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 Ato state? Is that? Woo whoom? And Dan and Tye welcome back to the Solid Verbal, Boys and girls. My name is ty Hildebrand, joining me as always over there in New York City. My man Dan Rubinstein, Sir, how are you?
Ty? I am streamlined in a way that I have been waiting to be. Oh my hair is cut. I went for a good run today. I took like a seventeen minute, not a coffee nap, but a seventeen minute, like just a shut eye, real quick before the show. Because today's a big one, Tye, Today is a big one.
Today is a very big one in the literal sense. We're going to be talking about the Big ten West in addition to the Macwest. I believe that that.
Is one hundred percent correct. But we do have important housecaping to take care of real quick before we get into it.
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Yeah? We are.
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Yeah, weirds fun.
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If not, it's it's gone temporarily. We don't know when it'll come back. There is potential for it to come back, but why risk it? Really?
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With that being said, Daniel, Yo, we've got a big preview ahead of us. I played the drum role. But really, since we're talking about the Big ten West, this is our official anthem of the Big ten West, is it not? You? Yeah?
That Fitzgerald.
Yeahs. Here's what we're doing on the show this year. Ooh, Lewis Smith brother was that macho man Randy Savage? It was somewhere in there. Yeah, yeah, that's all I have. Well, here's what we're doing. In previous years, we've tried to do a top forty countdown. Some other years we've done conference by conference, just a really broad look at what's going on. It's been a slow off season in terms of news, so Dan and I decided out, what the hell,
let's go all in. Let's talk about each conference and each division within each each conference, which we started doing last week talking about the ACC Fatlantic and uh today we're going to go into the Big ten West end.
It's very fun to say, and yes we know conference media days are going on. I think what the ACC began today as we record this SEC has been going on for a couple of days. Big twelve, I believe has been going on for a day or two. I saw our pal Bruce Feldman out there and Tom Herman said, in just responding to somebody who asked how many what was it was like playmakers or game changes he had?
He said, uh, some, So we're just going to do previews. Okay, that's the lesson here is there's there are a lot of football players and coaches in games and situations to talk about and argue about and figure out why we care and why you should care, which is our general theme for our previews this year. It's the care factor. Even if you're a Texas Tech fan, even if you're a Georgia Tech fan, if you're an NC State fan, we are trying to sleuth out. We are your college
football archaeologists. We are going to try and dust off those reasons to care about the Big Ten West, of which I think we have a good amount.
Absolutely so as you look at the Big Ten West as a whole, m hm, is there anything that jumps out to you? Because I'm speaking just broad not about a particular team, but how that side of the conference is shaken out because I know, for me, there was a pretty glaring point that came across in some of my research.
So at the top and this feels like a very big ten West or big ten in general word, but it feels very sturdy.
Yeah, that's just I think that's right.
So Paul Christ, Pat Fitzgerald, Kirk Farrence. In terms of where this division has been the last few years, there is a sturdiness to where those teams have been some changes, some for the better, some for the not so much better.
But with Purdue becoming a at least an interesting team, with Nebraska looking like the final destination a good way for Scott Frost and PJ Fleck getting a big shot at Minnesota, it appears that short of Lovey Smith at Illinois that there could be potential for long term sturdiness. Which is the name of a failed adult film that I produced sophomore year of college. I'm not proud of it.
Ty Well, listen, you want to go you talk about that point and let me expand upon it a little bit. Illinois feels like the only team in the West that we could bet money on having a losing record at this.
Point, yeah, I would say, so, you.
Know, I wouldn't want to go in on that bet for Minnesota. We'll talk about Minnesota or Nebraska or Purdue, like I can't say for sure that any of those teams are going to have a losing record. The only team on the Big Ten West side that you look at and you say yeah aah, probably Illinois. But otherwise I agree, looking sturdy, long term sturdiness.
M H. I think sound get up on IMDb.
Long term sturdiness. Let's start at the top. Wisconsin, I think is your odds on favorite to win that side of the conference. It's a similar team, I think to what we saw last year, with a couple differences, a couple bullet points that we want to spike out here. I think the offense should be better, and I think that will make it more interesting of a team to follow, if only because the schedule will be more interesting as well.
I think that's right. I think, you know, when you look at some of the weaker divisions in college football, there are years where you look at, you know, like last year with Wisconsin, with Minnesota, I think from a couple of years ago when the schedule is just absurd. Scott's got a tricky schedule this year. I think the big reason to care about Wisconsin is what you already said. It's a pretty similar team to a team that went undefeated last year during the regular season. That's a good
reason to watch. And it's going to be a more difficult road this year. And they have what I think we consider to be a top five running back in the country. Sure Taylor tailback, Oh my god.
Yeah.
