Welcome to the solid verbal hull. That for me. I'm a man, I'm for it. I've heard so many players say, well, I want to be happy.
You want to be happy for a day?
Edo steak? Is that woof? Woof? And then and Tye, welcome back to the solid verbal boys and girls. My name is ty Hildebrandt. I am joined as always by the illustrious Dan Rubinstein in the Chicago Burbs. Sir, thank you, How are you? I'm not bad.
I don't know if you have a strategy for hurry up, no huddle showers when you look at the clock and you're like, I have three minutes, I have ninety seconds. I don't know if you go soap before shampoo, if you're soaping, shampoo and conditioning. I don't know if you've got like I'm going to put shampoo in my hair and then soap my body and then rinse all off at the same time for efficiency's sake. But I just thought about that a lot as I took a two and a half minute shower.
How are you? I'm well. I did not have that hurry up, no huddle experience before hitting the record button today, so perhaps i'm a little bit more composed.
But you've certainly taken last minute showers. Oh, your time is of the essence.
I usually try to work my way from top to bottom smart. But that being said, I have gotten out of the shower many a time wondering was I in there long enough to actually achieve the objective.
Yeah, sometimes it's not about cleanliness of body, it's about cleanliness of mind. And with that, hello everybody. I don't really have a smooth transition from cleaning one's body, probably more often than I should, but that's what a newborn does. Tie You're like, well, I didn't exercise today for two three straight days. I don't have a smooth transition. But we've been wanting to do this show for a little bit, and I think it's a really good way to touch
on teams across college football. Today we're doing power five. I'd like I have an idea percolating for a group of five ish concept as well. But we were sort of inspired by the Grammys, but maybe it was the twenty fifteen Grammys. In reality, because we're playing a game, I guess we're calling one direction with a caveat called the middle.
The middle. Yeah, we've got a little bit of everything going on here, don't we Yeah, yes, we'll get to that momentarily. Don't forget to going out to our patreon at verbowlers dot com. Check out all the fun stuff we got bruin this here off season. There is more coming,
I promise you we're working on it day in, day out. Also, you can go on out and follow us on social media all the platforms apply and go to our website solid verbal dot com where you can find all the follow links everything you need to subscribe to the show. Excuse me me follow the show now. I need to get my nomenclature correct as Apple Hashi changed that officially.
And while you're out on our website soliverble dot com, you can also sign up for the newsletter, which we haven't sent out a whole lot of lately, but certainly as we get a little bit closer to the season, we'll be ramping up that effort as well. Daniel, I did want to come back to later on in the show, not now. I want to come back to the reason that we are recording a little bit earlier than usual, and perhaps the rationale behind the hurry up, no huddle
shower I'm making a bunch of pizzas. Let's save that for the end. Yeah, yeah, let's save that for the end. One direction is the name of the show, Sing it Dan? Do you know the lyrics? Honey? Else? That's what makes you.
Well, I don't know one direction that well, I actually have to study up the reason we're calling it. Is there any news you want to get to? I saw George Pickens towards a cl which is a huge bum, pretty gigantic bomber. Yeah, so hopefully that is something I saw Cal played at spring game.
Who knew? So?
I mean, I think spring games and spring practice will be a little bit different as teams readjust to whatever normal is going to be in twenty twenty one, and let's hope it's as you know, exceedingly normal as possible. But no, it's been pretty quiet. I saw our friend Bill Connolly posted the eighty best defenders of the two thousands and twenty tens. I guess so since two thousand.
Oh, I'm sure he's not going to get any hate mail for that one. Well that's he did that. He did it with what quarterbacks? Or yeah?
Thank yeah, yeah, I think he did it with quarterbacks. Defenders is so tough because essentially you're saying, and we're just talking about his content, but you're saying, the number sixty four safety is better at playing defense, whatever that like large idea is than the number, you know, seventy two guy who is a defensive tackle. And so I applaud bravery. It takes to list out players that have very little to do with each other and very little
in terms of measurables. But I thought it was mostly a good list, and Domic Cansoue was number one, and you know Sean Taylor's there's all sorts of incredible players, but it's difficult to argue with the impact that Dominican Sioux had on the defensive side of the ball these last couple decades.
Bill Connolly put this list out. We can perhaps bring him on at some point here in the next few weeks. Excuse me to talk about that and whatever he's been doing in this year run up to I guess spring football season, the early early preseason, whatever you want to call this the show today though one direction is the title Dan. As he said at the top, we've been thinking this one up for quite some time. It's taking
on a couple different forms. We settled on five teams, and what we're going to do is look at how they performed in twenty nineteen, how they performed in twenty twenty, and then make a judgment call on where they're at, where they're headed, and which of those two seasons we should believe more. Is that an accurate description? Yeah?
These were the bigger I don't I mean there are cases across the five Power conferences that maybe this team had the wider variants in winning percentage between twenty nineteen and twenty twenty. Obviously we had to go winning percentage since number of games was variable between the two years, But yeah, which year is more indicative of what that team appears to be now and moving forward? And that doesn't necessarily mean twenty twenty one, but just I guess
it can be a part of it. But when you think of that program and the momentum that team either does or doesn't have, which of those years and so we had, you know, going in both directions, the team would have incredible twenty nineteen and take a pretty noticeable step back last year, and vice versa. So we have
five teams, we've split them up. I have three of them, You have two of them if my math from a state school serves, and I have it least, I don't know three and a half extremely esoteric references that I don't know why these teams and situations reminded me of, but I'm excited to reveal them.
