Welcome to the Solid Verbo. I'm 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 Dake Edo steak? Is that woo whoom?
And Dan and Tie Welcome back to the Solid Verba, Boys and girls. My name is Ty Hildebrand here in the bunker, whoa by the one and only Dan Rubins seen over there in New York City. So how are you?
I'm good. I don't know what that voice was.
It just I felt like possessed by a demon or a spirit or something. How are you I am?
I'm good. I'm tired, but I have energy. I've eaten poorly today. I've hung out with the Little Man a lot because of an adjusted schedule since both I and Jody with and I are working from home. Naturally, I guess now as most people hopefully are. I know it's a weird time for pretty much everybody. But as I stand here in the clofice, I am avoiding a plate of oranges I handed her earlier in the day. The oranges are gone, but the plate remains on the floor
of the cloth fists. So we're all adjusting here we are all hopefully taking measures to be safe and healthy and thoughtful. And I assume that many people listening are also And this is a tee up for you, TI Isolated.
Isolated, Well, thank you for that, Dan. Today's show is titled Isolation Play. What we are doing is we are going back through the twenty nineteen college football season. We are examining some black Swan events.
I was going to call the show Taiam Legend, and you can make that final decision when you're in the Art nineteen metadata lounge, but Taiam Legend is.
Pretty good black Swan events, man. Yeah, and we're going to examine did they occur in isolation?
I e.
Probably won't happen again, or did they not occur in isolation is something we might see moving forward. So we got a bunch of responses from the overballer hood out there on Twitter and Reddit, which are going to go through. Also made up a few of our own, which I think are pretty good. I have one that I'm very excited to talk about with you. I think generally one that is, Yeah.
I'm generally the one who starts our Google doc and I will come up with topics and whether if it's a Q and a I will cut and paste all their copy paste all of the questions that we've gotten from Twitter or Reddit or Instagram or whatever, and then you jump in and make adjustments and reorder things and ads tract whatever you come in and you Rod Beckett, Ty, I do really close it out. I do, yeah, and sorry.
I was also listening to a CDC recently and Hell's Bells came on and I started thinking about nineties closers. Really a lot of goatee's there.
As one of guys.
Yeah, yeah, you really took. You spearheaded the effort for these isolated incidents of twenty nine And as you mentioned, we're going to figure out if this twenty nineteen occurrence, whether it was a single game, a single player, a team season, is an isolated experience or if it's something that we should expect more of moving forward. And for that, I say, thanks, Ty, you're a hell of a guy.
Well, thank you, Daniel. I appreciate that.
That's much.
Yeah, Okay, as you said at the top, we have been doing this thing on Instagram. If you are an Instagram user, if you want to be an Instagram user, you can follow us at solid verbal. We've been doing daily dispatches from our respective residences. Everyone again in the same boat here, trying to establish a new normal Starve, we presume for college football or just weird content, sure, and so here we are to try and fill that
void a little bit more. Been doing about ten to fifteen minutes a day on the IG Live around five pm every day. Again, we're at Soliverbal, Instagram dot com, Solidbal. If you want to partake in the festivities, we'll be there. We're going to be here for probably quite some time, so we would encourage you all. If you like the show, come on buy partake in the madness with us. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well, and so many of our responses today are black Swan events are
taiam legend. Responses came via the subreddit at sOliver with our reddit dot com or good friend Peter does a marvelous job over there keeping the conversation going long after the final bell, Dan, did I miss anything? Or shall we dance? No?
I think this makes me a what a loyal, entrusted German shepherd? Yes, if it's I, I am legend. Also, I totally forgot Troy Percival existed Troy Percival. Yes, that's all I have A'm looking at a list of career leaders and save and he has more than you think.
Let's start here this one from Josiah on Twitter. Yeah, in isolation? Did it not occur? In isolation? Alabama missing the playoffs? Daniel, Let's say you.
No, I don't know how deeply you want to get into this unless you see a very clear and present danger to Alabama's playoff hopes moving forward. They bring in the number one quarterback of this class in Bryce Young. Presumably mac Jones has at least a hold on the job for the time being at quarterback, but the talent level is still extremely high. They managed to keep Sark, who called an all time, all time offense in terms
of scoring efficiency for the Tide in twenty nineteen. I am not terribly worried about Alabama as a playoff contender, even if they fell short this year, especially when Tua went down. Of course, was the signal caller against LSU, and it was mac Jones who led the offense against against Auburn and the Iron Bowl. But no, it was a completely isolated phenomenon of Alabama being outside of the playoff conversation towards the end of the year.
Can I get hot takes here for a second?
I would love that.
It's not usually something I do. I'm going to say, not an isolation. I'm gonna say not an isolation. And here's why. It's not based on any real, real, you know factors. But well, it's a hot take, So what the hell? I know? This isn't based on anything other than the fact that at some point the run has to end. For Nick Saban has to end at some point, sooner or later, he's going to retire, right presumably he's a normal human with a yah. I don't know, a
normal retirement planned at some point in time. The SEC, I think, is getting better, Certainly on the eastern side of the conference. It's elevating its game. What with Georgia Florida, I feel like there are a rising number of threats to that crown.
