I think the benefits are terrific, and I if I can be frank, I'm pretty pumped to do some of the things that
we have down there that we've never done. But we found that the majority of people who are supporting us on Patreon, they just like the show and they happen to like the way that we make shows and so they want to support that. So if that's you. You don't have to, but it would be really cool. It would be considerable, very cool. That's it.
If you decide that you want to support again, it's Verballers dot com. For more information on how to get involved, how to support the show. You can get access to the MDJ Demystification special that is going to drop again at six a m.
On Friday.
But look, I am thrilled. I am now full time Solid Verbal. If there are anybody out there looking for help on podcast projects or consultation or anything like that, I can talk more about that and maybe what are some of the the additional plans I have for myself now beyond just doing this. But this is obviously going to be the focal point of my day to day, and you've.
Actually turned out, by the way you've turned out, opportunities for that I have.
I have, and I don't want to turn those down anymore. I don't want to turn those down anymore because the podcasting medium is just so damn exciting right now. So if there's opportunity out there, if people need help, if they need some consultation, whatever, hit me up Solid Verbal at gmail dot com. I'd love to have a discussion but for the here and now, the focal point is where we're taking the solid verbal, where we're taking this little media universe that you and I are trying to build.
And I'm excited. Let's do it, Spicy, Let's do it. Let's get to those emails. Though we had an overflowing inbox, Dan, Yes, congratulations, Skippy, you've got.
Mailed, You've got mail.
On the solid verbal, just as we did on Tuesday, We're going to do our best now to pay omage to the ever ballerhood, many of whom wrote in on plain old fashioned emailsolverbal at gmail dot com. We also had questions on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and read it where else discord of course.
To the Patriots community.
We're trying to really tap into the area that is the verballerhood, Dan, Where do we want to go? This is a continuation of the show that we did on Tuesday. As I slapped my microphone here because I'm all excited, what.
Do we want to go? Because we have a long list of questions that we did not get through. Vick wants to know if Arkansas were I think it's we're in the Big twelve right now. How many wins would they have and where would they rank among Big twelve programs. This was, by the way, something floated by I believe it was David Ubben. That's saying, sure, everybody should love
to be in either the Big Ten or SEC. But for a program like Arkansas, with its roots obviously in the Southwest Conference tie and a little conference you might be familiar with, and you know the alignment with the Texas schools historically, that perhaps Arkansas would have a higher profile program. I believe that was the gist, right, it was a few weeks old. So what do you think the status of Arkansas would be as a Big twelve program?
Well, I mean it's hard for me to separate out the progress that Sam Pittman made in year one in Fayetteville, from what I know, is just a total banger.
Of a schedule. It's really going to be hard for Arkansas. I think this is just more big picture, like what is what would your perception be of Arkansas as a Big twelve team, given the power of their current division and given the sort of all over the place nature a conference in the Big twelve that has seen a number of teams bubble to the National Service. Most recently Iowa State. But we've had you know, Baylor and TCU, obviously, Texas, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma State. These are all teams in playoff for National Chainampionship conversations into the last what decade Oklahoma State that was a twenty eleven season where they lost Iowa State. So there's a lot more of an inevitability to the SEC than there is to the Big Twelve. One hundred percent.
And by the way, we'll get an early read on this because Arkansas does play Texas. That was a game that I talked about in Week two where Arkansas is only a three and.
A half point dog.
So look, I don't think that line is right, but if that's any indication, Vegas feels pretty okay about how Arkansas would do if it played against some of the better teams in the Big Twelve. What I talked about on Tuesday show because we had a question about where does TCU rank.
Is TCU in.
Any position to mount a dark horse campaign for the Big Twelve. I think the answer to that is no, because I think TCU falls into like that five spot and the Big Twelve. There are four teams that I'd be inclined to put above them. I think you could put Arkansas kind of in that discussion. What I like about Arkansas's that they bring a lot back, bring a lot back. I think, so everybody does this here, everybody.
Does this year. Yeah, and that's because the circumstances a year. But for a young program with by young, I mean a second year head coach, I see what you're saying.
Yeah, for sure, nineteen returning starters from a year ago for Arkansas, I feel like they could. And the other thing about them is they play really hard. We saw that last year. You know. That's the thing for me. I like teams that fight to the end, and Sam Pittman had Arkansas in a lot of those games. So I would be inclined to put them middle of the pack in the Big Twelve going into the twenty twenty
one season. If roles were somewhat reversed. I still don't know if I'm putting them above certainly the top tier of that division or that conference. Excuse me, the likes of Oklahoma, the likes of Texas, Like, it's just I don't think it's there yet. But I think they're solidly middle of the pack, and I think they play hard, they fight every team tooth and nail.
It's fascinating to think about what how expectations among boosters and fans and administrators is like. Whereas in the SEC West, I think they're largely tempered because everybody basically has to say, okay, well we have you know, there's a goliath. There's an elephant, a literal elephant sometimes, so that used to be a little elephant I think on Alabama's campus, but there is an elephant in the SEC West room where Arkansas has the expectation of being a winning program and a good
winning program. But there's probably a ceiling. It's what it seems right now, barring any sort of five star, no brain or quarterback who is like a hog legacy or for whatever reason. Not to put this down, but like those types of players aren't necessarily gravitating towards Fayetteville. So in the Big Twelve, all of the sudden in what we perceive, even though Oklahoma's dominated, it to be a
little more wide open of a conference. I think the expectations are raised, so then maybe there's more money going into the program from boosters or anything like that. But it's also a situation where you've got to win quicker than you have to win in the SA. So it's you know, there's a lot of different angles to it.
