Welcome to the solid verbal.
Ill 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 Edith state is that whoo whoom?
And now then and tie, Welcome back to the solid verbal Boys and girls. My name is Ty hilden Brandt, joining me as always and actually actually seated directly to my left. Yeah, the man the Nith, Dan Rubinstein, sir, how are you?
Life is good? You came all the way to my apartment. We're in Brooklyn right now to record because we're double recording, so by the time you listen to this, the other episode where we are recording is going to be up or we'll be up soon.
I believe that's R.
Charley. Yeah, we're recording in New York. One because we like each other, we like hanging out, we're pals. And two we're recording our nineties Internet and Computers completely in one thousand percent off topic show with Bill Barr. Well, that's right after we record this, That's right. So we're knocking at least two shows out in one one sitting and life is good. We're doing Pack twelve South Pack
twelve Seuth and the Mountain West West. I believe I do like that there's a west in Mountain that's that's fun.
It sounds like you're It's not quite legends and leaders fun, it's in the same vein.
But yes, I'm excited to get out to the West Coast. I have a lot of Packed twelve South thoughts. It is a division that has gone through some changes recently, both for the better and for the more comical and mysterious. So I'm I'm happy. I'm getting a little hungry. We're gonna eat it soon, getting to be that time of day, but I'm ready. I have a lot of thoughts. I this was my initial thought because I like to think
about the divisions. We talked about Fatlantic, We talked about the Southeastern Conference East in terms of the missing Olsen twins, not missing, but other Olsen twin. I I in my mind, I was trying to think about what the PAC twelve South represents to me, and I was just cycling through Mike Tyson's punch out opponents because there is that clear hierarchy. Sure of Mike Tyson was a use aka mister dream. I want to say if the game didn't have the license for him, but there's a path to beat mister
dream slash Mike Tyson. And so I could only get as far as saying, I think Khalil Tait is don Flamenco don Flamenco. Yeah, just that one huge uppercut. I don't know what else Arizona has that scares me, but that uppercut is quite the upper.
With their defense being King Hippo, I'm assuming, yes, you're going the defense is King the pants fall down.
If you wanted to talk me into Khlil Tap being Great Tiger with that like that quick disappearing act kind of thing, the morphin around that, I that I could be on board with.
The disappearing act was a little challenging, yes for Great Tiger.
But but that big thing to me is everybody has. Everybody's not one note, but there is that comical vulnerability that everybody I think in the South has, maybe outside of us A Chip Kelly with the soda Popinski tan oh, there is a lot of soda Popinski.
There's a little bit helly, right, Yeah, there is Welcome back to the show. Yeah, forget you can get in on our live show action if you're out in the Chicago Land area against August the eleventh, at seven pm Central daylight time. We'll be going for about two hours, after which we're going to hang out at a bar. See what happens with one and a half drink.
Dan hashtag tenders with Tye.
That's right. If you want to get in on the action, tickets are still available, you can go to soliverbotickets dot com. That'll redirect you to the ticket buying site again at Chicago's historic Vidim Theater August the eleventh. If you're going to be around, or if you've got friends that are around, that's just like college football, you don't have to be
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at soliverbl dot com or by going to that Facebook page. So, as Dan mansed, we got a lot to discuss here as it relates to the six teams of the PAC twelve South. We're also going to go through the Mountain West Western Division, and we are recording another show right after this. We will have to talk out when we're going to post that Bill show. Yes, but we are going to post that show at some point, like we've been doing each and every year with Bill Barnwell in
the latter stages of July. First, we did EMO. Last year, we did the big one where we talked about ninety.
Sports video games.
YEP. This year it's going to be broader all things nineties Internet, which is I think a real wheelhouse topic for all of us.
Maybe we'll just focus on nineties Internet and how it affected our love life. Maybe that's the direct Probably not that, but that'll be an element. Anyway, I'm excited to talk PAC twelve Pack.
Pack twelve South is where we're starting now. You you are the resident PAC twelve officionado between the two.
I'm the only Pack twelve fan in New York. I'm the last I'm the only living PAC twelve.
Boy, and you're an endangered species. You're from this part of the country, so you really truly understand what this what this signifies in that area of the country.
It just means a little, a little, a little bit. Yeah, people have better things to do. Yeah, there's a lot to do on the West coast.
As you look at the PAC twelve South, what is your general broad overview? What's your takeaway?
So to Pop Penski right that there is this weird cycle because I remember having a very similar conversation when I was at I went to PACK twelve Media Days in twenty twelve, and there was the infusion of Rich rod at Arizona. The addition, I think Todd Graham was just for you know, Mike Leach was was super new to the conference, and there was this idea of like, oh my god, we have these new coaches doing exciting new things, and maybe this will be the spark that
propels the PAC twelve into a broader national conversation. Now we have Herm Edwards doing it, which is a little different context wise than Todd Graham. It was a lot of like, Ah, Todd Graham's going to stay here at Arizona State. There was that big offensive mastermind in Rich Rodriguez coming to Arizona. Now there's the big offensive mastermind, Kevin Sumlan coming to Arizona. Jim Moore was relatively new and it was like, oh, NFL experience didn't really work out,
but he's at UCLA. Chip Kelly, NFL experience didn't really work out, but he's at UCLA. So there is kind of a cyclical nature to how we talk about the PAC twelve and a rising attention across the country. But because there are so many unknown factors in the PAC twelve South, because of new quarterback at USC, new coach at UCLA, super fun quarterback at Arizona, but new coach Arizona State, you know, tearing it down to the studs and starting over with an ESPN guy. Totally normal, totally
totally normal. And so that one thing that isn't cyclical is Skoyle Whittingham's just hanging out, just chilling, developing big dudes, just collecting a paycheck.
Winning eight nine games, Yeah, going.