Well, why don't you go first? So I have well here, let's let's not spoil the surprise. Okay, let's let's not do that. Looking at the teams that you've got, why don't you start with Texas A and M DAN.
I would love to start with Texas A and M So the Aggies are fascinating. So if you look at twenty nineteen, obviously a disappointing year in terms of.
Record, but as we all remember, it's.
Like kind of an impossible schedule between playing Alabama, Clemson once in a long blue moon LSU offense led by the Heisman Trophy winner. It was a tough season just in terms of situation. So that year they you know, they're right around five hundred. It was an average year
in the in the win column. But also twenty twenty was reason for there was reason for optimism going into the season, and I felt like they maybe even eclipsed my high expectations for a bounce back year given an easier schedule, and so when you look at the reason I mean beyond the schedule in twenty nineteen, it's not a particularly explosive team. The twenty nineteen squad. You know, they don't have playmakers all over the field. Kellen Mond sort of was who he was, which was definitely solid.
Is that fair? He was consistently solid with a pretty and I think he raised his ceiling when you look at what the Aggies did against especially Florida and North Carolina in twenty twenty. But in terms of status quo, I do think they are closer to twenty twenty and moving forward. There is something promising about you know, returning the best one of the best three tight ends in the country in Jalen Weidermeier, just because he was their leading receiver last year. And so the hope is that
they develop more explosion on offense. Obviously Mike Elco has helped to take that defense to a really nice level. And there is still something about the SEC West that there's a lot up in the air. There's there's still like the question of you know, what is ole missus ceiling, What is Mississippi State going to look like as Mike Leach transforms the place. We know Arkansas improved, we know LSU should be heading in the right direction. Alabama was a monster, but at the same time A and M's
recruited super well. It's you know, there's the quarterback question. There's me a battle this year. Haines King, who had some time last year, a highly regarded recruit, is seems to be the leader in the clubhouse. But I just I find myself liking a lot about A and M, especially if they can develop more explosion on offense, and that's you know, Caleb Chapman getting healthier from last year and fully weaponizing a Nyas Smith. So I think they're
winning more. If the twenty twenty one twenty two squads are playing the twenty nineteen schedule, I think they're winning more. I don't know if they're betting comes in an Alabama or LSU, but they're probably beating Auburn. They're probably a more complete experience. So my one direction for the Aggies is onward and upward and continued twenty twenty success.
The interesting thing about I'm looking at A and M's twenty twenty one schedule, and if any college football fan has ever been to FBS schedules dot com, where we all go to look at schedules, they've got listed out here all of the upcoming games, starting with the spring game on April the seventeenth. The Maroon and White spring game may legit be the toughest non conference game on this sture. Yeah, absolutely so. I mean it's not like they're going to be going out of their way to
play any golias. Obviously, they've got to play an SEC WES slate, which should be better this coming Sea. I think I agree with you. They've recruited really well. They do lose Kelenmond and the quarterback spot I think is going to be an area to watch, but there is enough around them, and Jimbo Fisher has done this before. They were in contention. You could say that with kind of a ry grin or with a serious face. You know,
I guess they're in cons where we're coming from. But they were a top ten team, Yeah, they were top ten teen to a top five team, and they had a really good season. So I felt for a long time that bringing Jimbo over to the SEC West was gonna perhaps change that dynamic. It just may take a little bit to get there. And now without Kellenmond, who I agree he was serviceable, he was very very good, he was solid. I'm curious to see if the next man up can take them to greater heights.
I do have a slight asterisk asterisk so in the way that twenty nineteen was brutal schedule wise, and this is just a devil's ad advocate a little more context. You have a Mississippi State team that kind of collapsed pretty early on after that LSU win in twenty twenty, an all time bad Vanderbilt team that they had an extremely slow start against. That's a seventeen to twelve win.
The Florida win was very impressive in hindsight. Arkansas moved the ball against Texas, A and M I believe, especially on the ground. South Carolina was extremely bad for stretches of twenty twenty and fired their coach. LSU was uncharacteristically bad. Auburn had its own issues, especially on offense. Tennessee fired their coach and had large stretches of playing bad football, and North Carolina, while definitely capital g good, wasn't amazing all the time on defense. So nothing A and M
can do except win the games on their schedule. But in terms of showing what they could in twenty nineteen against a series of high quality teams, I don't know if they fully had that opportunity. Okay, so there's your devil's advocate.
We feel like the one direction, the one direction for this A and M squad is more of what we saw in twenty twenty. Yes, absolutely, yeah, that's were you a one direction person? What? No? A one direction person? What does that mean?
Like you got a little bit happy and you had you know, you were tapping your fingers on your car's middle console when a one direction song would come on your satellite r M. I was never I think they're fine.