Are you taking tonight tonight? Are you confident in a team beating Alabama from the east in Atlanta?
Am I confident?
Jamie Newman in Georgia, Kyle Trask in Florida, I.
Am more confident I think in Florida.
Okay, Oh, that's I mean, it's a more proven quarterback situation. Ye okay, continue.
I'm also really gonna steer hard this year into the whole Scotty Cochrane thing, how he was poached away from Alabama. I don't know why I call him Scottie, but you know, Scotty Cochrane going over to Georgia. Now, yeah, I don't know. I just I feel like, let me just.
Put it here, like a utility infielder, Scottie Cochrane exactly.
I think there are more threats to that Alabama pedestal now than there have been at any point in the last five years, and the talent levels absolutely still there. But I'm going to take the opposite side of the coin, and I'm going to say it is not happening in isolation, that it is something we will see more of over the next couple of years.
I mean, I can be pretty easily talked into just you know, give me some sort of give me some sort of tropical cocktail, and I could be talked into Alabama with TUA being the second best team in the country last year.
Well, let's not you know, let's not let the facts get away of a good story.
In twenty nineteen. I know, so, yeah, I guess we disagree early on. We disagree early.
Hot here, Scottie too hotty. Okay, yeah, this one comes to us from a good friend, Dan Over on Twitter.
Okay, oh yeah, clobashar.
He says Minnesota being a top fifteen caliber team in isolation, not in isolation. So what I would say to this is that the offense is again loaded. They did lose Kurt Shiraka to Penn State, but otherwise they bring back most of their offensive skill talent, which is good. This will be a test though for PJ. Fleck, because the defense is going to be in rebuild mode, particularly in the front seven. The schedule I think is favorable enough that they could make another run at being again top
fifteen caliber. But suffice to say, Minnesota rising up to win what eleven games this past year.
Yeah, was sup. Plus the Bawl, Yeah, was a.
Huge story and likely one that we're going to hear more about or the prospects about which we'll hear more when we enter into the twenty twenty season or get closer to that again, assuming areas one. So where do you stand on this one?
So I'm not looking at this exercise strictly as a twenty twenty viewpoint, It's much more big picture to me, but you know your mileage may vary. I am buying Minnesota as a top fifteen ish team and do not think twenty nineteen was an isolated incident. And I'll tell you why, ty because that's what we're doing here today.
Please tell me why.
I like how they replaced Kirk Sharaka with Mike Sandford. Your guy, Nope, did a very nice job as a coordinator at a couple different places. So he's calling the offense. Tanner Morgan at worst, what the sixth best quarterback in the country, fifth, seventh somewhere in there. Return him. They lose Tyler Johnson, which is a big deal. Defensively, I really liked the job Joe Rossi. I think it's a Bronuns so that Joe Rossi has done. He took over a couple of years ago as an interim and then
did a nice job with that defense last season. I think big picture to me is you look at the crossover games in the East, and they're generally going to have no more than two really tough games, depending on how those powers are. I think they missed Penn State this year in Ohio State, and I don't know if PJ. Fleck is going to wear thin at a certain point, that sort of raw raw row the boat type thing. I don't see it happening in the short term right now.
And when I look at the West, I still see vulnerability, don't I mean, don't you oh? I was always always going to be good baseline pretty good to good Illinois, Purdue, Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin's always going to be good. But what Minnesota is building towards and this is what year one of becoming a successful team. And I know people myself, ourselves included, pointed to their quarterback opponent luck this year that they've
played a bunch of backup quarterbacks. They obliterated those teams. It's not like if Adrian Martinez were playing for Nebraska that week that all of a sudden they're scoring thirty five more points. We have evidence that that's probably not the case with the twenty nineteen Huskers, as good as we want Nebraska to be, and so it's not like Minnesota with I think they snuck by what Purdue, but otherwise they were murdering teams. So I think that's an
incredible first step. I think PJ flex a good recruiter. I think they're going to reload enough on defense when they lose guys, and they're gonna lose guys early, they're gonna lose coaches that that all comes to the territory like they did with Kirk Sharaka. I'm in. I think Minnesota is building to something consistent in that nine win range, and so with the standard deviation of a win or two. Yeah, I think they're right there. I think they are. They're solidly in that striving territory.
Wow.
Hm, I'm there.
I was not sold in Minnesota for most of the year.
Taking down Auburn in the bowl game.
Took down Auburn in the bowl game. The Penn State game obviously is one that I paid pretty close attention to. They've got pretty interesting skill talent. You know, I'm really all in on rash Bateman. Yeah, so, I I am inclined to agree with you where I sort of get hung up though, as that top fifteen qualification. If you told me as a top twenty five team consistently, I would say definitely. Not in isolation. I feel very confident
about that. But top fifteen is a bit of a bridge too far, So for that reason, For that reason only I say isolation. But I don't feel particularly confident one way or the other, so I could be swayed.