And if that's not enough, their coach openly mocked the turnover chain in the bulgame. Is that something? Yeah, it was something like turnover chain, my ass, Like the better lip readers were able to come up with that. We'll see if that I mean, we can keep deep diving and look. But defensively, they're in pretty good shape. They seem to return all of their linebackers every year. Like if you told me TJ. Edwards was on this team in twenty twelve, I would nod skeptically. But they should
be very good at linebacker. There's some new pieces both in the defensive front on the line and in the secondary, especially at corner. But the amount of experience and the lack of turnover on both sides of the ball. They should be super good on defense. Offense should once again be very good. I am still trying, more than like a year and a half into the Alex Hornybrook experience to figure out if he is capital a actually good.
Yeah, well he needs to improve on his fifteen interceptions from a year ago. Yes, and he is playing behind a line that returns all five of its starters from the twenty seventeen version. Like, think how crazy that is for Wisconsin. You know, to your point of the linebacking retention, if you were to tell me that these five offensive linemen were also on that twenty twelve team, I would also nod skeptically, because it feels like this is very
much the case. Wisconsin just does running, they do defense, and they do offensive line really really well. Again, that is the case. They might have the best offensive line in the country, if nothing else, the most experienced offensive line in the country, and honestly, absent everything else, a really good line in college football will get you places. So we know, just as a baseline that this is
going to be a really good Wisconsin football team. They've got Jonathan Taylor tail back, They've got the five offensive lineman that in and of itself will make them very good. Alex Hornybrook will wait and see. He needs to be more careful with the football. He does lose who's Troy Fumagali, But he has some other familiar faces back. He really doesn't need to do that much, right. It just it really would help if he didn't turn it over fifteen times.
All right. The road schedule is tricky. The road schedule is tricky. I do want to make one other point here on the defense, and you mentioned that there's not a lot of turnover, and that's true to some degree. They do only have four starters back from a year ago. I think the guts of that team is back in the linebacking corps. We said almost the same thing a year ago. With Jim Leonard stepping in a first time defensive coordinator, what's it going to be like for him?
He did an incredible job. It's so easy to gloss over how good of a job he did because they just sort of always have a good defense and it's been there since Dave Randa and blah blah blah. But last year, his first year as defensive coordinator, his scoring defense was third in the Nation behind Alabama and Clemson. I don't know exactly what happens this year, but I can take a pretty damn good guess that it's going
to be good again. So all of these indicators are very, very positive in favor of Wisconsin retaining its status as the top dog in the West.
He also has a nose tackle who can do a standing backflip on sand.
That's true.
Yeah, advantageous. If Alex Hornibrook has another year in which he shows a lot of promise but screws up a bunch in the first half, if he doesn't take a step forward with all that returns around him on offense, it almost feels as if he will be one of those assembly speakers at a junior high who gets in front of kids and says, I had everything going for me. If it could happen to me, it could happen to you. I had the perfect life, and that his parents at
one point are like, we gave you everything. How did you end.
Up very angry here? Dan?
I know. So Alex Hornibrook has it all, has it all mapped out in a very advantageous way. And once again, the schedule, when we say it's a little trickier. They go to Iowa Iowa City. Late September, they go to Michigan when Michigan would have some momentum and some idea of what they'll look like with shape Patterson under center. And that's a week after they host Nebraska. They go to Northwestern, which is, as we mentioned, a little bit tricky.
Litill trappy, little trappy.
Yeah, and then they luckily the post Rutgers just smooth glide and they go to Penn State. They go to Happy Valley. I don't know if that's a white out game. I don't have Penn State schedule in front of me, but that should have pretty large Big Ten implications. So the common refrain from years passed about Wisconsin isn't anywhere near true this season.
Don't forget about Purdue Perdy. Yeah, sure, Purdue's gonna have some trouble stopping that rushing attack. We'll talk about that, I think so in just a little bit. But yeah, things shaping up pretty well for Wisconsin. I think probably one or two losses on this schedule, just because of some of the road tilts that they've got that wouldn't be out of the question for me, but still a really pod I would campaign.
Yeah, I would. They look like ten and a half wins. I will go with the over because of the experience. In continuity, I think they go eleven and one.
Let's move on. Who is your next best team in the Big Ten West.
That's a good question, yeah, because it would be fairly straightforward and boring to say Northwestern. They go nine and three during the regular season last year. I'm not super big on Clayton Thorson. I think he's fun. I think they've been led by their defense, and I think the
front looks good again this year. You should be able to pass on Northwestern some I actually I think I'm Michael Iowa here, Okay, I think I like the ceiling of Nate Stanley more than I like the ceiling of anybody else in this conference right now.
Interesting about that tie that, that's interesting. Here's what's interesting about Iowa. So iowall went seven and five a year ago, Like this feels like a different set of ingredients for IOWA football in twenty eighteen, you know, like, you know, the saying about this isn't your father's whatever. Brian Farrens can literally say it's not his father's Iowa because the ingredients. The ingredients are different this year. They still have the easy schedule.