To a goal. So there's sort of like the more things change, the more things stay the same.
Yeah, I looked at it and it's so different to me because Sam Darnold's gone down, USC still has a ton of talent. USC is clearly, I'm sure you would agree the top dog in the PAC twelve South, but it's it's a much different setup this year. We're not in this vein where we're going to be talking about USC as I don't think a national championship contender. We're used to USC being that top ten team with a
lot of potential, a lot of promise. The potential still there in fairness, but I don't know if anyone's talking about USC is like a ten win team right right now. It could happen, for sure, it could happen. They've got talent, but that to me, it really echoes on down through the rest of that division where we just don't really know what to expect. There are some new coaches, there's some exciting players. Utah just hanging out will probably win their fair share of games, but.
A much much as that game is in Salt Lake City, the Utah USC game, which we know what's going to happen, all its terrifying twenty seven twenty six Utah, right.
My point is that it's just like a lot lower stress this year, yeah than I think I've been accustomed to. As we've been previewing.
These yes USC specifically, there is there there always seems like oh, they're replacing their entire defense, or they're replacing their entire offensive line, or they only have fifty two scholarships. Everything is always it seems to be like dramatic off season. You know, see Sarcusians fired in the middle of the season. Lane Kiffen is, you know, let go. There's always like
this dramatic element to USC. And in the way that we say, you know, the acc joke free, USC is drama free for the most part, like it doesn't seem like there's you know, there was not crazy coaching changes there. You know, quarterback obviously, you know Sam Donald leaves early, but there the quarterback depth is pretty good at least with decent talented quarterback. Just don't screw up. Give the ball to some talented playmakers behind a good offensive line.
USC's offense should once again be at the top. And then I mean, they lose Tyson Hilton to Tennessee, but it was you know, tem Martin's.
But they kept Clay, They kept Clay.
They kept Clay and kept Clay, and so well there's Clay and Clancy, but keeping Clay is a big deal. And then on defense up front, a lot of these guys have rotated in. There's a ton of blue chip talent, which is the least surprising thing about USC. And they were a little bit shaky at times against the run last year, but look at their schedule. Who's running all over USC this year? Who is taking advantage of you know, no Rasheem Green China and Wosu was one of the
great underrated defensive players last year and he's gone. It's super disruptive. But you'll see. I don't believe Washington State is going to run a ton. You know, they go to Stanford, that's going to be a mess. That's going to be tough to stop Bryce Love for four quarters. But Colorado Utah, I think Zach Moss is fine, Arizona State, I'm not terribly worried about Oregon State, cal Ucla, Notre Dame will probably have a decent running game by that at the time, that runs a long.
Defense and defense that will test this USC offense for sure. But I think you're right, and given the talent, given the fact that the schedule is for the most part pretty good.
Yeah, it's a tougher. You know, going to Stanford to Texas early is a quick wake up call for whoever starts a quarterback.
But yeah, beyond that, not bad. Yes, it's workable, and it'll certainly give them a chance to enough runway to put together a good campaign far and away the top team in the Pactwell, South know the way you can look at it.
So here's here's the quarterback issue. Obviously people have and we are included in that. JT. Daniels declared recommit. What am I looking for? He enters USC a year early, he reclassified sure and has the clear highest ceiling most talents you know, would have been the nomber one quarterback perhaps or probably like the a top four quarterback in last year's class as a junior was. It was a
pretty talented class with Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence. But it's clear that he will eventually be the starting quarterback sooner rather than later. If he doesn't start out, I assume it could be uh, Matt Fink or Jack Sears. Probably Fink has a little bit more experience in the offense.
Now, listen, Matt Sink was six for nine. Yeah, think what I say?
I think Sink?
No, no, Matt think excuse me? Yeah, six for nine passing last year.
That's true. Throwing that out there six nine. So the only real concern I would have about USC is USC how do they shoot themselves in the foot in that one dumb game they like not to say Utah is disappointing, but they barely get by Utah last year at home, I believe, and I think it was Troy Williams starting, not Tyler Huntley. They beat him by a point. And it's it's can USC make, you know, make its way
through the Pac twelve unscathed or whatever? Because they're probably gonna win the Pack twelve if it's not for Washington, who I don't believe they play this year, which is nice. It's how will USC acquit itself nationally? It's what do they look like against what should be a pretty good
Texas defense? And if they win the Pac twelve and either end up in the playoff or end up in a New Year's Bowl game, what do they look like after looking abysmal against Ohio State this past bowl game and abysmal against Alabama the year before.
So here's my big operative question about USC. I'm looking at the depth chart now, I'm looking at what USC brings back on both sides of the football. They're pretty good up front, at least on offense. Yeah, oh, definitely, four or five linemen are back. That's a good foundation. There are questions about the quarterback position. Whoever that quarterback ends up being will probably be just fine. Yes, in
the grand scheme of things. They've got a good running back and Stephen Karr not quite as explosive as what they've had, but still versatile, serviceable. He will give them numbers and they're fine out wide, as they always are at USC. The offense will be far and away better than most other offenses, not just in the conference, but probably in the country because they're USC. My questions are on defense upfront, a little new, all right, what are
we dealing with upfront? We'll have to figure that out as we go along. But the back half of that defense is actually in pretty good shape. So even though we're not talking as much about USC this year, and maybe that's because of the quarterback position, I don't know, this is still a team that's in a really good spot. They're going to win a bunch of games, and they're gonna get better as the year goes on, which is
what scares me as a Notre Dame fan. Knowing that the last game of the year is against Notre Dame at home. What will USC look like by that point in the season. That's terrifying to me. It's always terrifying to me when the last game of the year is in LA against USC, but particularly this team, which feels like it has a lot of room to grow. That's a scary proposition.