I don't know. Yeah, they're fine. It's not like I'm sure there were some toe taps, let's say, but I'm not. I'm not going to profess to like hearing them on the Sirius XM radio and not wondering I wonder what's on channel twelve instead that you know what I mean? Like it wasn't it. They didn't have that draw for me. I'm a specially one direction on A and M.
If they can generate more big plays downfield, because that's what I mean, that's what beat him against Florida.
Can you know how many members I'm going all over the place. How many members of one direction? Can you name? Uh? There was Harry Styles for sure. There was Liam something okay, zany last name, Zane Mallick mm hmm. And those are the only ones I know. I don't know how were there five? They're five Louis and Niall, which I would not have known if I didn't look at that. Oh was there a Liam? There was a Liam? Okay, Liam Payne, Liam Payne. Yeah, Okay, where are we going? Let's do
NC State? Dan, I love this? Okay, NC State the wolf Pack baby. In twenty nineteen, they were four and eight. They were dreadful. They beat East Carolina, West Carolina, Ball State, and Syracuse. That was it. Offense was dreadful. They were worse in the passing game in the than in the rushing game, but they were just bad. Their turnover margin was just about the worst in the nation at minus thirteen,
created no big plays. The defense wasn't much better, but it was a tick better than the offense, which was really nonexistent. More than anything, though, they were very young, very young, which maybe tips you off where I'm going with my breakdown here. Very young quarterback was a great example. Twenty nineteen was the year after Ryan Finley. It was
pretty good. It was pretty good Frenzy State. Some of the names that we had at quarterback were the same that we had last year or this past season, I should say, but just a year younger. So Bailey Hawkman, Devin Leary, they both saw time. Matthew McKay opened up the season as the starter. I remember he had there were high hopes for I mean, bigger dude. Yeah, big dude,
like six'. Four he eventually transferred before the start of the twenty twenty season over To Montana state because it was clear it wasn't he was not going to get the. Job BUT i think that played a. Factor they also had stagnation on the coaching staff Because Dave dorian's been there since twenty. THIRTEEN i think he's done an okay, job about a five hundred, coach a little bit better
than five. Hundred but a lot of the guys in that staff had been there a, while and one of the things that they tried to do in light of that four and eight season going into twenty twenty was shake things. Up so they bring In Tim, beck who we you, know we love to make fun Of Tim. BECK i don't think that's ever going to. Change but the offense was, better it, improved it was. Better it was decidedly average in most, respects which was a significant
improvement in and of. Itself they went eight and four this past. Season they didn't really beat anyone THAT i would say was that. Terrific they edged Both pit And liberty by one.
Point, WELL i, MEAN i think Beating, virginia Beating, liberty beating you, said What, Pit Pitt, bike those are all. Solid that was a weird, game That PIT Nc state. Game but, yeah a win is a win is a.
Win SO i think Where i'm going with this is just that they definitely took a step forward by shaking things. Up on the. Staff you had fewer of these like assistant offensive coordinators or passing game coordinators or. Whatever on the defensive, side it seemed like they simplified it. Down they brought in some new names and that may have. Helped and to the point at, quarterback Both Devin leary
And Bailey hawkman saw. Time McKay transferred Out as we, Said leary got off to a good start and then got, hurt And hawkman got most of the, STAPs and, look he still throws too many, interceptions but all of their completion percentages got. Better SO i think in conjunction with the quarterback position getting a little bit more, mature the team did as. Well remember they were very young in twenty. Nineteen they're a year older in twenty. Twenty goofy. Year
we've already acknowledged that a million. Times but they got better. Defensively they also got better AND i would say above average truly in most. CASES i tend to think that twenty twenty is more of the direction, here AND i feel pretty good about this team in the short. Term twenty nineteen was a. Blip if you look At Dave, dorian he had one bad season when he started AT Nc, state he had another in twenty. Nineteen everything in between was like, seven, five eight and. Four that's what this
program is under. Him AND i do think they were still young enough last season that we can expect perhaps more gains moving, forward BUT i don't believe that foreign eight at. All so my one, direction, yeah is twenty twenty as well FOR Nc state.
At Mississippi, state At Boston college At, miami At Florida state At wake not a HORRIBLE i, know they Get clemson In North, carolina but in terms of a road, schedule you, KNOW i THINK Nc state is squarely still like The Turkey club of THE, acc always, solid very high floor in most.
Years so, YEAH i THINK i. AGREE i. Agree where do you want to go? Next? NEXT i want to go To, Washington, Dan, yeah the alma mater of your, brother that's, true the hated rival of Your Oregon ducks one. School we used to Call Jake forest for obvious, reasons a. Quarterback But washington's in an interesting spot Because Chris peterson, retires moves into more of an administrative role or whatever he's doing, now turns it over To Jimmy lake promotion from,
within a lot of folks feel good About Jimmy. Lake but we kind of didn't get a really good sense for Where washington's at because they only play like four games in twenty. Twenty So i'm curious to get your read, On, like can we even use twenty twenty as an?