They still disagree with you on that.
Well, hold on, let me explain this out here. Okay, they still have the easier schedule that made them more of a featured bid on the podcast two years ago. Sure, but the other elements are somewhat different. Right. What can you typically count on with Iowa football if you're just looking at the team as a whole lot of ball control? Yeah, good defense, especially up the middle Linebackers, pass rushers have been good in years past. Just those two points. I'm
not sure they have either this year. I'm not sure they have the solid ball control running game, and I'm not sure about the reliable defense. The backfield's entirely new because a Way and James Butler are gone.
But he did nothing last year essentially in terms of efficiency, they were not where Iowa has been these past fairpoint.
Fairpoint, but they're almost entirely new in the backfield. And there's even more of a question now because the offensive line replaces all three guys in the middle, both guards in the center.
James Daniels is very good.
Yes, at this point, it's not something I feel terribly confident in that ground control game. And then defensively, Look, they're good at defensive end. They're gonna get after the quarterback, but linebacker really inexperienced. The defensive backfield very ah to me, I care. One the reason I care about Iowa football is because those two ingredients aren't there. And in addition to the fact that they've got another great schedule to make a run. If they do it, it's gonna be
on the arm in Nate Stanley. It's gonna be because he bawled out, because he threw eleven plus more touchdowns to Noah Fan at tight end, and because.
Wait, wait, wait, don't just skip over Fan though well, he was really tight. He broke the school record. This is a full on dude.
You want to go doud to alert.
No, of course I do.
That's fair to me. I'm just saying that if Iowa gets it done this year, it's not because of the ground game. It's not necessarily because of the defense. It's because Nate Stanley took another step forward. He connected with Noah Fan for a bunch more touchdowns. He connected with some good receivers who are retained from America. I think it will be more through the air than it will be on the ground, and maybe because of Iowa scoring more points than we're accustomed to.
That's totally reasonable. I think no offense gives them, as we saw last year at his best, gives them a weapon up the middle that should open things up somewhat for other receivers. I don't imagine those stylistically, Nate Sanley's turned the ball forty times. I just don't see them opening up the offense in that kind of way. But in the context of what Iowa has in front of them, here are their road games.
Let's do that.
Go Don Don Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State, challenging uh Perdue, Illinois. Okay, that's pretty good.
Are there any others?
That's all of their road games, Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State, Perdue, Illinois. They don't go on the road in the non conference. They have Northern Illinois, Iowa State Northern Iowa, so they don't even leave the state, let alone their own stadium and just cross division. Wise, they missed three of the four Big Big Ten East teams in Ohio State or Michigan schools. So if you're buying Iowa as better than they actually are this would be a person that agrees with you. May Did you.
Know that the last time Iowa went to Illinois two years ago, hm, Iowa forced Illinois to punt on their first ten possessions and show them out twenty eight to nol.
Just throwing that out there, it's pretty good. Yeah, pretty good way to play football.
Throwing that out there. Yeah, the schedule sets up nicely for Iowa. I'm just not as confident in the normal ingredients as I have been in the past.
So are you higher on any other Big ten West quarterback other than perhaps Harnybrook, but underneath Harnybrook than Nate Stanley.
I don't think so.
No.
The only other real contender for me would be Clayton Thorson, but he's coming off the injury. I'm not crazy about Thorston. I'm probably higher on him than I think you are. But I'm really keen on Nate Stanley.
I'm telling you he is in terms of recent Iowa quarterbacks, I think he his ceiling is clearly above the last two or three dudes.
At least for sure. I don't even think that's a question.
But that's a big deal.
It is a big deal. It's a very big deal. Yeah, all right, so that's why you care.
That's why you care.
That's why I have.
Yeah, new good quarterback play in a major conference for Iowa on a schedule that's not that impressive.
I'm not sure Iowa is my next team up after Wisconsin. I think I still go with Northwestern. Did you know that Northwestern actually has the nation's longest winning streak at eight games.
That makes sense. Yeah, Alabama lost to Auburn and the Iron Bowl. Georgia not not so hot against Auburn later on in the season.
Fear the Cats, baby, Fear the Cats.
Northwestern They're they're the team for numbers.
We mentioned it at the top. They do feel ultra trappy, yes, ultra trappy this year because of a good front seven, because of a veteran quarterback in Clayton Thorson coming off injury, but on the whole, really experienced team, not just in the front seven, seven returning starters on both sides of the football, and really there's nothing about them that grabs your attention, like this is another Northwestern team that somehow is supremely unsexy and could manage another nine or ten win season.
I don't see it. I just ever, I don't think they can win double ditchit games this year. I really do.
I don't know if I really do, but I'm just it feels like that kind of year again to me.