Here's the great news again, if you're a USC fan, because everything is pretty much great news, there's a good chance you live in southern California or environs and you're recruiting super well. You have consistency when you look at the quarterbacks that they will face this year, I all can go through the quarterback situations and you can tell me if you're scared about any of these guys throwing downfield. And USC has gotten after the quarterback pretty well, and
they return a bunch in the secondary. I know Jack Jones was kicked off the team, but other than that, they've recruited super well. There unlv and Armani Rogers. He's fun, he's a dual threat. He's not beating anybody deep consistently. Stanford's pass game I don't think has been anywhere near where it should be Texas. I don't think they're beating a ton of teams deep, especially early on. I like the receivers, but I don't think they have that the deep.
That play is not a strength for Texas.
No, not at all. Washington State's breaking a new quarterback situation. Khalil Taate, Yes, because there's that threat of run. He should be a to pop some Steven Montes, Tyler Huntley. They've struggled throwing downfield a lot recently, Arizona State and many wil Niquil Harry. Yeah, I'm scared of that.
That's fun.
I'm scared of that. Oregon State, no Cal at this point, No, especially no Demetrius Robertson. You seel like Will Spae, Wilton Spade not necessarily and Brandon wimbush Ian book. Right now, it's hard to say you should be threatened downfield?
Do I prefer dual threat?
Yeah? But yeah, so, I think it's very difficult to imagine USC losing fewer than or excuse me, losing more than two two and a half games, as say, two to three games. Yeah, and that's if everything goes wrong. I think they go nine and three.
I think that's fair. Yeah, I think that's fair.
Yeah, So ten and two feels about ten and two eleven and one, even if quarterback is simply pretty good.
Yeah, okay, that's USC again ten and two a year ago, starting over in some respects this year, but still in a very very good spot as we.
End healthy Porter Gustin too, I'll get after it.
As we enter twenty eighteen. Sure, all right, where do we want to go next?
Then?
After USC? It feels to me like the natural logic would take us to.
Utah, Colorado. Oh, let's go to Utah. Let's go to Utah. Let's talk big heavies.
Utah, all right, big ugly quarterback situation is not bad now. I feel like I say that every year. It's it's not bad. It's an underhanded compliment if you want to call it that, but it's not bad, right it it he Tyler Huntley was hurt a little bit last year. Correct when he played, and when he got things going in a good direction, it was it was pretty serviceable. He started the season really well, started the season right. When he came back later in the year was a
lot better. But Utah, I think has a good quarterback situation, better than a lot of other teams in the country. So I'm fine with Utah and where they stand.
With Huntley, there's a lot of promise in a way that I don't think has existed sit in Salt Lake City, not just because of Hunting in the way he started out last year. He had the huge game I think it was San Jose State. It wasn't against huge opponents, but he had a ridiculous game against UCLA and I think was good against I want to say Wazoo. So there is there's a lot of promise there. He struggled
against Oregon. But the reason I say promise is if anything happens with him, if he's not cautious in the way because he is a dual threat like he should have been last year. Jack Tuttle is the probable backup, and Jack Tuttle is somebody I think he committed to Kyle Whittingham early at quarterback blue chip from southern California
and just turned away everybody to stick with Utah. And I think a lot of people are genuinely not surprised but impressed that Utah was able to reel in a high level quarterback talent in a way that they really have sure, So quarterback situation is great. They replaced a lot on defense, But I'm just I'm not going to worry about Utah defense. I'm just not.
No, you never worry about Utah defense because, as you said, Kyle Whittingham is just hanging out there, finding a way to put together a beast defensive line like he does every year, right and hold teams down. I'm really curious about this offense now. I'm not enamored with their situation out wide. However, they do have Zach Moss, a returning running back and a pretty experienced offensive line that he can run behind. Yep. Combine that with a good quarterback.
I think all things considered, Utah has in a pretty good spot offensively. And that's not something I'm used to saying. Like, we usually don't have a lot of nice things to say about Utah as an offense. Maybe they've got one or two studs that were going to follow throughout the course of the year, But I don't know the last time I really felt this way about a Utah team, just looking at it and being like, yep, they'll be able to.
Move the ball. Yeah, I'm still not convinced because of receiver. I know They get Britain Covey back, and that's a big deal. He took his LDS mission. But the game changers at receiver just don't seem to be there for Utah. They bring in Darren Carrington last year as a grad transfer, and that was a nice addition, but it was not indicative of where Utah's offense is going because I don't think they have the talent at receiver yet. But if Jack Tuttle, if you know, Tyler Huntley is really good
this year, maybe that changes. And I like their offensive coordinator a lot. Troy Taylor came to them from Eastern Washington running the Boat Baldwin wide open systems, so I think that's still a move that's going to pay dividends. I love Bradley and Ay he is one of the better and more underrated defensive linemen in the country. He is just he is this year's whoever Hunter Dimmick whatever, right exactly, he is that guy. I think he led
them in sacks last year. In any case, Utah and defense is one of those things there's very few unworriables, not definitely, not a word in college football. We're like, yeah, they're gonna get it figured out pretty quickly. Schedule is pretty nice. They go to NIU, which is it feels trappy, it feels dangerous, you know, with an offense that's not like dominant to go against that defense. I'm not writing in a win there. But I think they miss Washington,
I believe right. I know they get Washington earlier after NIU.
See here. Oh here's the thing.
So I don't love their schedule.
Well, I agree with you that the non conference schedule is okay, Yeah, all right at Northern Illinois, maybe a little trappy Weber State the Thursday to start the season.
They finished with the.
They've got the Holy War, which is always kind of a tricky game. But they didn't really draw the correct straw in terms of who they're getting from the north. Yes, that's true, because I see Washington on here. I see Stanford a road game against Stanford on here. I see Oregon late in the year on here. Their PAC twelve North component of the schedule is not doing them any favors.