INDICATOR i think we can use it as sort of a. PROLOGUE i think there are elements that makes sense to look at as indicative of where the program is, heading but not necessarily a. Referendum washington is interesting Because Jimmy lake is a bigger personality and was a great defensive coordinator when he was in that role With Pete kwikowski
as his co defensive. Coordinator AND i thought there was going to be sort of a jump starting of A washington program that got kind of stagnant after they went to the playoff With Jimmy. Lake and it still may happen on the. Field on, offense you, know they they Start Dylan morris and he's, fine, efficient but they you, know they're not great at. Receiver they lose a couple of their best receivers to. Transfer they're not recruiting all that.
Well and the thing that concerns, me and we don't need to go Over John donovan in your deep, Feeling please.
Don't it's look it's already a dreary day here In Eastern.
Pa, YEAH i just you Remember ocean's eleven or The oceans. Movies, yes do you remember Who Basher tar? Was of Course Basher tar good character.
Other than the, ACCENT i would, say, yeah Don shields that was No, bino not my, thing but the.
Character and the performance otherwise were fun, munitions expert explosions and there that is when you look at the, staff when you look at the, roster it's very difficult to see where the munitions and explosivity is going to come. From it's you, know their best pass catching option Is Kate, otten who's good one of the OTHER i MEAN i Mentioned Dadan, widermeier But jaden Or JALEN i always forget WHAT i say earlier on in the, show but there is It's.
Jalen excuse.
Me there is something intriguing about a defense that had, playmakers especially upfront and in the second. AREA i really Like, Trent trent, McDuffie, wow my names are all over the, place AND ztf, upfront But i'm growing concerned about the recruiting and this IS i, mean we had this conversation about a number of teams in Our Ceiling Best Possible scenario show a few weeks, ago but twenty nineteen was what it was because of inconsistent play from the, offense
especially the passing. Game so It's Jacob eeson and his receivers and drops and inconsistencies and the games That washington lost was it was definitely not a situation Of Jacob eeson in a losing, Effort so that's a little bit. Troubling BUT i think they're in a different place that they're going to try to win with ball, control AND.
I think they will.
Solidly so three in, one what does that extrapolate to nine and three for a twelve game. SEASON i would sell them short of, that BUT i would say it's in that direction once. Again SO i don't think they're a five hundred program BECAUSE i still think the Talent in the short, term at, least we'll see what happens with recruiting because it was kind of a disaster last. Year aside From Sam, huart the blue chip quarterback coming, in just no footprint on The West coast in terms
of blue Chips, California, Arizona, Utah. Colorado just for whatever, Reason Jimmy lake and that recruiting department did not resonate with The western. Footprint that's concerning Because washington doesn't have to Me oregon, fan so take it with whatever grain of salt you. Want they don't have that cachet right, Now so long, Term i'm skeptical BUT i think they're still going to be above five. HUNDRED i still think
they're going to be able to pull enough. Talent but in the short, TERM i think they are a Comfortable bowl team with a not particularly dangerous. Ceiling what is your stance On Jimmy?
Lake can we, like we can obviously look at the health of the program and the talent that's on the, Roster but as a, coach what do we know about him and how do we feel that that affects this?
DIRECTION i, MEAN i think it's pretty. Incomplete he's been a head coach four. GAMES i think you can learn about his recruiting a little. Bit but that's also recruiting during a pandemic year in which they didn't have visitors on, campus official visitors. Anyway so here's what we. Know we know that the offense in year zero point two wasn't particularly, dynamic but somewhat. Efficient they held on to BEAT i Believe utah And stanford sat on their chests for four
quarters and beat. Them what does that mean big? PICTURE i don't. Know they weren't able to play in The pac twelve championship, game but the fact Is Jimmy lake Had washington in a position if you remove THE covid and health and safety protocol element of it to play in season one in The pac twelve. Championship, however, backwards THE pac twelve seemed all year long with its cancelations
and movements and. Whatever SO i mean SOLID bb. Plus i'd like to see, more especially in terms of recruiting offense overall recruiting, level AND i Think Sam hewart could potentially covered cover for a lot if he works out at quarterback in a year or two whenever it is that he steps. In but track record isn't great for
blue chip quarterbacks From Pacific. NORTHWEST i am extremely cautiously optimistic because it feels Like Jimmy lake is building a really Nice Boisey state, program looking more diamonds in the rough and ball. CONTROL i don't, Know i'm not there, yet but definitely closer to a comfortable ball team than where they were in twenty.
Nineteen that's what makes, You. Washington let me Talk, baylor let me get let me Get baylor off my. Chest baylor goes eleven and three in twenty, nineteen lost two close games To oklahoma and then To georgia in The Sugar. BOWL i think it was like twenty twenty six to, fourteen something like that in the bowl. Game this Was Matt rules's final year In waco before he jumped over to The Carolina, panthers a hot. Commodity, remember everyone Wanted Matt.