So the schedule's pretty good. That's the good thing. The Ohio State, no Penn State, and as we mentioned the trappiness, Michigan has Nebraska the week before, Michigan State is at Penn State the week after Northwestern, so sort of a separated letdown look ahead situation with their schedule.
That's right.
Schedule's not bad. They're gonna miss Justin Jackson. He was such a big deal to that offense for so long. I know Jeremy Larkin, I think is the guy that's expected to step in. But defensively, I'm worried that you're gonna be able to throw on this Northwestern team a
little bit too much. I like them up front, they return a good amount upfront, but it's a new secondary and I'm high on Nate Stanley, I'm high on Alex Hornybrook, I'm bless high on Minnesota the Vitramantes, but I am the I'm not crazy about how everything looks for them. So this is like there's like the old like they either go seven and five or ten and three or something like that. I'm skewing more seven and five with this Northwestern team.
That's fair. I did on the topic of Clayton Thorst, so we do need to bring him up. I read in one of the magazines, and I don't know if it was Athlon or Lindy's or it's honestly escaping me, but they had a passage about a fellow Big Ten coach that legitimately felt Clayton Thorson had all the tools to be a pro prospect if he could stay healthy. Yeah, if he could stay healthy, I think is the operative phrase.
He does need to stay healthy. It's not a side of the conference that is flush with like really high level quarterback play, and that extends all the way up to Wisconsin. Nate Stanley, you could probably make a case is the best quarterback pure quarterback, just in terms of skills going into this season. Thorson is probably up there, but I need to see more from him before I'm ready to give him that mantle. A little higher on him than you, but not by much.
Had a super good game against Michigan State last year, I think that was a triple overtime win, was pretty disappointing against Iowa and just abysmal against Penn State, abysmal against Wisconsin. So if they're challenging the better teams in their in their division, it's got to be through claim
Thorston and the recent history is not my favorite. And next year they will probably have a really good quarterback, yeah, in Hunter Johnson Johnsons for so, I think that that's something to look forward to if you're a Northwestern fan through a what should be another like they're just a solid seventh inning reliever. They're Arthur Rhodes tie, that's.
Arthur Roads to Wow.
Yeah, okay, that's all they are. And I and listen, I'm underestimating them, I'm sure, But when you have to say they feel trappy, that's not a lot, at least on my end, not a lot of confidence.
They could be an underdog in five games this year. I'm looking at Michigan, Wisconsin, the Notre Dame game, which I'll elaborate on here in a second, they go to Iowa and Michigan State. I could see them being dogs in all of those contests. For me, selfishly, as we frame everything around. Why we care mm hmm, I care because they play Notre Dame the week after Notre Dame travels home from a weird game against Navy in San Diego.
Ooh, body blow.
Yeah, there's a lot of bodyblow potential there, if it's not bad enough that they're playing Navy, which always seems to bode very well.
Second straight road game, second straight road game for Notre Dame.
That's right. It always bodes very well for the team that Notre Dame plays after Navy because they're a little bit beat up. But they're also traveling back and then to Evanston, which isn't a long commute, mind you, but still it's away from home. That game is of utmost concern to me of all the spots here on the Northwestern schedule where there could be a trap that Notre
Dame game. To me, uh selfishly jumps out. I care about Northwestern because I think that's a legit spot where Notre Dame could go on the road and lose.
Two games away from home in a row, one of which is after an option team, a talented option team. The good news for Notre Dame fans like yourself and the elder gentleman. I saw wearing giant cargo shorts and these chunky new balances out when I was running today. He was faster than me, by the way. Yeah, the good news for Notre Dame fans you and him alike. Northwestern has Wisconsin the week before, So there is body blow cancelation.
Noble body blow INTERESTINGBB.
Yeah, so there's that.
Moving on, Who is our next team up here on the totem pole in the Big ten West? I okay, could be Minnesota, could be Nebraska.
If you've gone far too long feeling.
Dangerous, you could go Purdue. How you going here, Ty.
We've waited far too long. Whether we believe they're going to and ten, ten and two somewhere in between, doesn't matter, even if it's out of order. I don't know how we've gone this long talking about the division without talking about coming.
Home, coming home. Tell the world that I'm coming home. Yeah, it's time Scott Frost coming back home, coming back home to link in Nebraska. Nebraska went four and eight last year. They made a coaching change. They brought back native son Scott Frost, and first and foremost, I care because we are going to see an infinite number of pictures of Scott Frost wearing that Nebraska letterman jacket. Absolutely, we will
the Scott Frost welcome home slash homecoming angle. I think has to be very high up on our draft board for fantasy things. Chicago almost unfair, almost unfair. Has to be a top five pick, easily top five pick.
Yeah, that's that's a no brainer. That is you know, I'm trying to think of the most no brainer recent NFL draft pick to go, like number one, two.