No, it looks like they miss Oregon State and Cal which is not who you want to miss. No, not generally, not who you want to miss. So, yes, their schedule is rough. I'm not thinking b why he's going to be tricky. I probably not, probably not. Defensively, they may improve, but I am I'm not fully sold on that. The big thing is Utah consistency. It's tough to go to Salt Lake City. This is something we try to say every years. It's a loud place, it's trappy, it's at altitude.
The Utah's in that zone where teams like USC or Oregon or whoever think they can just walk in and be more talented than and then they just sort of get whooped up a little bit. And so I am I am looking forward to watching Utah. It's hard to see them with this schedule winning more than seven or eight.
That being said, yeah, if you replay each of our last ten years of pre exact game, it's the exact same. Yeah, it's the exact same Because I'm going through I'm the same exercise. I'm counting out all right, when and when I get to seven, Yeah, that I feel pretty good about. In my head, that means nine.
Yeah.
From Utah and Kyle that always means at least eight maybe nine.
Yeah. Utah's sort of puts the no in November though, where you get super excited about them through Halloween, and then all of a sudden like heh yeah, they're seven and five, eight and far Like, it's just I don't think they have the depth necessarily. I don't think they have these special players on it that will be the issue. Yeah, the special players on offense, I think is going to be the limiting factor.
All right, from Utah, then let's go to Arizona.
Yeah, let's do it. Let's talk about a special offensive player.
Let's talk about a special offensive player. You and I had an informal discussion before we hit record. Mm hm, who's the best player in the Pac twelve South?
Yeah, it's probably Khalil Tate, But there are other people that I could see making a case by you, like Nikhil Harry might be the most single most talented player at his position, not just in the conference, but in the country. There are players like that, Chase Lucas also at Arizona State, Bradley in a Utah. We'll see what JT. Daniels or Stephen Carr, any of the guys on USC Porter Gustin bring to the table. UCLI, I don't see
a special player right now. I am I am curious but yes, I think Khalil Tate right now is he's got to be the no brainer, pure talent.
He's at least your no brainer Heisman candidate in.
Kid gains averaging fifteen yards per carry like it was stupid.
Right the PAC twelve right. So in and of himself, Khalil Tate makes Arizona interesting. There are other components that make Arizona even more interesting. They've got a new coach, Rich Rod was unceremoniously relieved of duties yes late in the process, and they go to Kevin Someone. Is Kevin Someone a different coach than Rich Rodriguez? I feel, I mean they're different physically different people, but it feels like
mostly the same kind of thing. Our question, our persistent question on this show since they announced that he was going to be the guy, is how much different is this really going to be? How much different will this team look from what we're used to seeing now the last couple of years under Rich Rodriguez.
So someone brings in coordinators he's either worked with as recently as last year or recently as in a few years ago. Marcel Yates he retains from rich Rod's staff as defensive coordinator running the four two five he had successful. I think the talent level on Arizona's defense has been super disappointing. Like I don't think it's up to par
as for competing for the Pac twelve South recently. They had a couple of years, you know, you remember Scooby Wright destroying worlds, running that sort of fun, interesting, unpredictable three three five under Jeff Castile, where that defense was a nice compliment to the offense. They were fast and unpredictable defense, like Colin Schooler, who was probably a freshman All American last year. And I think it's older brother
plays or yeah, I think older brothers at Oregon. And I really like the idea of Arizona having a fast, fun defense with what there should be able to recruit from southern California, but the talent isn't there yet, especially upfront. The good news is even if they're giving up thirty eight forty one points, they're probably scoring forty five points. They can drop a bunch of those digits. And it's
Khalil Tate. You know, he got beat up near the end of last season and wasn't as effective, But effective Khalil Tate is about the scariest thing in the country outside of Bryce Love.
Maybe we have seen Kevin Someone in a situation fairly recently where he had a dynamic quarterback. He just wrote that uarters.
That's going to be the talking point is can Kevin Someone do for Khalil Tate what he did for Johnny Manzil.
He was successful for a finite moment in time. He was very successful having a dynamic player at quarterback, who could run, who could throw, who could just make things interesting. And so as Khalil Tate goes, so will Arizona's offense. Probably so will Arizona's team, and probably will I think this new look Kevin someone Era, given where Texas A and M was when he.
Left here, here would be my concern about that line of talking. Speaking I don't know English. Johnny Manzel had an NFL offensive line in front of him. Arizona does not have that in front of They're fine, but they don't have it in front of the.
Tate whatever receiver Mike Evans.
Ryan Swope like, there was serious, serious talents surrounding Johnny Manziel, Which is not to say that it wasn't Johnny Manziel doing it, but it was Johnny Manzel taking advantage and being put into a situation to maximize his own talents. I like the Arizona receivers. There's no Mike Evans. I like Sean Brown and Tony Allison, They're not quite Mike Evans. I like JJ Taylor a whole bunch. He's one of my just in terms of watching a player, JJ Taylor.
He's tiny, He's got one of the most ridiculous first steps of any running backs in the country. He's going to get beat up and that might be soak and wet. That's that's sort of a concern of mine. So that almost makes what Khalil Tate's ceiling more impressive to me, because he is that one man wrecking where we saw it against Wazoo last year, we sagt against Colorado and UCLA and USCA putting up stupid numbers. He is a gamer.
I am. I'm not sold on the Johnny Manzel progression of just absurd every week.
Yeah, no, I and look, I don't mean to draw a direct comparison between the no, but it's really they're different players. But Kevin someone's been in that situation where he's had a really dynamic player at quarterback, and he was able to use that to his advantage. It actually kind of fell apart when Manziel left. Yeah, he needs that guy a quarterback. Just to remind people of Khalil Tate's numbers form a year, please.
I'm ready.