So after if we're talking about top fifteen what before conference championship games, is that probably the most accurate measure when everybody has the same record. There are one, two, three, three loss teams in the top sixteen, So if we're saying top fifteen ish, we're talking about nine to three ish team. Yeah, so yeah, I know it's Iowa, Michigan,
and Auburn. I'll finish the regular season pre conference championship week with three losses and finished right there in that top fifteen ish territory.
Moving on, Okay, this one comes to us from Brian on Twitter. Trevor Lawrence's down performances in the National Championship and against North Carolina, Dan isolation, not isolation.
This one's a little bit more difficult. So if we're going to be specific about instead of North Carolina, because Clemson does not play North Carolina every year because they're in different ACC divisions, A down Trevor Lawrence conference game and a shaky performance against a Nation's elite team.
Correct.
I think I'm kind of there, which means he is simply really really really really really really good instead of the best of the best.
So you are there in that it did not occur in isolation.
Yeah, I think there is, and we saw it from Deshaun Watson each year. And another really really really really really really really good quarterback, if not great, which Trevor Lawrence I think is right there between the many realies and great. I think when you look at the ACC trending in an upwards direction, I like the Boston College higher, I like what Louisville's doing. I certainly like what North Carolina's doing. Miami should have a good defense should Clemson
crossover with them. I don't have the Clemson schedule in front of me. Maybe you can pull it up as I as I babble, this was it Lageria. Yeah, yeah, I think most quarterbacks toss in a clunker, and most quarterbacks have a really tough time against defenses peaking like LSUS and Ohio States were in the championship game. I don't think Trevor Lawrence is bulletproof.
No, I don't think so. This year's schedule has road games at Florida State and at Notre Dame, which you know interesting. Florida State will have to wait and see, but the Notre Dame one first week of November should be intriguing. Sure, the other games are at home. Mostly the other games are at home, so it's it's a favorable schedule. Again, I think for the most part. For Trevor Lawrence. You brought up an interesting point though, and
how many guys are truly infallible. Joe Burrow this year may have had the best season of a quarterback of all time. He was virtually infallible this past year.
And still had stretches against Auburn that weren't great.
Had stretches. By the way, we're going to talk about Joe Burrow and LSU as a whole, whether or not that was an isolation. But you know, like I look at those games and sure Clemson didn't blow the doors off UNC. They won the game by one, But Trevor Lawrence did not thrown in that game. He didn't throw an interception in the championship game either. He didn't look himself. He was certainly a bit off climbed.
Out of the gate against Louisville, but then was amazing thereafter.
I just think we're so used to seeing Trevor Lawrence play to extraordinary heights that to see him not get to that same level on the grandest of college football stages is a bit underwhelming. Like you probably would have taken that performance if you were most other teams, even though it was an electric you still would have taken that. He didn't go out there, he didn't lose the game for his teams. In the LSU game and the title, they were down, he had a throw right. There was
only so much he could do. The North Carolina one was just they were stuck in the mud. Maybe looking ahead. Who knows, But I am willing to kind of grant him those two performances in isolation and say that I still think he's the number one overall pick in the twenty twenty one NFL Draft. He's still the best quarterback college football, and I don't read too deeply into it. Next item, Next topic. We've got a fun one here
for the Pac twelve fans out there. Washington State versus UCLA the Black Swan event of Black Swan events in college football. So remember at the time that this game took place, UCLA was very down on its luck. It was not seeming as if things were going to go in Chip Kelly's direction, and a large part they didn't. But this game kind of came out of left field in that UCLA put up sixty seven points won a wild shootout game sixty seven to sixty three over Wazoo Dan. Yes,
this one comes to us from Max on Twitter. So, look, anytime you've got a game with the one hundred and thirty total points, I think that's sort of in isolation, like that is not something that I see. Oh thank you that we see a whole lot of But I guess UCLA is scoring sixty seven points. Is that that's something that occurs in isolation.
Yeah. Actually, I wasn't even thinking about it like that. I was thinking about it in terms of could these defenses be similarly awful in twenty twenty and beyond. My answer to that is yes, yes, So I would say that it's not isolated that degree of points though, Yeah, it does hinge on UCLA's offense, which I think will continue to improve. So I'm going to say not isolated
in terms of the wild variance of a season. UCLA should have it once again, they finished the year keeping cal under thirty, allowing fifty two and forty nine on the road to USC in Utah. They randomly, I mean, I guess Stanford was down, so they had random okay performances on defense against not great teams in the PAC twelve. But you look at what Hawaii was able to do on defense last year under Nick Rolovich, well he was the head coach, but it wasn't much. It's not like
I expect. I don't think anybody really expects in Pullman that the Washington State defense is going to take an enormous leap forward with what should be another very efficient and probably more balanced offense under Nick Rolovich. And I don't think there's much reason to believe in any sort
of grand improvement on defense for UCLA moving forward. So I'm going to say there is a very good chance that if we see an absolutely Bonker's late night Pack twelve game with one hundred plus total points scored, that there's a good chance that it involves either or both of UCILA in Washington State.