Three, Saquon Barkley in the top five. Let's use his.
Saquon Barkley Andrew Luck, any of these guys. Yes, Scott Frost comes home. His career has been as ideal as you would want, just in terms of who he's coached under, where he's recruited, and now his understanding whether or not that's important or not, of his current place and Nebraska's current standing within the Big Ten in college football hierarchy. It's going to take a little bit, but his tutelage of that word has been pretty great.
It's been working out pretty well for him. Let's talk about Nebraska in a little bit more detail. I'm interested because there are a number of dynamics at play. So we've got the obvious hype over the return of Native son Scott Frost. He's returned from the Tropics surprisingly without a ten, but he's got the hopes of the fan base on his shoulders. Blah blah blah, you know the drill. Yes, we've got the open question of a relatively experienced team playing in an entirely new system.
Is that a good thing?
I don't know. That's why I said it's an open question. I have no idea, but it's interesting.
Right.
Yes, Then we've got the ultimate counterbalance, which I think is the Big Ten's toughest road schedule. It is just brutal.
It's really bad. It's really Get a.
Load of this, trim, Get a load of this to Michigan, two, Wisconsin, at Northwestern, at Ohio State, and at Iowa. Yeah, if Scott Frost, if he wins two of those, he's exceeding expectations. If he wins three, just make the bust. Now, he's a god among insects. If he wins three of those five.
So in I mean you were specifically mentioning the road schedules. You nailed all of those. They're non conference schedule is Colorado, who's not great, but they've been developing talent pretty consistently under Mike McIntyre and did make the championship game in the Pac twelve a couple of years ago. And they have a team that beat LSU last year. They have Troy, they have Neil Brown and the Trojans. I mean, granted it's in Lincoln, but Troy is not a no brainer
for Nebraska. This is a Nebraska team. You talk about the experience coming off of a loss to NIU. Good NIU team, but NIU and i This feels strongly like a six and six, seven and five team that shows some flashes against the defenses that they can show flashes against later on in the season. Maybe they're pretty good against Iowa on the road. They should run over all over Illinois. Minnesota they can have some fun with, but Minnesota's got a pretty solid defense. I am not super bullish.
That's the word I'm looking for, I think on Nebraska this season, just in terms of the new faces, the talent level from where it is right now to where it eventually will be under Scott Frost. Whether it's Adrian Martinez, the true freshman who at one point was I think cal Tennessee commitments. Gebbia is the other Jebia Gebie, I don't know. I will eventually know, I promise you I should know because he went to my high school. Uh oh, Calabasas High Zone. So I think there are things to
be encouraged about. Trey Bryant is a name that a lot of people still have some optimism about, by myself included, seems to be pretty talented. But in terms of threatening for a division, they're at least a year away.
Oh, they're definitely a year away. But you mentioned the quarterback race. We've got a red shirt freshman in Gebia Jebia whatever, and Adrian Martinez, a true freshman who was flipped came over to Nebraska, one of the big catches for Scott Frost in his first semi recruiting season. Whoever it is is actually gonna have a pretty good duo out wide in Stanley Morgan and j. D. Spielman, two playmakers out that they can throw to, and I'm interested
to see how Scott Frost will utilize them. I tend to agree with you that this is certainly not a team ready to contend for a division I think the real game here will be contending for a Bowl.
That seems like the reasonable expectation that the reason of care is Scott Frost homecoming. Whether or not some guy stands up in the middle of a press conference and yells at him that he owes him thirty eight dollars and has for the last twenty seven years. Yeah, it's to see what it's just what they look like.
It is just a visual care factor for me. Let's go to Purdue, Dan perd. So they went six and six a year ago, which was a big deal. They finished strong. The question this year is really blame really going to be defense, right, because you'll remember what Brom did a year ago. He came in and it was like an instant turnaround story on the defensive side of the ball. They were almost like two touchdowns better in terms of points allowed per game than twenty sixteen instant
turnaround story Jeff Brom pulling all the right switches. This year, though, that defense is gone. They are gone. If Purdue's gonna make the Bowl in twenty eighteen, it's going to be shootout city. It's going to be like three thousand yards on the arm of our boy Elijah Sindolar aka the college football Cindelard.
I am. I'm pretty high on Purdue overall if they're able to keep Jeff Bram. He had a pretty significant offensive jump in year two with the Hilltoppers of Western.
So if hold on, if they're able to keep Jeff Bram, are you implying that he will leave before the start of the season.
I'm saying long term, long term high on Purdue all right, short term being this season. That would be something, though. I think Elijah Sindelar is all right, especially with how he finished out his season last year. I like the line in front of him. I like the skill. I don't think it's high level in terms of the Big Ten, but it's decent enough. I am worried about that defense.