You know this has no real bearing on what happens in twenty eighteen, but just a tip of the hat to Khalil Tate.
Oh my god.
Fifteen hundred and thirty yards on the ground with twelve touchdowns and.
He didn't start this season that court. You know, we didn't start the season playing quarterback at Brandon Dawkins did.
And sixty two percent of his passes completion fifteen hundred and ninety one yards passing in fourteen touchdowns, nine interceptions. They'll need to improve upon, sure, all right, but still a dynamic player, really fun player to watch if you care. As we've been framing this out on all of our previews shows, if you if you are looking for a reason to care, just broadly about the PAC twelve South, Khalil takes a pretty big one. Yeah, get used to that name if you're not already familiar with it.
Absolutely stay up late for Khalil Tate's that's my bumpers. I like that very good. Yeah late for Tate. I don't have too much to add other than it worries me that whenever you have to say, oh, the defense has to improve to below average, that is troubling because they were a bismal last year.
And well, let me let me ask you this question because at the last show when we talked about the Big twelve, Yeah, we were throwing out numbers. Top forty seven for Oklahoma would be good, top forty five for someone else, top sixty eight, top what would be good for Arizona?
Given I think they finished around ninety fifth and S and P plus defense. So you're asking me what the defense needs to finish. Give the offense enough runway to win games more often than not, because you know they feel six and six, seven and five ish to me, they need to have they need to feel the top seventy.
Seventies, Yeah, seventy seventy five, somewhere.
In that range. And schedule wise, quarterback wise, I know they miss do they miss Washington? They do miss Washington, miss Washing so that's nice. But they do have Oregon. They have Oregon at home. They go to Wazoo BYU Houston, Southern Utah, Oregon State to d USC to start out the season at Houston. I would be pretty worried about that was a close game recently. And I really like
Derek King at quarterback. If we're talking about a special quarterback or potentially a special quarterback who can take advantage of a lackluster defense, Derek King maybe that name. And otherwise road trip wise, going to Oregon State to Wazoo to UCLA. Going to the UCLA is not all that difficult, but it just isn't I schedule is fine. I just it's faced out pretty well. For being honest, tape gets hurt. It's just it to me, it's too much. I know people are talking about Arizona as a wild card in
the South. It's too much on his shoulders eyes, that's true. And even if you know Johnny Manziel got hurt, there were other options for Texas A and M and Nolman Zone. You're you're always going to get above average offense. But that's literally always above average, and that's for better or worse.
Well, as khuil Take goes, so will Arizona. Yeah, I think that's fair to say, let's stay in the state of Arizona, let's and let's talk about ASU. ASU went seven to five a year ago. They have also changed out their coaching situation. I think you described it accurately at the top of the show, where they've ripped it down to the studs and entrusted it. Now the rebuild to a guy from ESPN. Yep, Herm Edwards who came in, was a bit confused in his introductory press.
I don't know what Herm is like. I don't know what Herm is doing in that Like, I don't know what he's saying, but I don't know what. Like is he crazy or crazy like a fox? Yeah, that's the thing, right, Is he just dressing up obvious things in a weird way to just have fun with it. I don't know. I don't know. I'm not ready to say what Herm Edwards is doing is all that different or weird? He's just dressing it up different.
If Herm Edwards would have left his post at ESPN and announced to the world maybe on Twitter, I am going to go on a motivational speaking tour.
The most sense, I would scroll past it on Twitter without thinking because like, yeah, of course, of.
Course, right, he's a very very cogent, powerful influential speaker. He grabs your attention. Sure that has to stand for something, maybe very little thing as it relates to coaching. I don't know what else he's doing here, though, I think he could probably motivate the troops his strategy of upending the existing model and starting anew at asu as you know, maybe it's the most revolutionary thing to hit college football in a decade.
I think he's just describing something that already exists in a different way.
He's pulling an apple, is what he's doing.
Yes, yes, absolutely, he's making a big deal over removing the headphone jack when other places had removed the headphone jack already. But he with his platform and going on TV all the time, and you know, having that big personality, it feels different and wacky, when in fact he's probably just talking about it in a slightly different way. Here's
the great news for herm Edwards. He does have an offensive and defensive coordinator after losing both his offensive and defensive coordinator after staying after saying they were going to stay, So that would have been what Phil Bennett and the new coach at Louisiana. What's its face? Billy Napier, Right, So I apologize to Louisiana. What's its face? Great news.
Manny Wilkins is an underrated national quarterback, probably a top fifteen quarterback in the country, twenty quarterback in the country. Really good. The running game I don't think is going to be all that great, But I really like the combination of Nikhil Harry and Kyle Williams. I think that's one of the better duos in the country, mostly because of Nikhil Harry, but also because it gives them options downfield. The line in front of him, I think is pretty good.
And Arizona State on the other side of the ball, they're going I believe they're going to a three three five. Correct, That's correct, They're going to a three three five And they may have the single best cover corner in the conference in Chase Lucas. So in terms of pieces, in terms of what Herm Edwards can do, and we're not necessarily only talking about this season going out and recruiting. Look what we helped do, whether it's we or the
previous staff, whatever. Look what Chase Lucas has been able to do and thrive with at Arizona State and Tempe. You know, look at what we're able to develop. Look at Manny Wilkins is you know, by all accounts like has a great story, a great dude, whatever, and he's thriving in Tempe. So there are down to those studs. There are studs.
There, there are actual studs. And to your point, just to build upon what you said about the receiving corps, it's not just us that feels good about that receiving cores. They were so confident in their own receiving corps. Jalen Henry or excuse me, Jalen Harvey, who was their third leading receiver, was moved to defense. That's how good they feel about their depth on thet the I thought you were trying to say Jalen Strong and I was get all mixed up.
Yeah, but no, your.
