Deion Sanders bans Lincoln Riley and Ryan Day from the Big Ten | FP5 Ep 1

e [Music] [Applause] [Music] well a brand new show uh forever power five I'm I'm host Nick D Martino I'm joined today by Anthony ballister and Zan Bando you can follow them on Twitter at ballister 555 and xan Zan b99 uh you could follow me on Twitter Nick dmart and you can follow this show FP fp5 ETB on Facebook Twitter Instagram and Tik Tok and you can you can follow all empty thebench network shows on youtube.com network uh you could also find all empty the bench podcast on ETB podcast.com and you can listen to Forever power five wherever you get your podcasts of course we are presented by playback watching sports is more fun with others but we spend too much of our time watching alone playback is a virtual space where communities can stream live sports together with everyone perfectly synced up creators can hop on stage deliver their own play-by-play analysis and commentary and invite viewers up for Q&A playback makes watching sports fully interactive and a social experience from playing fantasy sports reing your favorite players and teams and watching with the commentators and communities you care about win or lose sports are best enjoyed together join our community by going to playback. TVB Network to find out more including our live stream schedule all right so college football is finally back uh we just had week zero in Ireland and you know notably I would say a relatively notable week zero uh result or matchup between Georgia Tech and Florida State uh everybody right now is killing Florida State uh who if you're if you think you're having a bad week you're having a better week than uh Florida State or DJ oui angal uh you're you're having a better you're having a better week than they uh than they are um so I do I don't know what you guy your guys reaction was on to this uh upset it I think that it here here's here's what I think is going to happen I think this will eventually blow over because college football is a very long season and a few weeks from now or a month from now or so even like even if we're in like when we're in October this is GNA feel like ancient history this matchup and Florida State I think will bounce back from this uh there's a 12 team playoff and you get an automatic B you get an automatic bid if you win your conference so it's not like the committee's ability to hold this over their head is not as bad as it once was like a year ago this could hurt them a lot and by the way it wouldn't even hurt them that much because it's an August game uh it was a week Zero game and losing in week zero is not quite as bad as losing in say you know uh November uh it's just not quite as bad I don't know what were your guys reaction to this so I guess I'll start um first off uh this game was awesome uh George Tech obviously had a lot to appr they had a bunch of um they had a bunch of star players back they obviously had their quarterback in uh in King who who played decently well obviously obviously did enough to win and then of course you know that team has been in an upward trajectory uh the last couple of seasons and had really changed the culture you know this program hadn't been good for probably two to three decades and and Bren key has done so far a really really nice job as head coach and I would argue that that's one of the biggest upset wins in program history you know they had one you know a couple years ago eight or nine or so years ago against the them for the State team but this just had some sort of a different feel and uh it just goes to show that now you know you got to look at George attack is you know a no pushover kind of team and I think that you know maybe Florida State thought oh we got um DJ um U coming in here you know he's going to essentially be a security blanket for us you know he has a lot of college football experience and to see him get rattled in the way that he did and you know just to see Florida State you know not be able to preserve you know the the lead or or keep the game tied wait in the game and give Georgia Tech too many chances to win the game I think was the most disappointing part and you know you just have to look at the mental errors the penalties the fumbles you know the the the plays that turn the game around for Florida State it was just overall like a really disappointing kind of let down and I'm sure that you know them being pre-season ranked uh prior to this game preseason rank number 10 it's got to feel a little bit disheartening knowing that you're going back to Tallahasse 0 and one in instead of going home to T Tallahasse 1 and0 with with the September schedule on the horizon that to me should be somewhat relatively easy but at the same time you have to take every single game one at a time and I feel like this is one of those games where Georgia Tech was being given little to no respect at all and they went in and they showed the country that they should be taken as a legitimate uh contender in the ACC for at least the first part of the Season you have to still remember that this is a conference that's full of you know a bunch of talent you know you you have an NC State team that might be pretty good you have a Clemson team that might be pretty good you still have a Florida State team that's still going to be in the mix you know Notre Dame is playing a bunch of ACC power opponents I know we don't really consider Notre Dame is an ACC team but they're kind of a de facto one considering you know who they play in ACC every year yeah so I mean just considering everything and looking at it holistically this this is a huge win for Georgia and it's going to be interesting from a momentum standpoint to see where do these two teams go during during the rest of the season because this was not a pushover kind of uh kind of win for Georgia Tech and this is a statement win you know that maybe tells future recruits you know hey AB can succeed it a Georgia Tech considering that they're winning on big stages so that's what I that's what I thought about it yeah I mean games like this happen all the time I mean upsets like this happen pretty frequently