But I think with the talent Arkansas could attract and the size of a program that it is, in the expectations and the focus that the program receives, I would say that they should be a perennial eight win program in the Big Twelve. Now, right now they're playing eight conference games and the Big Twelve they'd be playing nine. So or that's what they're playing right now. So whatever, you're going through a weird exercise here where you're adding a team to the Big Twelve, but that's where they're
at right now. But I think from a pure competitive standpoint, Arkansas would be good in the Big twelve. I don't know if it gets them necessarily closer to a playoff conversation, but now that we have twelve, everybody's closer to the playoff conversation. But I don't know if they're able to build a team to compete with the best of the nation. But I think it's an interesting thought exercise. It's just
it's an interesting thought exercise. And again I'll use the early Vegas lines as something of an indicator because we saw where Texas was relative to a team like TCU. The early line is that TCU is favored by a point and a half over Texas. Now I don't agree with that, but if you extrapo laid out where Arkansas would be on that same scale. Being so Arkansas is a three and a half dog against Texas, what that tells me is that Vegas would have TCU favored by five points over Arkansas.
I think what I get out of that is that Vegas would have Arkansas within a touchdown of probably everybody in the Big Twelve, with the exception of Oklahoma. So they're certainly in the conversation. It's a weird thought exercise, mind you, I get it, but at least within the confines of twenty twenty one here, I think it means they'd be competitive in that conference.
The fascinating thing is if you go back to the best recent Arkansas team, which I believe was twenty fourteen, it was a team that I mean, they were like a seven and sixteen whatever Arkansas's record was when they had that. If you remember incredible defense. They shut out both Ole Miss and LSU I believe, and they the Alabama game was something like thirteen to twelve, twelve to eleven, like, it was a really really tight game. That was at the time that TCU and Baylor were playing sixty one
to fifty eight games. So, if we are going to fully extrapolate this thought process, this thought experiment, what does Arkansas look like relative to the top of the Big Twelve that season the first year of the playoff. That's kind of fascinating that they were a bruiser of a team that nobody wanted any part of, especially in the back half of that year. I think that was the at the borderline Erotic Bowl, that's correct. That's to me
is really interesting. The contrast that we did see these I mean not last year, but the couple of years before that. Baylor have tremendous success with sort of zag in a conference that hadn't fully zagged from its normal zig with the focus on defense and ball control, which Baylor succeeded doing. So. No, it's fascinating. But does Chad Morris have a lot of success with Arkansas in the Big Twelve? Probably not? Probably not, So they're still running
into some of those same issues. Where are we going next here? You tell me you're the big big news tie here, big big news tie. Yeah, this is the big news show on the solid verbal. TJ wants to know if it's going to be Dino Baber's last year at Syracuse. TJ.
Longtime listener of the solid verb, Right, TJ. What can Dino realistically do to save himself?
All right?
So I have two questions about this. First off, how much of a quick hook does Syracuse have slash should they have if they're being realistic about their football program? And I don't mean that in a demeaning way, but it is Syracuse, but there's not a whole lot of recent success to hang your hat on. And secondly, if not Dino, then who where would you go? If not Dino Baber's I happen to like Dino Baber is a great deal. What does he have to do? I think
he has to show some sort of forward momentum. They are still kind of digging out from the grungy Eric Dungeon years, and by digging out, I mean trying to re establish themselves, trying to plant the new tent pole around which they can build, around which they can establish some momentum that has not happened yet. So what are your thoughts here?
I think it just sort of a dollars and cents thing. I'm saying this right now. The buyout this is as of last fall, Babers reportedly. This is from Daily Orange dot com. Baber's reportedly has four years remaining on a contract extension he signed two years ago, and a buyout could cost more than seventeen million dollars. Wild Hack John Wildhack, former ESPN higher up who's now running the Syracuse Athletic Department, said he and Babers will meet after this season evaluate
what went wrong, as they do every year. So even if that buyout is coming down, has come down, you know, maybe there's a clause that you know, as of January one or whatever, if he's still the coach. Even if it has come down, it's probably in the double digits. And now is not an amazing time for a very down program as Syracuse has become since their success a
couple of years ago, to cut that kind of check. So, man, if if they are disaster once again, and I always look to the side of the ball where the head coach has history, fair or not, and his offensive history. And they talked about, you know, playing with pace and like a power spread, we're going to go deep, but then we're going to hit people with the eye and like it just hasn't worked. They're like last year's defense showed some signs of life and I like the high
art coordinator they made there. But even still, you look to recruiting for potential energy in the future, and that hasn't necessarily been lately. So what would it take, I mean anything short of a bowl game. I think there's a good chance that he is looking for a new gig. But man, that's it's a big, big check to cut. It's a big check. That's a lot. He had recent success.
But if there's any element of Syracuse football that and I like this word a lot, is a calamity this ball in the way that their offense has been and I know they've been snake bitten and they were missing players and you know, so I think the excuses will be less so this year in terms of how you know, meaningful those excuses are. But if if it's just a disaster on offense, once again, I don't know what there is beyond the cash you would owe him to say
we got to keep this thing going. Yeah, I don't know.
Let's go to Alec. This is a question that I feel like we've addressed in some way, shape or form over the last couple months. But it's a good thought experiment. We're really just we're using We're using the bean today. Dan got a lot going on. We're excited. Let's talk about potential Nick Saban replacements, if and when he's changed, and.
Is has anything changed in your mind this offseason about Nick Saban's long term viability viability is the wrong word, but his long term plan and who might replace him? No, No, I mean.
Nobody to me gives me a great answer. Okay, and I guess I guess the most obvious would be, Well, here here's the question. So the question is, with sark off to Texas, with Dabo entrenched at Clemson, is Mario
Cristobal the favorite to replace Nick Saban someday? The question might not be answered for some time with Saban's new contract, but I can't decide if I think he'll make it all the way to twenty twenty nines, twenty twenty nine, eight years from now, hold Saban gonna be in that case, he can be like eighty years old or close to it.
What you're saying twenty twenty nine.
I can't decide if I think he'll make it all the way to twenty twenty nine.
Yeah, that was Alex's question. So Nick Saban is currently sixty nine years old. His birthday's on Halloween, So in twenty twenty nine, if my math works, so he's turning seventy this year, So in eight years he'll be seventy eight years old. Seventy eight years old, Yeah, okay, during the season, he'll be turning seventy eight. Saban could make it to seventy eight as head coach of Bama. Good because the program's clearly at critical mass at this point.