Again, I don't have a strong point to counter yours, so I'm just going to say I agree. I'm going to move on Okay, let's go over to Reddit. This one comes to us about our boy Michael Cunningham from Woolville, about Scott Saderfeld. The text of this post here Satterfield, as it were, what did I say?
Felt? I like that though your mind's on the organ strength and conditioning program continue.
What an incredible turnaround in one season from a program in the dumps. Satterfield and Cunningham could be really special together in a totally vulnerable conference minus the big Orange Tiger. So, okay, we're talking about Louisville. We're talking about their seven and five season. We're talking about whether or not it happened in isolation, I guess.
So, yeah, let's break down what this means.
Yeah, let's try to figure this out. Is this something that you felt was a fluke? I guess is how I'll phrase it.
So, what I suppose Louisville is hoping for Louisville noll is to be a more southern Minnesota with Southern Minnesota in Minnesota in that I don't have Louisville schedule in front of me. But whoever submitted this says and claims there are only two definite losses.
There are only two yeah, that's me. Two definite losses. So I looked at the schedule and it I think is pretty favorable for Louisville. The two losses that I am just giving them right out of the shoot are at Clemson's second week of the year. They'll fight them. But at Clemson second week of the year, I think it's a loss. And I think at Notre Dame second
to last week of the year. But otherwise, you know, like the schedule isn't easy, but it's not the kind that jumps out at me and says, wow, this is impossible. Like you can win on the road at Syracuse and at Boston College. You can win at home against Florida State because Florida State's in transition. Virginia Tech at home is a tough game, but it is at home, so I think it's doable. At Virginia who knows, Lake Forest, you can win that game. Can you beat Kentucky at home?
Had a rough time with the Cats last year, Tyler had a rough time last year, But can you beat Kentucky at home? Yay, you could beat Kentucky at home. So I like, it's not an impossible schedule, so it's there for him. Again, I am going.
To say that until proven otherwise, I think Louisville is probably going to stay around where they are. And that has nothing to do with and I don't know if this was intended. It has notnything to do with Michael Cunningham and Scott Saderfield. I think as a combination the fireworks between them and what that offense could be was not an isolated incident in twenty nineteen. I think we should see more of that over the next year or two years, hopefully if we get that much from Michael Cunningham.
What I'm worried about is that defense was god awful last year. Now it's your one or year zero as it were, with how low they fell under Bobby Patrino. Scott Saderfield always had a very good eye and had a very good plan and idea for what he wanted from his app state defenses, and he had a good eye for coordinators. And I think the Louisville defensive staff Louisville is capable of turning this into an above average defense and in that case seven and five becomes an
isolated twenty nineteen incident. But Mikhail Cunningham is down. I believe both of his full time starting tackles. There's a lot of what I assume to be open position battles whenever we get to see football again on defense, because that's what happens when your defense is probably one of the worst I don't know, thirty thirty five in the country. So I'm going to say not. I'm gonna say not isolated.
I think there is a lot of room for growth, but there's no reason to believe that they are definitely a nine to three, ten and two type program, big picture right now?
Interesting?
Yeah, love mcaale, love mckill. Yeah, or he's my boy, Oh now he is. Yeah, he's always been, Okay, just making sure.
I don't think it was an isolated incident. I think that seven and five. I think the point of the question is not seven and five. I think the point of the question is that Louisville had a much much better gear in twenty nineteen than anyone expected. And he's asking like, was that a fluke or should we expect more good years? I mean relatives to what you believe good is for Louisville, relative to what you believe good is. Yeah,
I do not think it was an isolated incident. I've always believed in Scott Satterfield, Satterfeld, whatever, whatever nomenclich you'd like to use, I've always believed in him. I think they've got something with Michail Cunningham now now that he's changed his name and feeling more comfortable with himself as a human. Yeah, I think they got something there. I know the defense is a bit of an issue, but I think he knows it. Scott Saderfeld, I think he knows.
Just think about Fieldy from corn Ty. I'm just going to mix these up all year, now, aren't I?
Yeah. Were they finished one hundred and thirteenth in rushing sp plus and ninetieth in passing sp plus they allowed, They were one hundred and third and big explosive plays allowed, and finished overall one hundredth in defensive sp plus. I anticipate that going into the probably sixties seventies this year bare minimum. So I'm confident as a program, I think will I think they are going in a good direction.
Okay, so I would expect more winning campaigns.
Next item.
Next item, Kyle Trask quietly being one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. The respondent here from Reddit says I couldn't care less about the arm strength, but Florida's offensive staff was great at creating mismatches before the snap. Trask was great at idfying and exploiting them. I would also add dan he threw for twenty five touchdown passes. He had the second best yards per game metric in
terms of SEC quarterbacks. That is behind one Joseph Burrow, who threw sixty touchdown passes and won the Heisman Trophy in addition to the National championship.
Wait, Kyle Trask had more yards per game than Tua?
Yes he did.
Is that what I'm saying? Okay, I will go back and double check that, but okay, I believe that's accurate. So it is. Yeah, maybe because Tua was not eligible, That's what it appears to problem Tomatoes model.