I would say pretty frequently uh you know it's just that this is the current thing like if this had happened when there was a bunch of other games it wouldn't have been as big of a deal I mean as for GJ U young I mean we already know what he is I mean it's not like he was supposed to be this big star he's bounced around three different programs throughout his college career for a reason because he's really just not that good uh it like he he didn't like it's not like it's not like DJ OU was substantially worse than he Than People expected him to be he played kind of like what he is he played kind of like what he is he passed for under 200 yards no touchdowns no interceptions that's really just what it was uh like he just he just is who he is like like everybody talking about this oh this raises so many questions about DJ OU angal no it doesn't this is exactly what he's always been which is I don't I don't think so either you're you're 100% right yeah which is just not that good I mean the good news is you're talking you're talking about the ACC I mean look Florida ACC teams have an advantage a clear Advantage especially under this new model with being able to win the conf with you know just automatic bids by the way I hate automatic bids largely for this reason I do too with the automatic bid if Florida State wins the ACC they automatically get a playoff home game um so this isn't going to derail this game alone is not going to derail their season that much and no no no no but no but what could der season Nick and where I'm going to pause you a little bit is if Florida State maybe drops a second game and then potentially you know there's this whole debate like oh if you lose three games are you 100% out if you lose if you lose a second game sandwiched in there somewhere uh I those eyebrows are going to raise up toward Mike norell and people are going to go dude what the heck what the heck are you doing you know you know what I mean yeah yeah Mike norell yeah basically yeah I should have said you the only person having a worse week than DJ OU young this week is Mike norell Mike Norvell has to become like Amish turn off all social media because he's getting killed uh I don't know Anthony what what were your thoughts on this um yeah like I agree with a lot of the stuff you guys both uh echoed um obviously yeah we know DJ angala has had his struggles that's why he's on you know his third different School but obviously I think what stood out to me the most is what happened in the trenches and in the liner scrimmage Flores State coming in this season was supposed to have a dominant defensive line they got a lot of great NFL players um you got p uh Patrick you also got um Farmer on that defensive line and it seemed like GE Georgia Tech kind of kept that defensive line in check all night obviously we know Georgia Tech could run the ball you got Haynes King who's a dual threat um so they obviously could run the ball pretty well they got some great receivers as well and Singleton in Lane but man Florida State's defensive line can not um you know get to the quarterback and not you know really uh put their uh you know physicality on the game um I do think they'll step up you know we've seen a lot of these times when you get an upset like this on National Television everybody talks about it and usually that team comes up fired up in the next game I think Mike norval being a great coach as he is I think he's gonna get that team fired up and I definitely think we're gonna see much improvements um definitely next week but yeah obviously you know they're definitely going to have a whole at quarterback and Al me I think that's going to be um you know the thing that uh bees there a killes hill this season I mean I think it could be a lot of teams a killes heel this season I mean the truth is you don't necessarily it's not like in the NFL where you have to have this Star Quarterback like in the NFL quarterbacks are getting like teams just throwing money at quarterbacks who are who haven't even proven anything in their careers who are like halfway decent you can win a National Championship in college football with a quarterback whose name you forget about in 10 years like you don't have to necessarily have an amazing starting quarterback but it still is the most important position even in college football and it can still be a big problem it's true I mean speaking of quarterbacks that people probably forgot about and I'm sure you know there are names that you guys are thinking of your own off the top but one of them that comes to mind for me is is uh is uh a is AJ McCaron so you know or just you know I mean I could think of better examples than that I mean like that are much more forgettable than even than even AJ McCarron for for sure I mean I was just more so saying because he was the first person that came to mind for me so yeah well I was also I mean not even just like National Championship winning quarterback I mean one that comes to mind for me is cardal Jones it's a good one that's another one that's another like he won a national championship with Ohio State as a third he was the third string quarterback and he won a national championship because he just got hot at the right time and right the next year he ended up getting benched because he was so bad uh the same thing could arguably and and I would agree with you too and the same thing could arguably be said for JT Barrett could it not yeah absolutely and by the way these are just teams that won there's also a lot of teams throughout my you know throughout my lifetime that could have won pretty easily with forgettable quarterbacks you guys would definitely say though even though these guys are forgettable quarterbacks they definitely were decent college quarterbacks and definitely made some plays to help their teams win they absolutely did they were decent college quarterbacks but they weren't really big DJ even a decent quarterback I mean if he's getting outplayed by a guy like KES King who he's not an NFL quarterback but he's a decent college quarterback that's a dual threat if he's getting outplayed by Haynes King DJ walay is a middle