It recruits itself. I'm not saying it's easy to maintain this level of just incredible prodentiality and yeah, yeah, everything about it's nearly impossible on any other in any other context. But because he has shown such a proclivity to bring in new assistance here over year maintain that high production, he's a guy who could do it. He could do it, and I don't think it would It would be any any just greater feat than we've already seen. So it's
possible that he could stick around. But let's go through the exercise. Nick Saban announces, let's say two years from now, that he's retiring, Dabo Sweeney presumably is going to continue his glide path at Clemson because recruiting has been strong. Let's also give Sark benefit of the doubt. Let's give Mary Chrystopaul benefit of the doubt because recruiting has been strong at organ as well. And let's as Sark can more difficult for sure at Oregon to recruit a top
five class than it is in Tuscaloosa. But yes, correct, So I guess my question would be if you are if you are Alabama and you know that there is a tie in with Dabo Swinny, isn't he your first call?
Probably? But you know, we're not privy to the relationship behind the scenes between you know, the ad and Dabbo and the moneyed people and Dabbo and seeing as how they they clash the national championships, and what they think the optics are of going after him to lead your
program after battling. I know Saban and Dabo are pretty friendly and they have vacation together, but I almost don't think we know the name yet, Like I don't think like I think Alabama in the way that you know, Richrod was that up and comer and obviously wasn't hired way back in two thousand and seven. But it's going to be somebody, probably on the younger side, who's proven an ability to win big and recruit really well. I don't know if it's Clink and Riley, because I think
the Oklahoma job is a pretty uniquely amazing position. But I think it's going to be somebody on the younger side. And you know, if it's Mario Chris Paul, who is you know, younger but not that young, that's an impossible job. And so Mario christ of all has or Mario as it were, has a pretty amazing path to the postseason right now in the Pac twelve as it's currently constituted.
Maybe USC eventually hires a killer in Washington, you know, has a you know, whether it's a Jimmy Lake or somebody else, And I don't know, whatever the path, maybe it gets increasingly difficult. But traditionally it's only been one or two teams at the top of the PAC twelve, not a situation like where the SEC has you know, up Lsu years and up Floorida years and up Georgia
years and up Auburn years. So whoever it is has to know that they're going to make ten million dollars a year and whatever happens happens, because following Saban is just you're setting yourself up for failure. So you know, if if that's I'm I'm saying that, I am not saying it's going to be a coach who only is doing it for the cash, But that's going to be an element of knowing you're set up to fail given
the expectations, the other worldly, unprecedented expectations in Tuscaloosa. So you know, it's probably not going to be somebody like Ryan Day, probably not going to be somebody like Lincoln Riley. I really do believe that it's going to be a name of somebody that is currently thirty eight to forty four, okay, and whether that's Matt Campbell, whether that's my guy Jeff Hafley, boy.
You know, like, I think it's going to be from that generation of coaches, and whoever ends up looking like the sort of top of that pyramid, I think that's who is ultimately going to get that gig. But I think there's going to be more wariness than expected because of the job Nick Saban is done getting everybody in line in Tuscaloosa and in the Alabama football universe behind him that he's able to exceed expectations. Almost it's just who what ever gets that job is going to be fired. Yeah,
I mean, I don't think. I don't think you need to go super youthful with that selection. I think by then they won't be youthful. I'm saying right now they're like thirty eight to forty four, right, But I'm saying two years, let's say two or three years from now. I don't know.
Ipothetically speaking, I don't think you need to go crazy young with your coaching selection. I think you need to have somebody in place who you know can continue the momentum. That's the most important thing, because they have again achieved this incredible success over the last decade under Saban that I think they are, more than anything, just craving to maintain at that point. And so I think it's a guy who's got familiarity with Nick Saban and how he
went about things. You're trying to keep continuity in place as much as possible. Whether that's a guy like a Sark, Maybe you go back after him. Maybe that's a guy like a Mariot crystobaal who's been on the staff. Lord knows pretty much everybody's been on I don't at this point.
I don't think a lot of guys who end up leaving Tuscaloosa by their own choice, because that's what ends up happening a lot of the time, because they have this shine on them from coaching at Alabama. I don't know how many of them actually look back fondly at
their time at Alabama. Yeah, I mean it's it's if they were being responsible about it, and if Nick Saban was talking to leadership about what his own exit strategy is, right, presumably they could go the root of naming the coach in waiting and work on that transition plan gradually over the course of time.
I don't know if that's going to happen. I don't know where Saban's at, but I would hope that for Alabama's sake, Nick Saban would have that plan in motion because he's a guy who he's a planful guy. Dan this is the man of the plan for sure, so I'm guessing he's given it some thought. Maybe he's got some suitors in mind, and I would help for lou Poi toshakoy. I would hope for the sake of the BAMA program that they would have some sort of succession plan that they could enact. But it's a look, it's
an interesting thought experiment. My guess is that we'll have that conversation many many times over right before it actually comes to fruition. Why don't we stay in the sec? Dan, This is a good question from.
Mill of time, Dan Miller time, yeap.
Why do so many assume that LSU will automatically rebound to a new Year's six level in twenty twenty one. I get the talent and experience, but LSU has finished with ten or more wins and at top twelve ranking just twice in the last seven years, and they are breaking in two young first time coordinators twenty nineteen and even twenty eighteen are outliers. This feels like, ooh, this stinks.
This feels like gene Chiswick two point zero. Dan, Oh, come on, everybody so quick to compare a situation to gene Chiswick or a man who's the other coach? That who's the guy now? I'm blanking on his name. The Miami coach who followed, Butch Davis, who was out after a few years, just couldn't keep it. Larry, Larry, Larry Cocher, Larry, thank you. Everybody's very quick. Next Coker.
Interesting, interesting common ground though here neither Jeene Chiswick nor at Orgeron have any sideburns.
Is that true? At Origeron's are as short as Chiswick's.
I believe now negative sideburns, which isn't really Jean Chiswick was.
It was up at eye level coach os sideburns situation, it's not. It's it's similar, not as pronounced. Maybe that's a head shape thing, but it's similar.