Rule UNLIKE Nc, state who was just dreadful in terms of turnover margin in twenty, Nineteen baylor was on the opposite side of. That this is a, team you'll, recall that was led by its. Defense they were plus eleven in turnover. Ratio so they weren't outstanding on, offense but they were really good at creating, opportunity creating those moments For Charlie brewer in the offense to capitalize. On and
they were largely dependent On Charlie brewer in that. Offense he was beat, up he wasn't protected, well but the offense was good enough with. Him that was a team With Jamichael, hasty they had a couple running backs that they. Utilize Denzel mims had a really good year out wide on that. Squad oh, yeah this is a good enough
offense to get the job. DONE i know it frustrated a lot Of baylor, fans but the expectation the hope was that moving forward they'd get better at Protecting, brewer they wouldn't be as reliant on, him he would be less nicked, up and that they could continue to build on that. Success but by large they were led by the. Defense the offense is one. Thing there are a lot of upperclassmen on that. Defense it was a top twenty unit per the sp. Plus that's what enabled them again
to go eleven to. Three they had a crack At oklahoma twice and the first game in particular was very. Close they probably should have. Won second one in the conference championship they lost as. Well but this is a good.
Team it was an overtime, game, RIGHT i believe they didn't give up more than thirty. POINTS i DON'T i think once maybe Against oklahoma that first.
Time it's a very good, team very good, DEFENSE a snow advisory, man very good defense that brings us a twenty. Twenty Dan Matt rule. Bolts he goes to THE nfl in, Enters Dave, randa please do the voice, now this is your. Cue oh, yeah you're, right ty lego. Batman Dave randa leads The bears to a two and seven. Season they only beat The state Of, kansas both K state And kansas they lost to everybody. Else they got absolutely throttled
By Oklahoma state to close out the. Season this is the year the bottom fell out whole new staff For Dave. Randa the offense was, brutal just. Terrible they've since parted ways With Larry, fedoro who didn't work out at. All, Right jeff grime is going to take over from, here Like. Grimey, Yeah grimey comes over FROM. Byu he's gonna be the
new guy for twenty twenty. One but it wasn't just, offense you, know the defense slipped as, well not nearly as, much but a lot of turnover again twenty, nineteen a lot of, upperclassmen oh, yeah twenty. Twenty there was just a lot to. Replace so it wasn't an ideal scenario For Dave, randa especially given the pandemic and plus they shot themselves in the foot a. LOT i think that
above all. Else you, recall as we did a lot of our game recaps at the end of the season in twenty, TWENTY i would go out to These baylor. BLOGS i would listen to the Our Daily bears podcast with a, Friend Peter, pope The, pope the Original. Pope, yeah the original and they were beside, themselves beside themselves because this was a team that felt like it couldn't get out of its own way at certain. Times and
SO i get. THAT i take. THAT i still believe That randa's a really good, hire AND i THINK i hope one of the takeaways from the twenty twenty season is going to be that you just couldn't really take it that seriously for some of these schools that saw a huge, blip like it's it's, meaningful it's an indicator of, something but especially for the schools that had a new, coach that that, transition that effect JUST i don't see
how it could not have been. Exaggerated learning a new, system learning new personalities through, zoom like THAT'S i don't, know that's no way to.
Fly, yeah the same thing goes For, jimmy like that's sort of the exact game.
Exactly that's WHY i asked the, question, Frankly SO i don't take two and seven all that. SERIOUSLY i get.
It if you have, to if you can't go in the, middle unless you want to say this is your middle, PICK i GUESS i think we have to settle a middle pick for one of the five when we're, done.
Which Direction i'm inclined to Go baylor as the middle. Pick we can talk it.
Through, Okay, well do you think shout Out? Waco do you think they're a fixer?
Upper THAT'S i, mean we're really mixing our metaphors, here aren't. We it's, Okay it's, okay it's our. Show are you Loving baylor or listing? It Does baylor have good? Bones if it doesn't work? Out Could Dave randa soon be a new house? Hunter this is AN hgtv special right. Now, YEAH i apologize with all my. Heart i'm so. Sorry do you got a property brothers in? There can we? Do is there a spin that we can do?
This and there were there not two players with the same last name two years ago who weren't?
BROTHERS i believe.
So, yeah there was a linebacker and a defensive, lineman but the names escape. Me, YEAH i think you're, Right. TY i don't think The baylor job is an extreme makeo Or.
I'm? Terrible why AM? I?
OKAY i think middle is fair if that's the one we're going to use for all of these five teams, OVERALL.
I, mean we go back through, it we.
CAN i think historically you might be more accurate saying they're sort of more borderline to. Underwhelming, yeah BUT i, yeah that's the Direction i'm actually going to go. In not BECAUSE i don't Like, baylor but if you're going to force me to Choose New year's six team or big, disappointment ALL i have With Dave randa is a year, one year, zero and it's understandable that it was a. Disappointment so that's the that's the one DIRECTION i will
go in With. Baylor but if you want to use your Z mare And morris middle pick, here you know you.
CAN'T i just think seven and, five eight and four is much more likely than another two and seven or even an eleven and. THREE i THINK i think the middle feels. Right why don't We why don't we do our last? Team you're not fully loving it and you're not fully listing. It is what you're telling. Me that's exactly, right that's exactly. Right i'm decidedly in the. Middle still some curb, appeal a little bit of. Girl this is the. Worst this is the worst thing we've, read the worst
thing we've ever. Done in this. Show, YEAH i. Agree, well The milanum game was see you didn't like, that but people Were people were truly either loving that or listing that there was no it was Like Notre dame. Fis people either loved it or they hated its. Guts so in the content, business which is what this, is that's an okay place to, BE i. Guess so, yeah it was our cilantro, Right, okay last team that will decide our middle mm, hm who do we? Got you got one? Left? Minnesota, yeah Sky.