Jalen Strong would be a great addition as well. But this is a different one, and they've moved them to defense because they feel pretty good about their depth out at the wide receiver spot. So this is, as you said, a team being ripped down to the studs with at least studs on which they can build something moving forward.
Now, tricky, tricky September. Yeah, Michigan State, San Diego State, and Washington are three of the best twenty defenses in the country, and they have them in a row, two of which on the road. San Diego State. Who san Diego State just relaxes and beats pack twelve teams. That's what San Diego State does. Michigan State should have a very good defense, Washington should have an excellent defense. Beyond that, though,
it's still pretty tricky. They have Stanford and USC in sort of consecutive weeks.
Let's look at the back half of this freaking schedule. Look at this schedule. They get a bye week on October thirteenth. What will you do on your bye WEEKDN just chill, may play some video games.
Go for a run, I mean Phoenix and Tempe finally becomes like inhabitable right thirteen.
But then after that Stanford, by the way, also off a bye week, going into their matchup on a Thursday night in Tempe October eighteenth. Yeah, the following week at USC, the week after that back home against Utah after that kind of awesome let down, look ahead Sandwich or just a regular sandwich spot at home November tenth against UCLA, who maybe pretty fisty, like figure it out by then Wi Man, come on, here we go. And then ASU closes out the season on the road, back to back
at Oregon at Arizona rivalry game. That's a tough freaking schedule.
And that's going to be a pretty good Oregon defense. A week before Khalil takes the.
Over under for wins for ash was four and a half.
Yeah, I would say it's safe to say they're not going to a bowl. I can't see it. I just can't. It's too much.
If they beat you TSA, that's one not beating Michigan State.
It's at home, it's in Tempe.
I don't think they're beating them that early.
Michigan State is traditionally under Mark d Antonio, a grower rather than a shower.
You know what I'm talking fair enough, but you know I count these up here. Getting to five is tough. I be inclined to go under.
Okay, so they could San Diego State. I think they're hiring their Their new defensive coordinator was last year San Diego State defensive coordinator. So maybe there's like a little bit of an edge there. So we give UTSA on the road. It's not terribly difficult to play at San Diego State, one two, Oregon State, Colorado and they sneak either Utah, Ucla or Arizona. Maybe that's five. I have them at five and seven.
Yeah, so no bowl. I don't know we're in agreement here, No bowl. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go three and nine, four and eight. Wow, Okay, how do you get the five? Five is a tough, tough, tough ask.
So if if my my level of success is generally determined by the combination of quarterback and defense, and I think they have a good quarterback, and I the defense is probably below average, So that doesn't feel like.
A bowl no to me, not a bowl team. All right, let's go to UCLA. Let's get this cat out of the bag. Here. A lot of news in the off season, right, Jim Morric gone.
Twelve million dollars.
Who will UCLA turned to to fill that void to take the program forward?
Right?
Carl Derell It is our boy, Charles chip Kelly.
Charles Kelly.
Have we agreed that we will refer to him as Charles chip Kelly all season long?
We have to. We've made the commitment in June.
So we just steer into it at the you don't have to I am.
I've been the one saying it, I know, but I'm the bigger jackass of the two of us, so and I'm more committed to beating a dead horse than I will say anybody that has ever had or been on a college football podcast. So, okay, I like to hire a lote. I like Charles schip Kelly and what his
ceiling should be in Westwood, he will recruit better. But I think in a similar fashion, like I wouldn't be surprised if u CLA brought in that level of three four star rather than four or five star like some of Jim Morris's classes, because I think they're going to be more judicious and they you know, Chip Kelly is that reputation with his staff, like taking a lot of time to do background research on recruits and stuff like that,
So I think he's going to find quote unquote his guys. Sure, I know Chris Peterson has the the OKG are kind of guys. Okg's guys. Chip Kelly has that very similar mindset. So I think UCLA is going to populate that roster really well in the long term. But we're talking about this.
Here, talking about this yere and for this year. I think the questions that I have about UCLA are more about where they're headed in the future. I think if you're a UCLA fan, maybe if you're a USC fan wondering what UCLA is going to be like in conference, in your side of the conference a couple of years from now, what you want to watch for at the end of this year is does it look like they're building towards something. Does it look like they're headed in
a positive direction? It will take them a couple of years to implement this system to bring in the our kind the guys, if you can call him that. For the short term, though, what kind of a canvas do we have here? And furthermore, what will that system look like? This has been our question all throughout the off season. We know what Chip Kelly looked like at Oregon, we know what he looked like in the NFL. What kind
of system now will we see at UCLA. Will it be such where he's trying to use his personnel to the best of their ability and build a system around them, or will it be truly we're starting from scratch. We're going back to what I know and we're able to recruit guys and trying to apply guys that fit my system.
So Chip Kelly has always been a let's figure out what works with what we have. He has always been that way. That's why he initially went to that system at New Hampshire and brought it to Oregon. The important thing if you're a UCLA fan and it's going to be kind of a rough season, even winning games, it's not going to be pretty because I don't think the talent level is fully there. We talked to Bruce Felman
about this earlier in the summer. He went to some practices and up close, he's just like, they have a little bit of a ways to go. The great news if you're a UCLA fan, and I sell this to you as an Oregon fan who has spent a lot of time watching Chip Kelly work his magic. Chip Kelly made a lot of decidedly non NFL quarterbacks look really good.
Right now, UCLA has a true freshman coming in Dorian Robinson, Thompson, Darrin Thompson, Robbs etr excuse me, DTR Devin Modster, who started a couple games last year and looked pretty good against Kansas State at times. When I say at times it was good first half, it was a terrible second half. And Wilton spake. Now if we run through some of the names that I got to watch at Oregon, so Jeremiah a solely what NFL team is he playing for? I will yeah, he was kicked off of that team.