Yeah, what are your thoughts here on Kyle Trask? I will add a little bit more context and say he is a guy that we definitely dogged because of the arm strength.
I mean, it had nothing to do with his actual production, no ability. It was just tom throw Kyle.
But it became evident as the year war on that the coaching staff knew how to coach him. Yeah, they knew how to use him, they knew what he was good at, and they put him in I think, a really good position to succeed. Completed something like sixty six percent of his passes, which as a first year started quarterback is pretty damn good. Yeah, and you know, Felipe Franks is transferring, which tells you a lot about where the state of the quarterback position is headed in twenty
twenty for Florida. So they certainly believe in him. Felipe Franks obviously believes in him, and the numbers are there to support him as being a very good quarterback in twenty nineteen.
So if I'm to try to interpret this correctly, the isolated part of the Kyle Trask twenty nineteen is that it was very quiet and Tua did finish with I think sixty more yards per game, but was just not eligible because he only played in I think nine games. So even still, it's fine, Kyle Trask had a good year. He's full on good. I don't think Kyle Trask is going to take any but he by surprise in twenty twenty and beyond. I do not think Kyle Trask's success
was isolated to twenty nineteen. So I'm gonna say not isolated, because especially with the landscape of quarterbacks and proven success in the conference, Dan says, referencing Jamie Newman without saying Jamie Newman's name, I Kyle Trask might is he the best returning quarterback in the SEC?
I think so?
Yeah, I mean Mac Jones, Jamie Newman will see what happens in that Georgia system. I don't think it's anybody else in the East. I think Kelen Mond is fine. Alabama fans always seem to be a little bit scared of him. But yeah, I'm I don't think there's anything underrated about Kyle Trask anymore. No, I not isolated.
I tend to agree. I don't think it's in isolation either.
I think it's properly rated.
Yeah, earlier in the year, I would have said isolation. This is a fluke, this is a black swan. But no, I don't think anymore. I think Dann Mollen knows how to coach the quarterback position. He just does, and he will find a way to coach him up, continue putting him in positions to succeed. Next item, final Reddit item here before we move to a couple that I came up with on my own. Yep, LSU having possibly the best season ever in all of college football in twenty nineteen.
That is what That is what our topic is here.
I assume the intention of this is not, well, LSU just continue to one up itself and have the greatest season every year over year over year.
Right, yes, correct? Correct. The respondent adds a little bit of his or her own context, saying they won't ever do it again. Are back, almost all new coaches, still the same competition. They're going to go eight and four. The fan base is going to enter a deep depression
and honestly, that's about what they should do. Okay, So, like eight and four in the SEC West is obviously not LSU standards at this point, given the fact that they had such an incredible run, I think totally understandable, given the fact that there is so much turnover, especially losing one Joseph Burrow, Joe Dirt, Joe Brady, who guys are gone. But is LSU back? Let me rephrase the question as such, are they back? So?
Yeah, So what we're saying was twenty nineteen with LSU as obviously the elite of the elite. Was that limited to twenty nineteen or is this conversation we should be having about LSU. Yes, these next thirty years of ed ours run coaching the Tigers, right, I'm gonna say it's not isolated. I'm not saying they're having, you know, the most incredible season after the most incredible season and so forth. And I'm not going to say that he is going to keep finding thirty year old wounder kind.
That's that's German time, authentic German.
Thank you, passing game coordinators to pair with Steve Ensminger to really take the offense to a new level, because he just hired Scott Linehan to help run the offense. So that worries me a little bit. But my argument of LSU being back to LSU, or at least the hopes and dreams of LSU fan fans, the argument is you can't win a national championship without knowing what you're doing.
You can't stumble into a national championship. I trust ed Orjeron to coach LSU two more playoff appearances because of the infrastructure, the staff, the ability to convince those above him to pay for X, Y and Z, the ability to recruit at a top five to seven level nationally.
Perhaps some of the change in the SEC and the SEC West specifically LSU is we'll see with quarterback, but I think they're going to keep finding skill talent like they are always able to do, even when the offense struggles. They return the Bolitni cow forward winning receiver and Jamar Chase this year for I assume Miles Brennan, but we'll see they have two blue chip backups behind him last
I checked. And there is so much about an ability to hire, to maintain, to sort of install and maintain a culture that I think at Orizron has done at LSU. It would surprise me if we're not talking about LSU as a playoff contender deep into November most years.
Yeah. The interesting I think transformation on the LSU side came from ed or Jeron recognizing that he needed to fix the offense and being savvy enough to go out and find a way to do it. Sure you know, like we've heard that same line year in and year out. It's part of the reason we both were very skeptical about this past season being LSU's year. Clearly edwards Ron figured something out. Clearly he spotted a deficiency, he knew enough to go out there and fix it till the void.
So at least in that sense, I think he grew as a coach, and that should make LSU fans very excited. What they saw this past year was to some extent an anomaly. I don't know if you're ever going to have another quarterback put in the kind of season that Joe Burrow did. That might be an isolation. That was truly one of the great seasons in college football history. It's just not a reasonable expectation year in and year out.