You're right, So for what it's worth in a battle Royale, I take Coacho over Geen Chikay, no doubt about it. The sideburns are comparable. And clearly we're at a stage now with LSU football, in the wake of the Joe Burrow era, in the wake of the Joe Brady era, in the wake of twenty twenty and the uncertainty where you know, there is some question around where where's this thing headed. I think recruiting has still been strong. I
think there's a lot of reason to be optimistic. It feels like they started to pull it together down the stretch last season with Max Johnson in there at quarterback.
But Gene Chizzwick two point oh dan, that is woo. That cuts to the bone, right, it does. Jeane Chiswick made some pretty bad hires after losing gusmels On and took the offense in a not great place but recruited pretty well. The problem with that comparison is ed Origroon quickly made the change and he is not the greatest track record of finding coaches on either side of the ball, coordinators on either side of the ball that just weren't
fits for a ten win season. And even though you know Mack Cannada's offense at LSU had its moments, it wasn't a fit with that Orizron and then following Joe Brady was going to be pretty impossible. But the combination of a new ish look offense, it wasn't that new look, but it was, you know, there were new ideas in that offense and quarterback injuries and rawness to the quarterback position. I thought Miles Brannan was pretty good. The defense was
a nightmare aains Mississippi State to open the year. So if the defense comes back to anywhere near where it should be given the talent level and given the schedule this year, I mean, you can stop me when I get to a quarterback that legitimately scares you. U CLA McNeice Central Michigan. I think that's kind of scary, just because mca owayn's doing a pretty good job there. But
I'm not worried. It's at LSU, Auburn, Kentucky, Florida, Ole, miss Yeah, that's a quarterback that should scare you, Matt Corrall, and it's on the road. We'll see about Bryce Young in the quarterback situation. Tusclose, but we don't know yet Arkansas, Monroe, A, and m SO right now. The number of proven scaryquarterbacks
and LSU schedule isn't all that high right now. And I think there's just a general assumption that the mistakes, given everything that goes into the program and given the guys that they got recommendations from regarding these new coordinators, I think there's just this assumption that the injury luck is going to bounce back. You know, Derek Stingley was dealing with some pretty it was hospitalized the night before that Mississippi State game, like there were key dudes who
were dealing with some really serious stuff. So I think there is just that assumption that even if LSU traditionally is not winning ten eleven games a year, that given where they are as compared to the changes and newness of the rest of the SEC, that LSU is in a pretty good spot. They've got one of the best receivers in the country to me and Keisham Boutet, and I think there's opportunity there for a poor man's twenty nineteen.
Is that nine wins? Is it eleven? I don't know, but I think we're going to see notes of it on both sides of the ball. And we know Dave Randa is an incredible defensive coordinator, and you know, matching what he was able to do it else he was going to be very difficult. But it's a really nice
starting point considering the too deep on that defense. So I don't think the same mistakes we made on defense, and I think they will be healthier on offense, which I think leads to a certain degree of optimism.
I thought we had a blanket policy on this show that whenever you said Dave Randa's name, you had to use you had to use the lego batman voice.
Thank you.
Look, there is some I think, real discussion to be had around where LSU goes from here. Remember what the conversation was going into that incredible once in a generation season that they had where they ran the table and won the championship and Joe Burrow went on to the Heisman Trophy in the first overall draft pick. Do you
remember what the conversation was going into that season. The conversation was, we got to fix this offense, and the conversation was, maybe Joe Bray he can do it, and perhaps ed Orgeron is self aware enough as a coach to realize the air in his ways, the flaws of the system, and he's gonna go out and he's going to try and get better on offense. Now that worked beautifully, obviously, but.
It's a bit of a cry wolf situation because what do we hear every August from every camp, Oh, this guy like this guy succeeded at the Manning Passing Academy. Thank you, this is there. We're really going to open it up this night. Well, That's why we joke about
new coordinators and new strength coaches attacking mentality. Right defense, it's really hard to parse, you know, if you can get practice reports behind the scenes and not necessarily writers saying you know, sort of just printing what coaches are saying without offering you know, better sourcing, it's really hard to believe what is actually true and what's not until
the live bullets start flying. That's one hundred percent the case and that and that's my point here with the origon So we definitely caught lightning in a bottle the year with Joe Burrow when they want everything and they were all world everything, and they were incredible once in a generation, no doubt about it. Gonna pay no doubt about it. It's gonna play with tempo but right, but much the way.
The next guy after Saban has an incredible impossible act to follow. I feel like we're kind of in that territory now with LSU. How do you build upon that once in a generation season. They've got some momentum from it, but it's a tough act to follow, and I fear for Ed Orgeron that no matter how well they do, if they don't live up to that billing. It's it's gonna leave fans underwhelmed because it's so close in the rear view mirror.
So I don't know.
I think there is a real likelihood that there's a solid bounce back from some uncertainty a year ago, but it's just not enough to appease the fan base, and that's what I worry about. I root for Amu, I root for coach O, but I feel like that is a probability at this point, just given how high the heights were a.
Couple seasons ago. Yeah, I mean it's it's basically we're going to come down if there's not a special situation at quarterback with Lso we're going to be having similar conversations as to what we had in twenty thirteen, fourteen, whatever, where it's how long can they go nine and three and keep coaching? It is okay, how long can they keep how long can they keep going nine and three?
And you know that that might become the question or I mean until they get to Bama, all of those games on paper are winnable, and then after Bama it's Arkansas at home, Monroe at home, A and m at home. No, Okay, let's go to Christoph for our purposes here, can we just assume it is Ed Harris's character in the Truman Show always, That's where I was going with it.
We're in the backwards beret. Let's just assume it's the same Christoff.
He says.
Next year, James Franklaris is at USC. Okay, Matt Campbell's at Michigan. Luke Fickles at Penn State. Who has the most success going forward, let's say by twenty twenty five. So this pretty big coaching carousel here. Sure, if Franklin goes to USC, which has been rumored for a long time, I don't know if that happens. I don't think Franklin's the right move for USC. If I'm being honest, Recruiting talent is not their problem. That's what Franklin does well.
But that's a separate conversation. He's hired good coordinators. Though he's hired good coordinators.