Yuma So minnesota had a fascinating couple years just because the heights that they saw were in Modern big. Ten In minnesota football universes. Unprecedented you, know they, win including the bowl game win Over. Auburn they win eleven, games they Beat Penn. State they certainly don't Beat iowa And, wisconsin but in terms of the spotlight and playing against big time teams and, winning So i'm just sort of looking At auburn And Penn state in this, Instance minnesota
football was. Fantastic Now Penn state hires away their offensive, coordinator SO i can shoehorn in the name THAT i still love to work into the, show even though he's now an analyst At West. Virginia Kirk, SHIRAKA.
I don't know if you have the sound. AVAILABLE i don't have. THIS i actually deleted it off my. Soundboard no hold, on, Sorry, Kirk sorry, SORRY i GUESS i have to keep that on now that he is an analyst At West.
Virginia, yeah Anytime West virginia does something good or bad on, offense we can, say well maybe.
Sure, wrong, good glad we can keep that.
Continue, SO i, mean it's pretty obvious why twenty nineteen went so. Well it's everything came together on both sides of the. Ball they had all conference caliber players on both sides of the. Ball and when you look at especially, receiver they had two dudes And Tyler johnson And Rashad bateman who popped onlike probably any Other MINNESOTA i think they both went over a thousand Yards minnesota receiving. Duo
and there's just they had a great. Offense Tanner morgan was hitting and was, efficient and it was sort of a running back by committee because of, HEALTH i, believe With Moe ibrahim And Rod.
Smith Rod, smith.
They were a really good. Team now you can also look at it as, well they snuck by their first four, opponents none of whom.
We're all that, good.
Right it was a really really low point for An illinois team who eventually fired their, coach And nebraska team who was disappointing all year, long A rutgers team who ended up firing their, coach A maryland team in year one of a, coach and A northwestern team who had a disastrous offensive. Season and so it was a good year to be good In minnesota as a good team took advantage nothing they can help with the quality of their, opponents but losing To wisconsin the way that they did
was a little bit. Concerning but even it was a great, year and you, know they get edged out By. Iowa SO i THINK i came into twenty twenty with high. Hopes but the losses on, defense THE covid losses over the course of the, year and everybody has, this But minnesota was hit particularly hard early, on and these the, lose the loss that they had Against, Michigan it's, like, well Maybe michigan's. Excellent minnesota is also pretty, Good and it turns out those things were. Wrong michigan not so,
Excellent minnesota not pretty. Good so it largely was because of, defense And Tanner morgan took a step back With Mike sanford stepping in For Kirk, shrock But Tanner morgan also played well at, times and you, know dealing with the new guys that they were dealing with the new offensive line a lot of the, season it's understandable why they
would struggle the way that they. Did That maryland loss was sort of one in a, million losing in overtime on an extra point, Miss like there's there are reasons that you can, Say, okay their record was, this but in, reality they were, competitive especially on, offense more than they get credit. For so, gosh with a three and four versus eleven and, two that's a that's a big. Sway that's a big swing between those two. Records i'm going to say three and four is the one direction For,
minnesota but that'sctually Where i'm gonna use my. Middle i'm going to use my middle BECAUSE i JUST i believe IN pj flexibility to get a team consistently to bowl, games AND i believe In minnesota as a seven ish win team in A big Ten west that's still not crazy. Dangerous northwestern is good, again And iowa is always. Good And wisconsin should improve over a. DISAPPOINTMENT i just you, Know Tanner morgan is somehow back for eleventh, year so that's. Nice,
YEAH i feel decently. Good they're my fence sitting, team just BECAUSE i there's not one singular thing LIKE i Figured minnesota would recruit a little bit. Better you look at WHAT. Pj fleck was able to do in Getting Rashad bateman out Of, georgia finding those. Guys he's still in like the eighth best class in The big ten. RANGE i would love to see, him you, know if there were any way to get him, fifth, sixth, whatever
that'd be nice in terms of future. Optimism but, YEAH i think all in, all there my middle team with that one, direction knowing that the bottom was where it was this past. Year the direction is more twenty, twenty just because giving up forty nine it's week. One it's a weird year To michigan giving up what they did on the. Ground two are just in all facets To, Tullia tungo By low And.
Maryland it's. Troubling losing To iowa BY i mean they just got. Destroyed it was like four or five. Touchdowns that's not.
Great so that's generally WHERE i, stand AND i Think i'm.
Not super high on The Mike sandford higher. Now right, NOW i don't know what about what About? Fleck what About? Fleck because there are there are two camps OF. Pj fleck observers out. There there are the people who are all in well of everything ABOUT. Pj, fleck inject him directly into my. Veins there are others who think he's The wizard Of oz right all, Flash, yeah where do you? STAND i LIKE. Pj.
FLECK i do BECAUSE i think so much of college football is just making eighteen to twenty two year old's care and give. Everything and in a year in which they could take advantage of a down schedule and a bunch of upperclassmen on both sides of the, ball they did. So and you don't need to look that far back To Tim brewster or some of the depths of The Jerry Kill Tracy clay's, era And Glen mason was. Fine it was a lot of five hundred.