And if you gave anybody in the LSU facility truth sarum, there is not one person who said, oh, yeah, that's something that we expected of Joe Burrow.
No e.
When he transferred here, we saw that potential. Nobody saw feeling Hey, nobody saw that. You didn't even see it.
After the twenty eighteen season, for sure, we saw a quarterback and Joe Burrow who was very good in big spots, but wasn't nearly the caliber quarterback we saw in twenty nineteen. He's going to be the first pick in the twenty twenty draft. So like nobody in their right mind expects that that's going to not be an isolation moving forward.
But LSU as a contender is interesting. You know, if I'm going to be consistent, remember I answered at the top that it wasn't in isolation that Alabama missed the playoffs. I don't think it's an isolation either that ls is going to remain a contender because I trust an ed O just like you do, and I trust in the talent coming into Baton Rouge. I think he's sort of figured things out. Now. That's the kind of coach who's going to be at LSU until they drag him out
of there, until he he's like no longer vertical. He loves that job, he loves that place. And if you're an LYSC fan, you gotta be pretty excited about we saw so yeah, I'm with you.
Something also important to remember when you know it's easy to talk about LSU's struggles attracting and developing top flight quarterbacks, nobody does it until they do. Exactly, Alabama wasn't rolling killers out there until they did, until they found TUA. And listen and listen, listen. Greg mccrroy a, Jim Mccaerroon Blake Sims, Jake Koker all fine. I think many, if not all of them Blake Sims didn't won national championships. You look at Ohio State quarterbacks, they didn't have killers
until they did. You look at Clemson quarterbacks, they didn't have killers until they did. LSU didn't. I mean, I like Zach Mettenberger, I do, but they didn't have a true killer until they did. And what's going to happen now is hi school freshman, high school sophomore? Is high school juniors? Watch what the position that Joe Burrow was put in in baton rouge and they think to themselves, huh huh. I could see myself having some fun there.
I could see that in the same way Trevor Lawrence saw Deshaun Watson do it, in the same way Bryce Young Sawtua Tongue of Iloa do it. You don't have a killer until you do.
That is a perfect segue into maybe my favorite question that I've ever asked on the show. Part of the reason why I think we've got the top college football podcast across all the podcastings.
We definitely are eligible to be named that, Daniel.
As you know, LSU want its national championship playing in New Orleans. It was effectively a home field advantage for the Bayou Bangals, right.
One of my favorite places in the world. Not effectively, it.
Was very rarely does that happen where you've got sort of a home field advantage for a team playing in a championship game?
Right? True?
Is this something that occurred in isolation or something that looking out at the next four years of college Football Playoff championship games you could see happening again? So LSU played again virtual home game in New Orleans. The next four College Football Playoff National Championship games are in South Florida in twenty twenty one, in Indianapolis in twenty twenty two. We can talk about that, in LA in twenty twenty three,
and Houston, Texas in twenty twenty four. Okay, so I guess the larger question is will there be a participant from one of those states playing in effect a home game in the College Football Playoff National champion chip Or was what we saw out of LSU this year truly in isolation?
Well? First of all, the last item tweeted by a confirmed person on Twitter was January thirteenth. I looked up quote virtual home game end quote, and it is about LSA, So I'm glad you used that phrasing.
Thank you.
So twenty twenty one South Florida, so the virtual home games involved there would be I guess the three big Florida schools, Miami, Florida, Florida State.
Yes, and Miami and Florida State are not making the Tuttle Game. So this one's all on the Gators.
It's all on the Gators, and by South Florida. I assume the game is in Miami. It's not in my necessarily that close to Gainesville, right, but I guess relatively speaking, I'm going to say, so this is twenty twenty one for the twenty twenty season, yeah right, right, Okay, so this is early January twenty twenty one, not the twenty twenty one season itself. Correct, I'm going to say no
for twenty twenty one. Indianapolis twenty twenty two. I'll defer to you since I suppose, and I know some Midwestern cities are closer than we realize to each other. But Indiana Notre Dame, Perdue and Indiana State.
Be Notre Dame.
It would be Notre Dame most likely. Yes, twenty twenty three Los Angeles UCLA USC. Yeah, I don't think you can call Bay Area schools virtual home game, and neither of the Bay Area major schools are going to go. I don't know. Arizona schools are closer than you realize, I suppose, but no, twenty twenty.
Four in Houston is the one that I'm I'm building to. Will Texas be back in the twenty twenty three? It's Texas A and M. Well, Texas A and M is truly the home game, that's the home game of all home games.
The distance from Baton Rouge to Houston, tie, I think you are. So it's two hundred and sixty eight miles, okay, four hour drive. The distance from Austin to Houston. I imagine it's shorter, but I don't think it's that much shorter. One hundred and sixty two miles about one hundred miles closer, So certainly closer Baton Rouge, I think than Dallas, right for TCU SMU Okay, so Dallas to Houston is two thirty nine so it's right around the same as Baton Rouge.