You're right will be shootout city. Elijah sin Delar will most likely be that mayor, but with the understanding of having that full year into a I think a relatively complicated system. The big thing on Jeff Brohm. I think our pole Chris Brown has talked about it is marrying the college spread to more professional passing concepts. I think it takes time, it takes reps, and their schedule is such that I think they open with Northwestern, so we'll get a decent look right away. They go to Nebraska,
to Illinois, to Michigan State. They also get Ohio State at home they have obviously, Yeah, they Wisconsin home, Michigan State, Ohio State. They go on the road to Indiana, so their schedule is fine. But I think it's going to be a different looking Purdue team this year. I just they were so good up front last year that it's going to take a little bit of time to get to that place where they are just a little more complete. All right, So they go to a bowl game once again.
Yeah, I think that's the open question.
And they have Miszoo with a really good quarterback.
They do have Miszoo. I think I think it will be uh six and six, seven to five kind a year.
So they are making a bowl game. The quest for six yeah, continues on. I think it's I think it's an open question. I don't feel confident that it's going to happen, but I think with Jeff Brohm leading the charge, they'll be able to bolt together enough of an offense to get enough shootouts outscore enough of their opponents here in the Big Ten to get to like six wins. I think they take a slight step back and sling shot next year. I think it's like a five and seven. Okay,
And they've recruited well enough. I like their coaching staff that if he sticks around, if Brahm and his staff are there in twenty nineteen, they could sling shot to like an eight and four situation.
Speaking of five and seven, let's go to Minnesota. Let's let's let's let's the Golden Gophers. They went five and seven a year ago. And again, the framework for our preview here is care factor. Yes, the care factor for me is very high. Really, it comes very high when it comes to Mannesota. Yeah, I don't know what to expect. Those are the teams that I care the most about, the ones where I look at them up and down.
I probably spend an hour and a half going over Minnesota football in twenty eighteen, and I still really have no idea what I'm supposed to expect.
Okay, they've recruited really well, Yes, along the line, along the line, Yes, they've recruited really well on the line. Even there's a receiver coming in that I remember liking a lot watching his tape during during the signing day, spectacular week or whatever Minnesota has. If they work in the younger players that PJ. Fleck and his staff have recruited, I think they show some flashes. I think it was
Rashad Bateman. I think that's who that receiver is. Anyway, they have a giant, remember the Daniel fa La whatever his name is. Img Andy Stables profile him. At one point he was like six eight, four hundred.
Yeah.
I think he's down a few dozen pounds. But they've recruited well along the along the offensive line. I don't think the skal talent is really there in terms of experience and ceiling. Defensively, they should be solid. I'm I'm careful to be too optimistic with Minnesota because quarterback is not there.
Here are your options that quarterback, Dan, give me, give me a confidence level in this position group. Okay, I'm ready. You've got options. You've got a red shirt freshman by the name of Canner Morgan.
Sounds like a quarterback.
Yes, You've got another red shirt freshman named Zach Annistad. Okay, yep, sounds like an Eastern European country. Okay, we've got vic Via Montes Monte.
Vic Vera, Monte's former cal quarterback never got in there and then went to a junior college and now has transferred to Minnesota. Physical tools like, he's solid. He's built really solidly. So if that is important to you, boy, are you excited?
Built solidly? Those are your three options? How do you feel one to ten level of confidence? Not.
I don't feel great about quarterback. That doesn't mean they can't win. This is not a program that has gotten by on excellent quarterback play recently.
So yeah, of course, so I don't feel great about quarterback. But elsewhere, if Rodney Smith stays healthy at running back, could be super solid. Okay, the top three wide outs from a year ago are back.
Tyler Johnson's pretty good.
We mentioned the offensive line more experienced and PJ. Fleck really did focus on it in the recruiting game, so it should be I think improved. The interior defensive line is a bit of a struggle bus, as we say here on the program. Sure, but their lineback and corps should be solid. They bring Thomas Barber back, who was their leading tackler. I think their defensive backfield should be solid on the whole. Again, much in the same vein
as Northwestern zero sexiness on this team, but PJ. Fleck will have them playing with emotion.
I'm sorry, did you not hear me describe Vic Veramontes as solid, solidly built.
Thank you, Dan, Yeah, no problem. The schedule I think is workable. Yep, it's workable. You could, if you squint really hard, find a path to nine wins for Minnesota.
Oh my god, you could do it.
You could do it.
One of the four Power for East teams. They go to Ohio States their early season scheduled New Mexico State, remember bowl team Presno State, super good defense last year, though they lose their coordinator. Yeah, then you're right. They're on the road Maryland, FISO State, Nebraska, Illinois. It seems like everybody's going Illinois.
Yeah.
And then they finished the season up, of course, going to Wisconsin. This is a pretty good year in the West to be solid in a number of places, to squeak out something ugly against Northwestern, to squeak out something ugly against Iowa or Nebraska. They feel like a bowl team, but still just barely. To me, I think they're a six and sixteen because the quarterback question is just too vast right now.