of the quarterback just in the ACC alone I mean I wouldn't say he was outplayed by Hayes King I just think Georgia Tech outplayed Florida State they wanted the line of scrimmage is really what happened they wanted the line of scrimmage and they also got the turnovers they needed at the at the right at the right times but H King did add an element for the running game did Rush for over 50 yards DJ angay doesn't give you anything in terms of right about that you're right about that DJ OU Ang is not a very good running quarter is not a great running quarterback he's an okay passing quarterback neither one of but like I don't think the point I'm making is I don't think Georgia Tech won because like we seen in a lot of NFL games when one quarterback plays so much better than the other no definitely not it was more like that didn't happen no it yeah that that's definitely not what happened and you know this is going to be a tough uh uh it it's going to be a tough year for Mike norell especially given the fact that their schedule is easy enough to win the ACC like all of those games against the AC against ACC opponents are winnable for Florida State right now because right now the ACC is just not a good conference it's the weaker of the power now power four conferences um and by the way even with the power five conference even when it was power five sometimes they were the weakest so it's a very all their matchups are very winnable Clemson is what they used to be Florida State can definitely beat Clemson so you know even like they could like I said they could still be a playoff team but you know losing any game like this against an opponent who is viewed to be a cupcake uh which is really what people would use to describe George attch it might not be fair but it's just often how it's viewed it will hurt them on some level all right so I do want to talk about this story uh Deion Sanders and you know I want to talk about his expectations as a coach and also this Bargo he's putting on a columnist in Colorado for negative coverage of him uh the thing is I think the problem with Deion Sanders right now is that he still has the mindset of an athlete and when I say the mindset of an athlete the the mindset of like a corner which is what he was a cornerback and you know cornerbacks can be great players but they're never really leaders some of them in his case he certainly was like you know Corners wide receivers all sorts of position players they can be cultural phenomenons in a sense but they're never leaders even if they're great players that's why wide receivers are often known for being Divas Corners are often known for talking a lot of crap and being very cocky because they can kind of you can't have a quarterback that way you can't have a quarterback who's just a head case whereas wide receivers Corners all sorts of players are of in head cases and I think Deion Sanders right now is he hasn't gotten out of the athlete celebrity mindset the problem is now he's a he's a coach a coach is he's the leader of the whole program and he's putting this embargo on this columnist basically saying this whole the whole Colorado team not even just him the whole team is not allowed to talk to this reporter because of he's critical of him I mean what do you think uh a columnist job is to do a columnist job is to criticize if you're a and you love everything a coach is doing especially last year they went four and eight I mean you're not going to have a job for very long like it's a columnist job to be honest and by the way I mean this is Colorado he's not in New York like imagine being I I mean like this is like what what Deion Sanders is going through with critics is nothing compared to what a lot of coaches go through I mean imagine what Aaron Boon goes through in New York you think he wants to pick up the New York Post no of course not because coaches are supposed to be criticized by columnists and I I don't know if it's because he has thin skin or if it's because he's he knows he can kind of get away with this because he's a powerful figure as a as a head coach but this is just such a bad look for Deion Sanders yeah and I mean oh sorry sorry oh okay I was just going to say is someone who um someone who studied journalism both both undergrad and graduate school and is someone who's done a lot of writing a lot of different places or from a from from a journalistic standpoint this is just bad business on both sides first off it's clear to me that Colorado wants favorable coverage if you're a if you're a columnist and you're giving your subject favorable coverage that me means that you're not technically doing the full journalism that you should be doing so that's that's that's Point number one point number two The Denver Post defending their reporter is what they is what is what they should do if you if you are loyal to your people in the journalism business they will be they will be loyal to you the journalism Community is clearly coming to this guy's defense and number three these PR people should know because reporters are meant to report they're not there to they're not there to be fans that of course there's going to be negative stuff written about there's negative stuff written about every single Team every single day do I necessarily agree with this of that's written about the schools that I support sometimes or the schools that I've covered in the past yeah I said no but to full out to full out ban a guy from doing his jobs simply because he can't and ask questions and simply because he can't be critical of a powerful figure that that that that quite frankly I just personally believe is overblown hype is is absolute um is is absolute astronomically bad it's Amateur hour from a from a from a PR standpoint and I it just go to show that even though this is a Colorado situation this is also an SID situation as well because every Sid should know who they're bringing in to cover their program and and and if they feel that you know if they feel that you know okay this is a credible reporter and they have and they have a very good reputation but but they're gonna they're but they're going to