Sure, I enjoyed the work of Shoop and Brent Prye, okay and Joe moorehead Yeah, Okay, Fine, that's a separate conversation. Franklin goes to USC, Campbell goes to Michigan, Luke Fickles at Penn State. Who has the most success going forward? Let's say by twenty twenty five. Well, only one of those teams as Ohio State in their division, so there's the roadblock element. Or excuse me, two of those teams, excuse me, the Michigan and Penn State. I would probably
say James Franklin at USC has the most success. I think I would agree with that as well. I don't believe USC. I mean, they have annual Notre Dame, but they haven't scheduled any big headline September games against Power five opponents. You know, I don't believe there's any sort of Texas Alabama in Michigan, any of those kinds of matchups on their non conference light over these next few years.
So that's a nice element for your final record. Fickle at Penn State, I think would succeed, and I think Matt Campbell at Michigan woulducceed. I think they all block. Yeah, I think they'd all do well.
The problem with a question like this, and we get a thousand of them every time we open up the inbox. If you're looking four years down the line, you have to play a logical a probability game, and that game is exactly what you said. Who has the fewest land mines? The answer is USC. USC has a built in talent advantage being in southern California. If they brought James Franklin over, they would clearly have a very gifted recruiter. Say what you want about Franklin, he may not be the best.
Inside two minutes, the dude can recruit.
No, he recruits and hires really well.
He recruits and he hires really well, and so that would be an attractive spot if you are a top recruit to go and play for Franklin in LA. Fewer land mines for sure. I think Matt Campbe will be great at Michigan. I think Luke Fickle will be fine wherever he went, be at Penn State or anywhere else. But for sure, the fewest land mines to success in twenty twenty five, definitely USC.
Okay. But so there's the expectation at all three of those programs, especially if the playoff goes to twelve and twenty twenty three, that these teams consistently are in or near the playoff. Yeah, that they should be nothing less than top twelve ish annually right, Yeah, no, for sure, considering the advantages that Michigan, USC and Penn State have.
So yeah, Ohio State is a roadblock and USC in the conference only really appears to have one major nationalist roadblock, which is Oregon, and that's the other side of the conference. Michigan has work to do. But if they only lose to Ohio State, they'll make the playoff every year.
Right.
If they lose to Penn State and Ohio State, it's trickier, but there will be years where they they're in that playoff conversation, and they should do no worse than you know, splitting every you know, winning every other year against each other, Penn State and Michigan, given how strong those programs could
be with the right coach. So we're still talking about the best of all three of those guys being a playoff caliber team I think right now, given what the divisions look like, because if I mean, if Luke Fickles at Penn State and Matt Campbell's at Michigan, they're playing each other. So if they're hitting their ceilings as well, that's a really tough division along with Ryan Day and Ohio State presuming he's still there. So I have more faith that the Big ten East will be more difficult
to navigate long term. I agree with that with those three coaches. I agree with that than what the PAC twelve South's outlook is, which is beware a Jedfish. Everyone's talking about Jedfish. He's actually recruiting pretty well all things considered, like, there is decent energy in Tucson, but things are uncertain right now in Tempe considering some of the allegations. We know Kyle Whittingham is going to feeld a very good team more often than not, but that generally has a
December ceiling. And I guess we'll wait and see on Colorado, but I don't think the expectations are super high there. So yeah, I think of a USC, even at eighty nine point two percent capacity, he is winning the South every year.
You know why this question is is moot from the jump? Why Because we agreed several months ago. Clay Helton's going to coach forever. He's never getting fired at USC. Oh man, folks, He's never getting fired at USC right now.
Well, I mean the big problem with USC is just full university buy in with football.
That's full university buy in with football. Sure, but he's never getting fired. I hope people realize that God never going to happen.
Thrilled? Where do we want to go next? Where do we want to go next? You get to pick k I wants to know which or what college football game this year? Would you advise that I planned my bachelor party around attending. Please factor in location, game hype, accessibility, and tailgating contacts. I'm a Notre Dame alum living in New York. I'd prefer to do a Notre Dame game, but I'm struggling to find a home weekend that works with my schedule due to weddings and other obligations. I
work broadly in higher education. A lot of my job involves visiting university campuses, which I love, so I'm considering opening it up to any college football game. Would love to hear your thoughts. Just go to whatever Texas game you want to go to. Notre Dame Wisconsin in Chicago, that's pretty good. You got to go. It's late September, right, yeah, Okay, September sales Twitch. My sales pitch with Chicago is it could be really nice in late September. You never know, though,
it could be really nice. If you want to go out on a lake, there's a lake right there. It's easy to get back in the city.
He's in New Yorky City to get to so it's a it's a quick flight over to Chicago. I think it should be pretty nice in Chicago and to September. You're not talking snowflurry. So the only problem with it is you're not going to a college town. You're not going to a college town. But he said that he works broadly in higher education and his job involves visiting university campuses, so maybe he doesn't feel the need to scratch that itch to go to a campus to watch
a game. Go to Soldier Field, go to Soldier Field, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Undel.
You can you can go to breweries, you can play golf if you want a golf, you can eat crazy well in Chicago, you can see Notre Dame Wisconsin, which legitimately should be a very good game.
Yeah.
The only the only down part is it might be blustery, which is never the most fastory. Though at the end of September in Chicago, ty it's the windy city. Okay, true, that's that's a reference to politics. But it is the windy city. I'm a big fan of Chicago, but I could see why Chicago is not the most popular destination for bachelor party.
If you are if you, yeah, if you, that's also a good point. But I'm just saying, if you're a Notre Dame alam, if you're living in New York, if you already have your fill of college campuses, go to some place easy to get to. You know, it's a big game. Notre Dame Wisconsin should be a big game. The jack Cone Bowl.
We're very excited about the jack Cone Bowl here at saliverbo. Go to Chicago. Go to Chicago, get Dan Dan, cook him a pizza. You'll do that a full hotels. Well, he's got a whole bachelor party. It's not just one pizza. You just cook one pizza. One pizza everybody. It's a slice. Oh man. Yeah, I just I always like going somewhere
warm with a bachelor party. Well, you're from California, there's nothing. Yeah, Arizona is a nice bachelor party destination, but I don't think there's a huge, huge game going on in Arizona. In September is still really really hot. But yeah, if you want to get out on some water. And if you want a golf you can do that most places. If you want to eat well, you can do that
most places. And if seeing Notre Dame football is important to him, and maybe he went to Notre Dame and has a bunch of Notre Dame buddies, so it's important to that group. Yeah, it makes sense.