Give me seven to five or in four.
All right. I just just know here's the thing with me in the Big ten West in general. And it's not Minnesota's fault necessarily because you know, hopefully Rashad Bateman turns into a star. There isn't in the way that even the MAC recently has had like just select star power even at skill positions. There's no receiver, there's no running back besides Jonathan Taylor tailback. That that really screams
to me. And so when you have that lack of game, and I think Nate Stanley once again is going to be very good, but just in terms of all purpose weapons, then suddenly a team that is such sort of solid a number of places has some shots. Yeah, that's all I have. So my care factor is what will the young players look like getting in? But I'm going to level with you, ty, yeah, I don't see myself running out to watch a lot of Minnesota football this year.
But they could start out four or five and oh then that changes.
You introduced me to a verb a couple of weeks ago, and we were talking about cooking I believe sweet potatoes in the oven, and he said, you know, you take them out of the oven, and you want to give them, you want to give them a fleck of salt.
Yeah, I think fleck is Yeah. I mean I turned the noun fleck into a verb. But yeah, I think we'll flex some teams eventually.
I think fleck could be a verb this year. Dan, That's what I'm I'm saying, You've invented a word, and I'm going to use it, maybe against your will.
They had like a I wish they had a Corey Davis. I wish they could fleck somebody with Corey Davis, but they don't.
Seven or eight wins for me for Minnesota, oh Man, and then finally uh Illinois. Yeah and ten a year ago.
Mm hmmm, we.
Are now playing I believe with all of Lovely Smith's players like this, these are his pretty much. These are his dude Love's dudes out there. They've got a new offensive coordinator and Rod Smith. It comes over from Arizona that he did. The best thing I can say is that I think they will be better on the whole, which isn't hard because it went to and ten a year ago. But m hm, better on the whole. Maybe, if I'm feeling dangerous four and eight on the year.
And finally those be an archaeologist, find me those and those ones.
Hold on and at least in terms of the show excitement care factor in that the Drive for six will be alive at least for some portion of the season.
Wow, okay, so excavate the ruins of six opponents.
This is I will get the better of. This is the scene in space Balls where they comb the desert and the man comes back saying, we ain't found shit. That's what this is in twenty eighteen for the ALIONI.
So love he's recruited in. I think they have a couple of big players coming in this year because at a certain point, if you really want to play right away, you go to Illinois, you really want some Papadell's pizza, you go to Illinois. They have Western Illinois early, Kent State early, and they go two Rutgers to Maryland, which I have to assume Maryland is going to be healthier and better this year. And aside from that, I don't see much. USF is going to be pretty good near
two of Charlie Strong, that defense should be nice. I gosh, to Wisconsin, to Nebraska, to Northwestern. I'm not. I think the quest to six is DA to me.
Yeah, oh it's DA. I'm just saying, okay, it's at least alive for some portion of the first six or seven weeks of the year.
This is more like the quest for Jason Kandall. I don't know which the anyway, You know what I really did, like two thousand and seven and watching Juice Williams and Martez Wilson, all those guys. Arelli has been and I hope for Illinois fans whose basketball has also been disappointing since, like Dee Brown and whatever the James Augustine at Luther Head remember.
That, Tom Yeah, yeah, sure.
They are golf and tennis school right now, and hope it changes at some point.
A golf kennis school ever.
Accoirement one of the Wimbledon the guy that beat Federer in at Wimbledon, Kevin Anderson ELI and I boom, huge moment. There you go, embrace Kevin Anderson.
So there you go. That's your big ten West. Are we in universal agreement here that Wisconsin's winning the West.
Wisconsin's winning the West? We disagreed with second place. I think it's Iowa. You seem to allude to Northwestern love. After that, I'll go, oh god, it it's real, real, real fast sturdy.
Though, Dan, it's it's long term sturdy.
So are you higher on Purdue or Minnesota.
I'm hiring Minnesota.
Okay, we disagree. I'm gonna go Purdue barely there and then I guess Nebraska, then Minnesota, then Illinois.
All right, let's very quickly shift our focus to another Western oriented division. Yes, same general region of the country again using our Netflix comparison. If you like the Big ten West, perhaps you might also be interested in the Macwest, Daniel.
Maybe huh So At first glance, the Macwest is like, well, Toledo should be really good. They're more talented than everybody, even without Logan Woodside, who threw for a bajillion yards and a bajillion touchdowns. It does feel a little like Toledo and everybody else, with an asterisk that everybody else includes Northern Illinois Defense and then others.
Yeah, but tie.
The year was nineteen ninety nine. It was a very different world geopolitically, culturally, especially on the big screen time technologically. Sure, the movie was She's All that Freddy Prince Junior yep, the adorable and charming Rachel Lee Cook.