ISH i THINK.
Pj fleck will be better Than Glen mason in the long. Term his name continues to come up for big, jobs AND i don't know if that's fully warrant. WARRANTED i think it's more of the cult of personality and, like, oh what could he do with more resources and you, know having the personality that he does and the ability
to generate. Enthusiasm i'm not there in the way THAT i was With Matt, ruhle where people were so high on my rule because of what he was able to do At temple and the way that you, know WHAT. Pj fleck was able to do At Western. MICHIGAN i thought the results were clearer and longer term With Matt rule in terms of turning around programs and reaching new.
HEIGHTS.
Pj, Fleck i'm not fully there. Yet i'd like to see what he does with whoever takes over After Tanner. Morgan i'd like to see how the defense is rebuilt. Now he made a really good move when he changed defensive, COORDINATORS i believe at the end of twenty, eighteen so THAT i did like. That that seemed to have worked out for them at least in twenty. Nineteen but, no they're my middle. Team they are my if things break, right eight and, four if things, don't six and six type program right.
Now so they are your middle, team is what you're saying they're my Middle. TEAM i think it's still a fantastic. SONG i THINK i found all of an eight bit.
VERSION i didn't know if you were GOING i don't know if you were GOING zed Or Jimmy.
World now we WENT. Z it was the first thing that came. Up, yeah that's. Fair both songs absolute studs of. Song you sent me the what was that The New York times like creator video for The? Middle, YES i could watch every one of those, videos not just for The, middle every single one of. THEM i love.
Them how producers and, artists, singers songwriters put together. Songs you, Know New York times as, It Rolling stone, GENIUS i, know does. It they're all. Fascinating they're all. Phenomenal and, Yeah i'm with. YOU i can't get. Enough and that song, specifically it's a great. Song And Maren morris country, singer right country.
Singer, yeah, yeah.
And that was more of a dance electro Pop i'm so. Old and The Jimmy world version is also. Fantastic do you remember the music video for The Jimmy world version of The. Middle it was very strange in.
Retrospect it's A i don't THINK i do actually it's a bunch of kids in their underwear at like a high school. Party oh, yeah, yeah yeah.
Yeah and there's like an outcast kid who's wearing clothes and he goes To it's JUST i rewatched it this morning and it was very.
Strange Jimmy world is at the, party, though so that's. Cool CAN i give you a hot take? Here i'm. Ready i'm not SURE i really get why music videos or even a.
THING i think it WAS mtv and that was, like it was such an incredible way to build a visual brand to go along with what especially kids would hear on the, radio.
So you're more.
Invested you See Jimmy world and you're, like, OH i want to see them, live, Right you see them, playing you see them in the, studio you see them On letterman.
Whatever then you get this creative. ELEMENT i also think record labels had so much money because CDs cost eighteen dollars a, piece and they thought to, themselves why don't we just make three minute mini movies and pay future movie directors who were twenty seven to direct a three minute music video and get it ON mtv and be you, know if a music, video especially, pops it'll get ON.
Mtv if the song is especially, hooky it'll get ON mtv and every you know human under nineteen In america was WATCHING trl way back.
When, yeah so it was like this incredible promotional. TOOL i. THINK i, mean you WATCHED mtv and music, videos didn't you GOG? Trl? Yeah? Yeah, yeah oh.
YEAH i worked for one of like the absolute like blue chip directors of music videos in that. Era he directed like Popa roach And blaquinity two And Weezer Marco. SIEGA i was an. Intern that was my first job out of. COLLEGE i was an intern for his production. Company it was pretty.
Fun all. Right, well my middle team, is, Uh. Baylor i'm gonna Go. Baylor i'll stick With. BAYLOR i think they're probably closer to seven to, five eight and four over the long, haul maybe squeeze in a nine or ten win season here or, there but definitely not a two and seven. TEAM i don't buy. That not With Dave. RANDA i still have a lot of faith In Lego. Batman good, movie by the, Way yeah not. Bad, okay real,
QUICK i JUST i have to do. This i'm not even gonna grit a, chance And i'm not gonna let it play because a circumstance here in The Pat league has degraded to the point THAT i the schedule is so fed up right now that they've Got lafayette playing two games this weekend And bucknell playing two games this. WEEKEND i think EVERY i think everything was postponed last. Week, ah and so NOW i See lafayette Against, Bucknell bucknell Against, lehigh And lafayette Against.
Fordham it's an old fashioned. Doubleheader Bob ucker on the. Call, YEAH i have no idea what's.
HAPPENING i hope everyone is healthy and not, sick and somebody from one of those schools is going to have to write In soliverble at gmail dot com let me know what the heck's going. ON i really want to steer into the spring football version of The Pat, league but, HONESTLY i feel like at this, point the SECOND i say, it it's going to be. Obsolete So i'm not doing. It not Doing i'm not putting who's actually. PLAYING i don't. KNOW i have no, idea is my.
Point i'm on The Pat league's site right, now so tomorrow or this weekend is the twenty, seventh.
Twenty, yeah twenty, Seventh So i'm.