Go to go to Chicago late September, not name Wisconsin. That'd be a great tailgating scene, right, I would think that'd be an amazing tailgating scene.
I have no idea what the parking lot is like around Soldier Fields. It's never the same inside of a city in terms of room and energy.
But true, true, but that's a wee eat well you can you can eat well, you can play in around that game.
Let's go one or two more island. There's a brewery on an island in the middle of the city island. Yeah, I got the IPA downstairs.
All right, let's go one more football and then I want to ask my show Hey Otani question.
Oh, okay, you have a lot of what I would consider to be problematic show Hey Otani thoughts. But let's go we'll get that, Okay, do I cool. Where do we want to go into a very topical thing to say, let's see what opinion about the sport has changed as you got older? That's from D Smith? What a D Smith? What opinion about the sport has changed? You out older? I've talked about my postseason thing where Yeah, that's that's the worst wistful.
It's the worst opinion you've ever had. But I still love you and now I'm around now. Now my success is tied to your success, so I have to try and be nice to you about it, which I'll continue to do. I grew up with a mother who was a lifelong educator mm hmm, taught school for thirty some odd years before retiring, and so much of my programming as a lad as a ute as a developing college football fan, was around the value of a scholarship and that a scholarship was good enough.
A scholarship should be good.
Enough for some of these student athletes moving on playing at the next level. They should be proud to have that scholarship.
It has value.
Yeah, that opinion for me has drastically changed over the years that I've been doing this show, that we've been doing this show together, and you know, I'm not going to act like we're privy to any kind of advanced intel or we see the world through a different lens now that we're doing this show. Maybe that's a little bit true. But I just feel like, over the course of time, as you see these billion dollar deals that are being signed by works to cover the games, as you.
Shoe companies with the schools, yeah, some huge ones.
Yeah, I mean, and I think more importantly as maybe the closer you get to this, the more you realize how much these institutions own, truly own, these student athletes. Every waking moment is given to the program given to the football institution at those respective schools. My opinion has changed on what the value of that scholarship really is.
And so I have gone from I think just kind of being a hive mind with Mama h and feeling that the scholarship should should be good enough to now going completely in the opposite direction, full bore, nil, full bore. Let's get these kids get paid somehow, some way and cash in on their name, image, likeness. So that for me, I think, is it's got to be the answer.
I used to night games, Oh did I love like I couldn't even tell you that the channels on the West Coast like Prime Ticket, Yeah, Fox Sports West, shout out Petros, Papadacus and Steve phisiok, Ted Robbs, all those guys. I hate him, not anymore. I hate him so much that now that I am in the Central time zone and was in the Eastern time zone and now have two small children that wake up early, Pack twelve after dark is pack twelve dans in bed. Yeah, let's pack
it in. For me, that's wake up early and watch it then. I just and I legitimately I love night games because on the West Coast, the primetime game is what a five fifteen kickoff, the you know Fowler Herb Street ESPN game that was great. I couldn't order an early dinner. And I hate like even there is even something about and this is a me thing. This is
a me old man thing. I'm not trying to project this on anybody else, but even an Oregon game that starts at eight o'clock Central time Zone, somewhere in that vicinity seven thirty eight, I roll my eyes. And it's just because I'm ancient and washed up. But to me, that also says if it's on a major network that we're getting a long halftime. It feels that way anyway with the commercial breaks, and I'm rolling with that game until eleven thirty twelve, and that's not my preference. Pack it,
pack it. In my my West Coast college football viewing career, loved a good night game. So that's what's changed with me. We've grown. But now also, and if you remember from I don't know three years ago, three four years ago, Chris Peterson's comments about road night games and how much it affects that just the full week's schedule, because now they're not getting home until the next day or in the middle of the night, and it's just in terms
of consideration for scaledue. It's a wrench for teams. That doesn't affect my opinion. It's all selfishly how it affects me. And that's what's changed. I used to love them attending, watching whatever, one other thing that I'll throw in very quickly and then I want to get to my show. Hey, Otani, question from David maybe the best question we've ever been asked. I used to be I used to like lionize the ability to watch or the ability to have like six TVs on it once, watch watch six TVs at once
watching college football. Right, maybe I'm like to add for my own good, I could really only deal with one TV at this point. You're mononymous, and maybe Twitter, maybe Twitter on a second screen to just see what people are. You'll flirt people are reacting to. Yeah, all right, I can make two TVs work. I can make it work, but I could really only pay attention to one. Eventually, I'm going to be a homeowner and it is going to be my attempt to mount to TVs either next
to or one above the other. Will you go? I can make two work?
Will you go full Ari Wasserman and have somebody install them for you? Or will you give it the old college?
Try? Well? In this current rental house, there was already the hanging brackets or whatever on the wall, the mountain just on the wall. But my brother in law and I physically lifted the TV and mounted and secured it. So we did half of it half of it. So if that counts for anything, I will gladly let somebody else do that work. I am capable. I'll let somebody else do it. I don't know. Final question up.
Final question from David yeah, what would the shoh Otani of college football look like?
By the way, I can I just put one last thing on the end of that, please. I used to not prefer and get kind of annoyed at going to a sports bar to watch games, but I have missed human contact so much. Yeah that if you if like if a friend of mine, I don't know when the next NBA Finals game is, but if so, if somebody invited me to go see an NBA Finals game and there was a basket of tots and some sort of attractive dipping sauce, I'd be really friggin pumped about. All right,
final final question? Who is the otan?
Or no?
What does the Otani of college football look like?
So?
Cho Atani is a combination like that we've never.
Really seen in Major League baseball. He's a pitcher and also he hits really well and like leads Major League Baseball in home runs at the All Star break. What is that combination like in college football?
So it's almost unheard of historically, right, like Tonthampton could could kind of hit right, but not like this, not like this, and then Babe Ruth but then he gave up pitching. He gave up pitching.