An unforgettable performance.
By the way, the cast of this movie is maybe the most nineties cast of any movie. Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Jody len O'Keeffe Don't slip On, Jody len O'Keeffe, Anna Paquin, Kieran Culkin, Usher Lil Kim, and Gabrielle Union. Wow, this is a heavyweight cast. And I bring up the movie She's All That because it is ridiculous, because from the moment it begins, Rachel Lee Cook is charming and adorable and good looking, and they merely take off her glasses
and she goes from trash to treasure. So I went looked at these teams in the Macwest, and as it turns.
Out, Tie, I know where you're going.
We have a theme, Yeah, from trash to treasure, and we just have to figure out who's taken those glasses off. Okay, So twenty thirteen, Western Michigan, eleven, twenty sixteen, twelve and zero, twenty fifteen, Eastern Michigan one and eleven, twenty sixteen, seven and five, two thousand and seven, Northern Illinois. I want to say it's a retired coach's final season two and ten, twenty twelve, the Orange Bowl eleven and one, two thousand
and nine, Toledo five and seven. Six years later, new coach, new coach is Matt Campbell and Jason Kandall. Toledo goes to nine and two in twenty fifteen. Finally, Ball State two and ten. We had somebody on the subreddit say, can't wait to hear what they have to say about ball State same two thousand and nine, Ball State two and ten, twenty thirteen, ball State ten and two. This is the She's all That division of college football, and
you can't convince me otherwise. The only question is who is all that?
Was there a back to the future kind of time jumping component in She's All That? Because I caught a little bit of that there in your there. I don't even know you were jumping around from two thousand and nine to two thousan.
All of these teams because Central Michigan is dead to me for what they did to me in two thousand and eight, and Northern Illinois is I mean, I mentioned that, but they've been consistently pretty good under Rod Kerry. All of these teams have had low and high points.
Yeah, I got pretty.
Quickly, so just gotta take those glasses off again. Toledo is the favorite. Yeah, but I am going to say I don't feel good about she's all adding ball state this year. But they'll be healthier and that's better. It's a shame that broken Roeback is gone for Eastern Eastern Michigan stay and they're still a good comeback story they've been. You know, they were really awful. They won one or
two games for like five straight years. If there is a team to knock off Toledo, I think it is Sutton Smith, who is one thousand percent of dude and very please play it, very angry. Ah.
I would also add that Western Michigan is still rowing the boat.
They're still rowing the boat.
They're still very feisty, They're okay at quarterback, they're recruiting somewhat decently well. Yeah, Western Michigan is in an okay place right now.
So medium term, I won't say short term twenty eighteen, but somebody's gonna Freddy Prince the hell out of the Mac from this division and I can't wait to see who. All Right, good movie, not bad, yeah.
Not bad? So there you go, Dan, Yeah, Western themed evening here on the podcast, starting in the Big ten West, closing out with the Macwest, and moving forward now into a new era of the summertime, a new era of the preseason for us here on the podcast. Starting this coming Sunday, we will be releasing two shows week.
Oh my god, Tie, it feels so real.
We've actually planned all this out for the first time ever, the first time in ten years of doing the show that we've charted a path forward and we've got a new point now where we believe if we do two shows week between now and the start of the year, we will not only have enough preview content to do it, but we'll also be able to fit in some other fun stuff along the way, like our Fantasy Things live show, which we'll be dropping on the podcast audio feed at
some point following our live show again out in Chicago August the eleventh. Soliverbletickets, dot Com tickets still available. We're also planning a really fun show with our friend Bill Barnwell. It's turned into like a summertime a summertime staple where we talk about something fun. Two years ago was Emo. Last year it was video.
Games, sports, video games. Yeah.
Yeah, This year, what did we decide on nineties something.
It's yeah, it's sort of a chilly at stew of nineties stuff that we've discussed. Possibly it will have to do with the online and pop culture world of the nineties and who we were as like fifteen thirteen to fifteen year olds, and probably not a super flattering way for any of them.
No, no, definitely not. Well, we're gonna have that show in there woven in somewhere as well. There'll be Q and a's and a bunch of other fun stuff as we plod forward now through July, throughout August, previewing conferences, previewing divisions, talking about other fun stuff here and there, But before you know, it will be the season end of August. So yeah, a little sixpence none the richer.
I feel this in my heart right now. Okay, Ti, it's been an absolute presate pleasure talking about not just the Big ten West, but the Macwest and Freddie Prince Jr. Yes, I appreciate your time. Oh there she is.
It's a very weird wed to close the show.
It's been like twenty years since that movie.
Oh God, we are ancient.
Thank you for listening. Solidverbal Tickets dot Com I hope to see you in Chetago for.
That guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubinstein, for myself, Tie Hildebrand. Catch you all in just a few short days. In the meantime, stay saw peace,