Justin Roper as a fifth string shredded South Florida in the Sun Bowl and was totally serviceable. Justin Roper is not as talented as any of the people in the UCLA's quarterback room. Darren Thomas left a year early. Was not a great move, but Marcus Mariota was coming in. Darren Thomas arguably after Marcus Mariota, Oregon's most successful quarterback ever. Haven't heard the name Darren Thomas in a long time. So the good news is Chip Kelly is going to
put whoever starts at quarterback in a favorable position. The receivers are pretty good. I've been on the Theo Howard train forever. I don't know he'll actually be good, but he has the talent and has the speed. I know. They bring in Chase Coda from up in Oregon. He is like an Oregon legacy and a big deal was made. He was a big time recruit. So there is some talent receiver. I don't love their offensive line. I like a couple of guys on defense more in the back end.
Darnay Holmes calbass is high should be a really good cover corner for UCLA. And we'll see with Jalen Phillips came in with a lot of hype. But I am a huge fan of Jerry Asinarro, their defensive coordinator, although he hasn't actually been a full fledged defensive coordinator in a long time. I like their staff a lot. I like what's happening in Westwood. I am not positive and we've talked about this before. This is a long term thing. Is Chip Kelly two thousand and nine chip Kelly right now?
Yeah?
I hope so. For UCLA's fans, entertainment fan, sure, But UCLA's schedule is.
It's Oklahoma on the road Week two. That's not favorite.
Fresno State has maybe the best defense in the Mountain West. Yeah. I love their middle linebacker.
Let me read through this quick. Yeah, they open up against Cincinnati.
A quick preview. Their middle linebacker Fresno State. I think Jeffrey Allison whoa.
Okay, continue next week at Oklahoma, next week home against Fresno, than a bye at Colorado, Washington at cal Arizona, Utah on a Friday at Oregon at ASU, USC and Stanford.
It just does not there. There are no two weeks in there unless you want to. Like even Arizona and Utah both at home, it's you're still dealing with a lot in those two games, UCLA will.
Pull an upset on Somebody.
Give me the team on the road that UCLA is most likely to be, well, it will be a definite dog against that they'll upset.
It could be Arizona State.
You think that, I don't think that. Well, no, okay, they're on the road against Arizona. Say, I don't know if they'll be a don't know if they'll be a dog. But yeah, no, I'm saying a clear better situation is it Oregon? No, it's hard to I know, I don't know if they're a dog against the road. So any of the teams, so like, they could beat Utah, I think they could be a home dog against you. They could beat Utah, could beat Utah.
Okay, So transition year for UCLA. There's no harm in that. I think you look for reasons to be optimistic.
That's Halloween week, by the way, Utah. So it's deep, deeper into the season where they couldn't rhythm and understanding.
All right, I'm not prepared to make a true prediction here on UCLA transition here. Yeah, I say that I'm not a bowl team, not with the schedule.
Yeah, I think I think they will be on that quest for six late. I think the conversation could be you know, they could end up being five and six. After the USC game.
You're like, oh, if they beat Stanford at home, Kelly, have a Stanford problem.
And now we've got about an hour's worth of Colorado to talk about, right, we have a lot to deep dive on the the monteesmobile.
Yeah, are you on the Montese mobile.
He feels like the most average pack twelve quarterback where it's just like, oh, he's gonna be really good, really average.
Yeah, Stephen Montes.
It's like one step forward, one and a half steps back.
The I mean the backfield could be fun.
Yeah. Trevon McMillan, the Virginia Tech graduate transfer, Yeah, they could be fun.
It's a rough schedule.
It's very difficult for me to find a reason to care about Colorado. Wow, it's very like this was one of the of the teams we've discussed Power five teams Colorado, if.
Not even for our boy Rich and in Bolder, longtime listener.
Is he in Boulder? I know he went to Colorado. It's tough because in previous years there were defensive players, especially that defensive backfield. These past few years has been really, really good. They've populated the defense with a lot of junior college guys. They were got awful against the run last year, and it's hard to imagine this defense being at all scary in any sort of improved way from where they were last year. I Jane McIntire has been
around at receiver for a while, Mike McIntyre's son. But I am I am finding difficulties. Let me let me read a caption for you here please.
Okay, So I gave away the game a little bit on the first previous show we did when we talked about the acc Atlantic excuse me for Atlantic.
Yes, thank you.
I did buy the Phil Steel magazine, the Real Steele Dossier, as I've referred to it, and I like going through this because you know, say what you want. We've made fun of Phil Steele's website, and we've made fun of the publication. But there's a lot of stuff in here, and he clearly puts the work in and the whole work, and it is a great reference for idiots like Dan and I who you're looking at a magazine right now too. We need to try and get.
It's fair, it's home and garden rights, absolutely true, but we need to try and port as much of this into our brains as possible.
What I do like about Phil Steele, He's always very optimistic. He's not cutting anyone down in these publications. Here's what he says about the Colorado offense.
No, Phil, here's what I says.
I'm gonna read now. I'm gonna read the last two sentences. I like the replacements at running back and wide receiver, while the offensive line should be more stable despite the law. Is this unit underperformed last year and could actually top last year's numbers? Is that not the most optimistic spin on where Colorado's at offensively?
It also doesn't really say much.
No, it doesn't say anything, but it's optimistic, is my point.
Yeah, And who's to say they underperformed, Like maybe they just performed. Maybe that's just.
I don't know. I don't know, but it's kind of a compliment, kind of not kind of doesn't say much of anything, and it actually encapsulates how I feel for Colorado pretty accurately. I just don't know.
I see four to five wins for Colorado this year. I think they take a step back. I just yeah, as a program, Yeah, look.
At this freaking schedule. Colorado State at Nebraska, New Hampshire, UCLA, ASU at USC at Washington homecoming.