So what David is asking, is the Otani equivalent in college football, somebody who is a quarterback and kicker, an offensive lineman and cornerback.
Is it something we'll ever see?
So it's it's got to be a guy who plays more than one position on a regular basis. I don't know if we'll ever see it in this current iteration of college football, although it was hard to predict that we would ever see an Otani to begin with, so it's hard to say. I think the combination. I think the combination has to be a quarterback with a linebacker.
Which we saw that flip right with Maryland a few years ago. A linebacker was the emergency quarterback.
We've seen the flip. We saw the Chaz Surrat. Yeah, quarterback to linebacker, but not in the same game. We saw Joel Lanning Joel Lanning, So we see that a lot.
They're not unprecedented, but they're not doing it concurrently. There are comparable skills being the quarterback of the offense in the quarterback of the defense. So I guess the next layer here.
Would be somebody who could do it both in the same game or both in the same season.
Let me throw this at you, what about a quarterback slash defensive coordinator Because I only say that because yes, there's no or no, there's no physical element to being the defensive coordinator. But it's a highly specialized role within the game. It's whereas because we've seen we saw Miles Jack same game, play linebacker and take carries. We've seen
you know, we've seen two way players. We've seen Charles Woodson as a starting defensive back come in and I mean he was in the return game, which is not unusual, but he took some sweeps and you know, lined up at receiver and won a Heisman for it. So I suppose in reality, in practice, Charles Woodson has been the closest we've come to a top level player. But he was not the best or one of the four best receivers in the country. He was defensive black who lined
up a receiver and who return kicks. You know, had times really well. But it would it would have to be somebody god because it I understand where he's coming from from the offensive line in corner where physically they're so different and so unusual. But I don't think that's living necessarily in reality size wise.
Right, I mean we're talking about if we look at Otani's batting stats in particular, right, thirty three home runs, seventy RBIs at the break hitting two seventy nine with a on base percentage of three sixty four. So that's a monster season. That's a monster season by any measure. Yeah, in baseball. And then if you compair the fact that he can also pitch, he can also pitch.
Now, you know. I mean, let's take a look at the stats here. This is a guy.
He's got a pretty low whip. He's got a mid three ERA in the America League, which is pretty good, sixty seven innings pitched, eighty seven strikeouts, so he can throw and you can strike guys out. He can do a little bit of everything here. I just I don't to have a guy who is that consistent on both sides or in two different aspects of baseball is really unheard of, and so I think it would have to
be an odd combination. In football, one of the suggestions was quarterbacking kicker, which would be interesting that I think is attainable.
I don't know if I'm not as impressed. Was that what Sammy bad did? I believe I think so maybe I'm making that up. Yeah, I'm not as impressed with a quarterback kicker. To me, the answer is actually because if the quarterback is the analog to the pitcher in that like, it's either the most cerebral position, right, are that we assuming that catcher would be most cerebral? But okay, well you're in your head more With pitcher, you're in more the ball is in your hand deciding the game
in the same way you're in quarterback. Right, I think it's quarterback and edge rusher. I think there is that that distinct difference between. Right, you're attacking in both instances what you do on the other side of the ball, So you know the ins and outs of the position. If you're a slugger, you know the ins and outs of what a pitcher is going to do and how to react to a pitch. So that to me is
probably it. If von Miller were a Heisman caliber quarterback, if Trevor Lawrence were had seventeen and a half tackles for a loss in a season, that is probably the closest I can come up with because the skill set is so different but also related. So you know, if
Vic Beasley is a Heisman quarterback. If you know, I'm trying to think of every you know, if Aaron Donald is a quarterback, I mean he's not edge, but you know, that kind of thing, to me is the only thing where you are in the trenches on one side of the ball, probably on defense attacking, and then on the other side of the ball you are picking a part of defense. Yeah, I was probably I was.
Going to go back to Charles Woodson bit and I was going to say if a receiver came along who was also a shutdown corner.
Yeah, but those things feel related. They're playing the pass, they're they're they're battling each other every play, and so you see a lot of crossover, wasn't there. It was a Patriots player who started lining up at corner as it was it Troy Troy Smith, Troy Brown, Troy Brown, Troy Brown. Yeah, so it is those are at least related. Yeah, I would. I would say if you look at the great edge rushers of it's Miles Garrett. If those guys are at quarterback. And I've said this before on the show.
The first time I ever saw Cam Newton in person, he was on the sidelines. It was the Florida Tennessee game two thousand and eight, and I just walked by a dude who looked like a god, and I was like, man, that dude is going to destroy some quarterback. And it turned out he was the quarterback. When I saw it to be somebody built like that.
When I saw Cam Newton in person, I thought he was wearing shit older pads. Yeah, he was not worrying.
So it's going to be you know, if Terrell Pryor we're an edge rusher, we're like, geez man, this dude is another guy that is the closest I could come up with, just because the skill set is so different. Otani, by the way, making only five and a half million
dollars this year, so maybe that'll change. Sometimes you're seeing the clip of Mina Kimes, who is a Mariners fan, like the cameras were rolling ahead of an Around the Horn episode when she found out that Otani signed with the Angels and she was crushed, just absolutely demolished.
Well, this is the first year that I feel like we're seeing the legend of Otani. You know, it's always been there and he's always been able to do these things, but what he's done this season is just remarkable.
Absolutely, that's rifle. You're ready to rifle. Let's rifle real quick. Favorite wedding song to hear as a guest. When it comes on, you're like, this is mate, living on a prayer. I want to dance with somebody. Whitney Houston Sneaky Kuavo. How often do you try and exercise?
How often do I try to exercise versus how much do I exercise?
What is your what is your living in reality exercise schedule?
It is non existent. It's walking the dogs, but hopefully now that that's exercise. Don't know that's exercise. How long of a walk? About a mile?
Okay, so you're doing a mile a day, a couple miles a.
Day, two times a day usually that's great. Yeah, that's hopefully more now than I'm no longer at the MDJ.
I'm at three or four days a week, a couple of days of tennis, a couple runs, and I'm pretty happy with it. What were Dan and ties first words to their wives? Could not tell you, Jimmy could not tell you. Co workers solid wife.