So I'm going to say because of the number of Louisiana and New Orleans transplants that currently live in Houston. I would say, I am saying that an LSU national championship and appearance in Houston is a virtual home game. Okay, so between LSU A and M and Texas, three teams that recruit at a high level. Yeah, I'm going to say that's not likely, but it's in the realm of possibility.
Sure, I think it happened. In isolation, This is so hard to do, so hard to do. How many Super Bowls have we looked at and said, wow, we could see it happening where it's a home game, and it never is.
This is Isn't it going to happen for Tampa tom this year in the NFL?
No, they have no defense. No defense. Yeah, okay, so it's like so hard of a thing to have happened. I just I on paper now, a couple years in the future. Sure it's a possibility, but this almost never happens. I say, in isolation, I would love to go out to LA in twenty twenty three and Houston in twenty twenty four, and I have no interest in probably going to the games, but eating and doing shows from there. Maybe a live show or two. Yeah, Okay, so I'm
still enthusiastic about the possibility. I have two more here, Dan, all right, let's do them simply Baylor's eleven win season.
I think Baylor is going to remain a pretty successful program. I think twenty nineteen was a very specific culmination of the Matt Rule era that coincided with a lot of change in the Big Twelve and the Bears coming into their own. I'm going to say isolated doesn't mean I don't think they could be an eight to nine win program under Dave Randa. I just I think Matt Rule is special. I was bummed when Oregon didn't get him. I know at the last second he decided to go
with Baylor over the Ducks. And so I'm going to say isolated twenty nineteen with as much as they're replacing moving forward, with as much as or just the idea that I don't see an obvious stud quarterback at Baylor for Larry Fedora right now open to change, I'm going to say that was isolated.
I think it's isolated in that it was an eleven win season, but as a comfortable Bowl team moving forward, that is not an isolation. I think Baylor will be just fine. I like Dave Randa's hires.
I like super striving if we're gonna use our yeah, super distriving.
Sure. I like the infrastructure that he's put in place. I think Matt Rule did a good job building that program back up, I.
Mean, we'll see.
We don't know, yeah, and I we will see. I do think if Dave Randa can continue building a top flight defense, especially in the Big Twelve, that could serve as a competitive advantage. It's still like there are programs around the Big Twelve that have gotten better defensively, but it still is not the calling card you think of
Big Twelve, you think of high powered offense. If he can, in fact build a tough, gritty defense the way Matt Rule was building at Baylor, that that can serve as a real advantage.
So first of all, you mean the Phil Snow advisory, the Phil Snow advisory, of course, yeah, I mean Dave rand is gonna have a lot more than just the defense to look over, as you.
Know he will. He will, but he's gone out. He's hired a defensive coordinator who is very much like minded, but actually here on a mentor. Right, So I'm I'm bullish on Baylor remaining at a very high bull eligible level eight and four, nine and three level. I don't know about eleven wins though, eleven wins is tough to replicate.
Yeah, late November Thanksgiving playoff conversation, I think we're going to have to postpone about Baylor.
Final one here as we talk about Big twelve. Yeah, Dan, as you know, we had a very popular Fantasy Things item. You had it actually this past year. Guys being labeled as having a little bit of Baker Mayfield in.
Them, guys being dudes.
Our friend Bill Barnwall, I believe he used it in one of his recent columns in the I just saw Bill he visited the quarantine. Did he do that on purpose? What do you mean, Oh, the little bit of Baker may probably did right. I didn't plant that. So either he listened to a Fantasy Things show and enjoyed it. Are just as a pulse for the football conversation. So I want to know as this particular comparison rose to
prominence this past year. I want to know if it happened in isolation that it became the go to quarterback comparison or not in isolation and by that. I mean it will be supplanted by quarterbacks who are now compared to Patrick Mahomes being so you know, super Bowl winning quarterback MVP. Will there be more quarterbacks that have a little bit of Pat Mahomes in them, or more quarterbacks that have a little bit of Kyler Murray in them, or maybe even Tim Tebow for a throwback. What do
you think will be the go to quarterback comparison? Will it be Baker Mayfield still or will it slowly shift to someone like Patrick Mahomes.
So I don't think it'll be Baker Mayfield because that was coming on the heels of him having a Heisman year and then a really promise saying rookie year in the NFL. Okay, then he didn't play as well this past year?
Right, No?
No?
What about what about Joe Burrow?
I think you could see comparisons to the the sort of path Joe Burrow took where like it didn't work out at his original backup school, at school where he was a backup and then maybe a school hired a new coach and they I don't think Joe Burrow has that same sort of because Baker Mayfield was a known high quality quarterback in college for so long that people became aware of him as both a quarterback and as
a personality. And you know, he's fiery and frisky whatever, planting the flag that you know his teammates rally around him. I don't know if there is a specific all encompassing quarterback that is going to get Baker Mayfield esque comparisons, like not Kyler Murray, not you know, as Tim Tebow
did in years past. Patrick Mahomes. Maybe if a guy is sort of scrambling to buy time and has an hop salute cannon for an arm, but even still, Patrick Mahomes is a pretty subdued guy, right right, sort of happy and uh, it seems pretty chill personality wise, So I don't know who that would be. Trevor Lawrence is just sort of on an even keel. Tua didn't have a huge personality on the field celebrating, but nothing crazy
like Baker Mayfield. So I don't know who that who that that you know that flag is that that has been planted that this is the next type of guy, This is the next guy to be this type of guy on the football field, grabbing his crotch, planting flags, doing what playing in an intramural game, just that type of over the topness. I don't know who that is. Who is it? I don't know who are the returning
really impressive quarterbacks or that are just leaving quarterbacks. Justin Herbert's not that Justin Herbert.