So Colorado could beat Nebraska in week two, they could. Nebraska might be starting a very inexperienced quarterback.
At Arizona, Washington State Utah at closing it, closing out the year. There might be for.
I'm not I'm not putting it past Colorado to throw some junk at junk. Yeah, yeah, to throw some like what's the the old Mariners Jamie Jimmy Moyer. Yeah, I'm not throwing some MacIntyre junk out the window as being a possibility, Like I I I could see them maybe winning the first three, winning the last couple and Oregon State. That gets you to six right, So that would be Colorado State, Nebraska, New Hampshire, last couple of Utah and going to col Oregon State's a home game in the
middle of the year. That gets some to Bowl eligibility. That's that's some Jamie moyerdge. Yeah, I'm not.
I'm not what you're saying.
I'm saying some Necros, some Phil and Joe Nicro, some you know, some knuckles, some junk, That's what I'm saying. You know, when they bring in like a shortstop in the fifteenth inning when they've used up all the relievers and the shortstop randomly throws like a couple killer curveballs. I'm not putting it past Colorado because I think McIntyre is a good coach. I just talent wise on both sides.
Sides. So does this make Mike McIntyre college Football's Gabe Kapler sort of What I'm hearing here.
Is that was did he come in and throw good pitches?
No, he brought guys in early this year to throw those pitches.
Yes, that's my answer.
Yeah, okay, yeah, it's they're not too high in Colorado. No, I think it's like McIntyre friend of the show, absolutely.
Friend of the show. But bowl game is gonna be a stretch, all right?
Shall we dance with the Mountain West West Division?
Mountain West West?
Yeah, Fresno State, San Diego State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii, and San Jose State.
Here is some fantastic news. There are a number of offensive, fun, offensive talents in this division, and there are only of these six teams two good defenses. So they're gonna be numbers,
They're going to be fun play. I think Armani Rodgers not an accurate quarterback by any stretch, but in terms of you know, he's a big dude who strides like he will put together he like, all of a sudden, you'll be watching the bottom line on ESPN and it'll say you and LVQB Rmani Rodgers rush for two hundred and fourteen yards, Like what?
What? Who?
Here's the great news about the actual good teams in this division. Fresno State returns a ton on the really good defense, although their coordinator from last year goes back to the CFL, which is not a phrase we say.
A lot about.
Really don't usually say that now, but Jeff Tedford has done a very very good job. Marcus mcmay in the Oregon State transfer has done a good job for them. San Diego State, if there is a name, it's Juwan Washington, who we mentioned way earlier in the spring. He could be with a really good offensive line and experienced offensive line in front of him, the new Donnelle Pumfrey, Rashad Penny.
Because they San Diego State just keeps turning particular back baby right right, so rocky long defense, really good running back. San Diego State is going to threaten ten wins again. They just are. That's It's one of the more underrated national consistent stories with San Diego State right now is that they are just a threat for double digits every year with that combination. Beyond that Nevada, I'm not buying Hawaii, sorry, nik Rolovich. No. San Jose State, Eh, nothing there for me.
Maybe interesting skill talent we have in our sheet here for yeah, San Jose State.
Yeah, they're healthier. San Jose State has fallen off since what David fails. Mike McIntyre, it's a deep cut. They've fallen off significantly. I'm not in on the Spartans, although still San Jose the home of my favorite torta in America.
Your favorite torda.
And the name of the restaurant is the least creative and thus one of my favorite names for It's just a bakery that has really good torta, Mister Torta. It's literally called Mexico Bakery, and you should go there if you're in the San Jose area.
All right, well, there you go, Pack twelve South Mountain West West in the friggin' books. Thanks for listening to the show. Don't forget. You can find our live show if you're going to be in Chicago August the eleventh. It is the same weekend. I check this up as the Big ten ten K.
Five K, ten K, ten K. I guess that would make sense.
If it's a big ten, big ten K, you gotta go ten right.
And ten K is six miles six yeah, yeah, six point two miles. And I like that the conversion big ten fourteen teams ten k six point two miles. I know it's a different system. It's a different unit of length. It's the metric system. I like that. There's number of confusion. I like that's what I'm saying.
Okay, thank you for that, no problem.
I'm glad to add nothing.
So maybe maybe you're running in the race. Yeah, you know, I don't know. Maybe you're looking for something to do. You're gonna be in Chicago the night before because these races, they're always early. Coming out to the live show. Come to the soliverble tickets dot com tickets still available, Good seats still available. Come on out, meet meet the for ballers, meet us.
The Rubinstein contingent at this show.
You've got to know. You've got a small army coming in.
My wife is from Chicago, So if you are at all interested in being around Rubens, my parents are coming. Yeah from la. I don't know why this would be attractive to you, but I think you should come. I think you should come to the Chicago Live Show. If you're in Toledo, if you're in Madison, if you're in I'm trying to Mattoon, Illinois.
Matun Yeah, hometown will Each Yeah.
Yeah. If you're you gotta come out to the live show. We're gonna have a great time.
If you're in Canada, drive down.
Oh my god, come to Yeah, it's not Canada's not that far.
It's only like a twenty five hours ride from Toronto.
What doesn't It's like Hamilton. What's the city right, Regina, I believe is right by Detroit. Okay, it comes down there. You can get certain parts of Canada. Chicago not that long. I never thought I'd say Regina on the show.
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I yeah, Subreddit are slash Solid verbal. We keep these conversations going. It gets even weirder. I'm now regretting. It feels like King Hippo played nose tackle for Utah. It's entirely possible comparison because there is that island, the Islands, and a lot of the recruiting for Utah.
Oh well, on that note, for that guy seated again to my left, Dan Rinstein, for myself, Tie Hildebrand. We will catch you all in a few days. Talks, more conferences here in the build up to the twenty eighteen season. In the meantime, stay solid, Peace,