Seeing Buck, Now lehigh Postponed Holy, Cross colgate Postponed Lafayette fordham In New, York New, york which is a very conflicting emotional matchup for me And lafayette Buck now four Pm. Lewisburg, now how you remember how the criticism of twenty four to people in Southern california was? Trick my, Dude jack is driving From chatsworth To eskundido in thirty, minutes which averages out to two hundred and ninety three miles an.
Hour so If lafayette And fordham at one Pm eastern play an absolute nothing but runs and they finished the five minute, halftime you, know wolf down some orange slices and granola bars and they finished the game in two? Hours is it possible with light? TRAFFIC i want to have you up With Google.
Maps, yeah is it?
Possible OR i guess one of your your chosen app on your phone to get from The bronx to Beautiful, LOUISBOURG.
Pa there is no. Chance there is no. Chance oh, Here i'll put it In, LOUISBOURG pa to The. Bronx do it at.
Like three in the. Morning like if you know you can change the time of, journey.
There's there's just no. Way so empty, Streets, Bronx New. York, Okay bronx depart at the part at here we go to part at three. Am, yep three and a half, hours three and a. Half there's no way you would need The Jack bauer. Car how.
LONG i guess you could get there if there were a plane, somewhere you, Know westchester somewhere up.
There does Does lewis have an? Airport i'm sure you, know flying To, mifflinburg flying To, williamsport flying To.
Williamsport williamsport's pretty. Close land on the Baseball. Diamond, okay so that you could.
Do but, otherwise, no there's no chance you could drive.
IT i guess you could split the. Difference we talked about this when we were trying to figure out the season and just go To East Stroudsburg high, Right James Franklin, territory you could you could.
Go In James Franklin territory and with the, difference So East stroudsburg about a buck forty five in The. Bronx, yeah you could go up. There, yes maybe that's what it's going to.
Do it's Basically lafayette taking on all comers In East.
Stroudsburg, Okay i'd. Watch so we have to depart here at about five minutes because you're doing a pizza. Contest can you please detail. THAT i need to know more about this and what your strategy is my pizza. CONTEST i got to run downstairs in a. Minute Here.
Jody's aunt said called me up and, said, hey can you bring over like three or four? Pizzas we want to have a contest Because jody's cousins From atlanta are up in The Chicago land area and one of her cousins loves a local place and wants to compare the local place in local style to my. Pizzas and there are going to BE i don't know ten people or so eating pizza and. Judging and so Now i'm under.
PRESSURE i can only make one pizza at a, time SO i have to figure out how to rewarm things up before stuffing a two year old and a month old into a, car keep the pizzas warm in the, car and get it served to people at a reasonable.
Temperature. There, so what is the format of said? Contests is there a blind taste test or anything like? THAT i don't think.
SO i think it's going to be very obvious because my slices are more traditional triangles and these are more bar cut in the, squares the thin, squares so it'll be very clear which pie is. Which AND i think there's maybe a corn meal element to the dough of
the local, place so very different. STYLES i don't know what the actual format, is But i'm making two plain, pizzas so just, tomato, sauce cheese and some seasoning and, basil And i'm going to do a straight pep and Then i'm going to go with a wild card pep shaved garlic, ooh and a spicy honey. Drizzle very, light but it'll give it that sweet and spice ending.
Note will you be at all crestfallen if you do not? WIN i will be actually, yeah, yeah, SEE i know, you AND i know there's a competitive flare there that you don't always let, on but you want to win. This.
Yeah if somebody says that this, place Which i'm sure is, delicious is better than my, Pizza i'm a non. PROFESSIONAL i don't want a pizza. Place this place has been operating for. Decades if somebody in the grouping says we prefer this Place i'm going to say.
They they they have an.
Advantage they have the, boxes they have the insulated carrying the situation, CHILD i don't have any of.
That pay them a reasonable, wage blah blah.
Blah they can pay four they can make multiple pizzas at a, time one at a, time And i'm, reheating so this is not indicative of my true. Quality, yeah, Yeah i'm gonna throw a.
Fit, okay, yeah all, Right, LOOK i don't want you to miss the bus. HERE i WANT i, WANT i want to make sure that you've got enough time to do your, thing relax and win the. Contest but you have to report back, now both On patreon everbowlers dot com as well as On tuesday. Episode we need to.
KNOW i will Absolutely WHAT i want to do IS i want to make pizza FOR i, Mean i'll make pizza for.
You that's, fine if you make it here or. WHATEVER i want to make pizza For MAMA. H, yeah, yeah because she seems pretty. Invested, yeah Momy h would be Very she's she's definitely dan pizza. CURIOUS i love. It all, right all, right well you got to, go and the find people out there got to go as. Well they've listened to Our One direction, show play that on the way. Out thank you so much for, downloading for, listening for playing along with this. Madness.
YEAH i was just gonna, say sometimes we look, back like what show should we do this? Week during the off, Season we'll look back to a previous years, like oh we did A Mari condo, Show oh we did One.
Direction oh ty created AN Rpg And i'm, like well that was sort of a one. Off and that's that's your behind the scene block for that guy over, THERE a by good Friend Dan rubinstein for Myself Tye. Hildebrand enjoy your, Weekend stay, safe stay. Happy by all, means fay sivent peace m hm hm