Kate tells me that my art of flirtation, my art of you know, getting to know her. Getting her interest was one of total avoidance, So I'd advanced to beyond anybody's comprehension.
Yeah, so I can't honestly tell you what my first words were. You played hard to get with your wife.
But it was like saying that I played anything credit. There was no like tactic.
It was just a mysterious time. Yeah. Yeah, so mysterious Mine was go blue, as in Michigan was where I think, I don't know if that's the exact phrasing, because we met online and in her profile it said go blue, and so I that was my my icebreaker, go blue. That was something I could talk about. Nice. All right, final question? What's the final question? Uh? Final question? We did exercise, we did wedding, we did live question. Okay,
here it is zaying. This is a great way to answer because it straddles both football and not really college football. Besides the broadcasters, is there anything to you that makes a games broadcast stand out? Wow? Well, I know the answer for you is the bug at the bottom or the graphics. That's kind of answer. That's no, not in a good one. I assume he wants to know what in a good way makes a broadcast really shine. Not a bad score bug or belt as it were with ESPN,
makes a broadcast really shine outside of the commentators. Wow, that is a good I've had a great tie answer here I think would work for you. I think it's the audio mix, where there's like the palpable feel and energy of being in a stadium. Now that you know surround sound and good soundbars are pretty affordable, I think a lot of people have those, and so it's a more immersive experience, especially after last year when a lot of these stadiums were far emptier than normal. So the
audio mix, I think is really important. And I've been behind the scenes to watch somebody and he was an artist sort of work the levels. I think that's very important. I think the any sort of immersive quality. So the the what's it called the wire cam that's behind a play, that like even when it's not behind a play, even when it's you know, sort of behind a huddle or on the sideline as a coach is like struggling with the decision whether or not to go on third and
one or something like that. The close ups, which I believe Fox does more close ups than ESPN. They're really big on like the emotion of the game, and to me, specific for college, is just painting a picture I have. I'm just I get aroused when I see the changing colors in a big ten gamest. I get aroused. I get aroused when I see the ball navy. I get a rouse like anything that paints the picture and paints
a scene of that game. If I'm coming back from a break and it's not a meaningless but like an inconsequential Wisconsin Indiana game or something that doesn't you know, they're both three and five. But I'm seeing brots on the grill, I'm seeing scenes in the parking lot. I'm seeing the crowd jump around between the third and fourth quarter. It's anything that's like this couldn't be happening anywhere else.
This scene that to me separates a pretty good broadcast, you know, And a lot of that's the capability and the producer and they what kind of shots they want and how they want to broadcast a game. But sort of time and place to me is very big and very important. Yeah. I think, by the way, with broadcasters, the really good ones don't overtalk. They let the sort of sounds of the game tell the story. That's important.
I think the thing for me is is you alluded to like the wire cam. Some of us are old enough to remember when the wire cam was only trotted out for something like Monday Night Football or the Super Bowl, and it wasn't as ubiquitous as it is now. So for me, the wirecam, when I see that, like I don't know, that gives it more of a big game
feel to me. And I would also jump board the atmosphere thing that you alluded to, you know, seeing the atmosphere knowing that it's a big game, knowing that it's in a big in a cool setting, that's pretty cool. You know those shots of the mountains surrounding the Rose Bowl. That adds to the to the feeld Man, I oh yeah. If you don't feel it when you see that, you don't have a heart. But that's the top of the top of the top of college football.
To me in terms of visuals. It can exist anywhere. It can exist at an FCS school, it can exist at a mid level power five school, at a good chief whatever. As long as it's not in an NFL stadium. I am pretty pumped up about just seeing where this game is happening and maybe it's just commercial bumpers. Maybe it's on the faces of you know, a notable fan section or something like that, whatever it is. But to have to like to immediately visually associate a game with
a place is extremely important to me. It's the people, it's the scene, it's outside the stadium, it's inside the stadium. And by the way, weather like a snowy game, a rainy game, a sweltering game, a foggy game, that kind of thing. If those things are emphasized, you know, those close up shots of the puddles on the sideline of all that tie. I'll give it all to me.
You're into it, Okay, Well, look, this has been a longer than usual show, but one that has been more fun than usual and certainly more momentous, perhaps than ever before. Hell on out tu verballers dot com for those of you interesting interested, excuse me in supporting our growing venture here with the solid verbal verballers dot com and our Patreon is the easiest way, the quickest way that you can do that.
By the way, the patreon's been fact checking you. They've been fact checking me. Great, well, you said West Virginia was a buffer on TCU schedule they've lost three or four, including a really ugly loss last year to West Virginia. Okay, somebody said most omelet stations. The guy is only working guy or gal two omelets at a time, and you said you were good for five with no.
Experience, I can do five. I stand by that. Okay, find hands for omelets. I stand by I saw this morning, did Ty hilden Brand say that he knew people that would be happy with a three thirty half marathon? That's a sixteen minute mile pace.
Okay, maybe maybe I got my So you can be a part of this community fact checking ties what you're saying.
You can be Look, I've had a lot going on this week, so I beg your forgiveness for Bowlers dot com if you're interested in further supporting the show, if you are interested in getting more of the nitty gritty on The Mysterious Day Job show drops Friday morning, six am again our new Patreon benefit tears our live at noon on today, Thursday the fifteenth.
I only have one more thing, Ty, Yeah, and then we can sign off. Friend of the show, co host of Big Boy Betts Jeff Schwartz texting me you obviously listen to the Q and A episode. The Stanford Tree does have a name, El Palo Alto. El Palo Alto, as in Palo Alto. The tree is said to represent Alto, the redwood tree that is the official symbol of Palo Alto, California, where Stanford is situated. It's redwood, Dan, this has been a fun show. Longtime, fun show, long time. Come excited. I'm so excited.
It's a great things ahead to working more with you, to continuing to build out this little thing we started over a decade ago.
I'm excited. Hope everyone out there is as well.
For that guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubinsteed from myself, Tie Hilton Brand, We'll catch you all on the flip side.
In the meantime, stay solid, peace, full day job show verbalers dot com