I mean, you could have a little bit of Sam Howell. I don't know if he's quite got it, not yet the heights of Baker Mayfield. But Sam Howell has been interesting. He was a freshman, he had a great campaign. It's got a little bit of Jordan Loved, a little bit of Yeah, exactly, Like it's really tough to find that guy, which is why I asked the question, has anyone supplanted Baker Mayfield. I think we've heard about Patrick Mahomes, and
we've heard about others in the past. I actually think the comparison, if we're gonna stick with that particular formula, is Okay, we're gonna hear less about a little bit of Baker Mayfield, and we're gonna hear more about a little bit of Joe Brady as it relates to rising highly thought of assistant coaches. That's what we're gonna hear more of.
Yeah, I think I am. I'm on that same page because I'm looking right now at the most efficient quarterbacks and they're either good, but we don't have a sense for their personality. Nationally. We saw Baker Mayfield in the playoff. We saw Baker Mayfield against Ohio State a couple times. I don't I don't see that type of insta fame and personality recognition from these names. So I don't think it's going to be a good off season for a
little bit kind of thing. Fair enough, So isolated, Baker Mayfield is his own energy source.
I think that's right.
That's it.
I think that's what we're saying. Yeah, Baker Mayfield is cold fusion. There it is.
Yeah, all right, Well this has been fun. No, that's all I got. That's all I got for now. Okay, right into solid Verbo at gmail dot com. Let us know your isolation not isolation plays. We'd love to talk more about these.
I think this is a fun topic, and certainly, as we're going to remain in isolation forever more, it is something we could revisit as part of a volume two. If you're open, have you.
Been working out me? No? Yeah, going for runs or some sort of.
I know it looks and I know the video that we've I know it looks at but just it's not the case.
Yeah, okay, not the case I have on and off. I'm not nearly as good as I should be.
I would like to. I need to do more of it, but I just you know I haven't been able.
I'm gonna leave you with this tie please before you go on to probably more important things. For the first time in my life, I am tasked with the sole responsibility of a very small human. Normally we have childcare for the solid baby, solid toddler, but we don't because of the quarantine isolation.
See now, the solid toddler, I.
Don't know what I mean. A toddler toddles and sort of walks along and walks around, whereas the solid sun only does that with furniture.
Right. So he's one, right, he's a little bit over one, a little older than one. So okay, all I'm gonna say is nothing makes you feel like what you do, what I do, what most people do, is less important than we thought than having to raise a child solo and not being able to go outside or to go to classes of the park or anything like that especially for any extended period of time.
I know there have been talks of stimuli. Stimulus is stimuli. I My personal belief and this isn't because I'm doing it, is that anybody who is a stay at home childcare provider should be a no doubt millionaire because it is so impressive and tiring and incredible and demanding that whether you're a teacher, whether you're a childcare professional, whether you just take care of your kids all day and that's your job. Holy hell, are you the best of us?
Holy hell? That's all. That's all And it's been three days.
So this is your d this is your Jordan flu podcast is what this is?
Yeah, I essentially that, But also you know that there's like a meme where it's like watches movie once and then is suddenly fully that's how I am now with with parenting all day at home, where it's just like, well, what do you normally do when you're not taking care of your kid? Like digital marketing? Like okay, who cares? That doesn't not that doesn't do anything? Childcare tie these are our heroes.
Well, it's it's very fitting because a lot of folks find themselves in that situation now.
Yeah, at home.
I don't want to stay stuck at home, but.
No, but homeschooling obviously, kids are home from school.
You're at home, You're with the family, you're with the kids, with the pup, whatever it's it's definitely an interesting time to be live. We appreciate that you spent an hour with us talking college football, listening to our madness. We would encourage you. Please right on insolverable at gmail dot com, follow us on our social channels, stay tuned nightly. We're going to be doing dispatches from our respective bunkers here as we see through this whole upside hope everyone's doing okay.
Please do wash your hands, Please do stay safe. Please do not hoard all the toilet paper. It's still important that we have someone with I'm good for now. Yeah, I'm good. Same, Yeah, I'm good for now. But just stay safe out there. Come on back tomorrow, come on back in a week. We'll talk more college football, hopefully keep you distracted from the ways of the world. But in the meantime, for that guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubinstein, for myself Tie Hill in the brand,
we will talk to you soon. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your week, all your weekend, and again wash your hands and stay
Saying, oh, get some sleep, eat vitamin, see things and