criticize us they they they should it's part of their it's part of their job The Denver Post and I hey we do this to somebody off camera The Denver Post is not a PR arm and it's very clear that The Denver Post is going to be as is going to be as objective as they possibly can and if this columnist feels the way that he feels the last person that should be criticized is him that's what I that's what I think yeah yeah you know I um honestly when it comes to Deion Sanders I love his realness um he's definitely straight up with every player definitely can't call him fake um he tells you like it is and he definitely has an aurora about him but at the end of the day he does got a big ego and you got to remember how many times in his life has he ever been criticized he was a dominant College athlete basically Flawless went R to the NFL dominated at multiple positions won a Super Bowl first ballad Hall of Famer and is widely recognized as the greatest quarterback of all time so he's not used to this type of criticism and I think after all these years of him always being the man and never really you know making mistakes you know this is a little different he doesn't have full control he can't go on the field and make plays for these guys and I think a lot of times I think that's what makes him hard to handle this criticism because he knows there's only so much he could do to affect the outcome of these games um I do like some of the pieces that he does have on his team obviously I do love shardor Sanders his son in my opinion I think he's going to be the best quarterback in college football this year obviously Travis Hunter may be the best overall player the guy's a great receiver and a great quarterback all in one player but honestly I don't think Colorado has the overall depth and even though they're going to be improved I don't think they have the offensive line to really really compete and make a really run for the Big 12 Championship they'll be improved from last year um but I only see them probably you know getting about six wins being B eligible and honestly guys I don't see Dion being at Colorado that long I think he's gonna coach his two sons this year and maybe be at Colorado one or two more years and then may go and do something else well when you say do something else you mean like Co move on to a better job um I either a better job or go back to television or or just quit retire because honestly I feel like once his sons move on I don't know how competitive Colorado is really going to be I mean pretty much all they have is the the the two sons and Travis Hunter all those guys are going to be in the NFL next year so Colorado could be a really bad team next year and I'm not sure how long he's gonna stick around without his sons and if the team's only winning three to four games after they leave well I'll say Deion Sanders by himself makes the team a lot more uh I would say he by himself uh Deion Sanders makes the team a lot more competitive just I mean just in terms of recruiting he does I'm looking for where they are in the recruiting class I can't find it they might not even be top but being such a winner that Dion is even if they even if he does make them better we got to remember before Dion Colorado was a one to two to three win team with Dion they're probably a four to five win team but that's not good enough to keep Dion sticking around if he's only winning four or five games I don't know if he's gonna stay around that long especially if he doesn't coach his sons anymore except I don't think he's gonna win only four or five games I think he's gonna be I think it's going to be over that I think that they're at least an above 500 team I mean last year are you talking about this year or next year I'm talking about this year so I no I'm I agree with you they're going to win six or seven games this year but I'm saying after that when his sons leave I think they're going to go back to a four five win team and I'm not sure how long Deion Sanders is gonna stick around for that yeah I mean I I I don't know if they'll go back to that it's just that like like he like I said he has made the program so much more relevant and has uh improved recruiting so drastically I I'm just not convinced that that's going to happen yeah and they're yeah and they're pretty much and to add to your point Nick D they pretty much were in every single game Wester there wasn't a there wasn't a single game where You' where where you'd watch Colorado maybe minus the Oregon game and maybe one other game where you were like wow th this team was legitimately competitive for three quarters I I want exactly I want to point out that like it the way college football coaches are should be judged at least not always but should be and in Deion Sanders's case I think it would only be fair even though they went four and eight last year they were very good for four and8 team especially given that how bad they were the year before they were like the Rockies were like I would say the Rockies the uh the uh uh the Colorado last two years ago was like what the white socks are now in baseball right like they were a joke like they were the laughing stock of all of major college football last year and two years two years ago right and the year after that they were he was able to go foreign he was able to go for and8 which obviously is not a good record they didn't make a bowl game or anything but they but they were but would you argue Nick D that they were like three plays away from going six and six because I I was just gonna say that they played six ranked teams last year five of those six were one- score games now they lost five of those six games uh except the TC game when Deion Sanders Badgers the reporter and says do you believe now it's like but how much did that had to do with the fact that you had a guy like shador Sanders at the quarterback position and you had a guy like Travis Hunter who could play both ways of the field I know Hunter and shador Sanders had their injuries but those guys being on the field made the difference and made those games competitive those guys aren't being replaced but but the thing is star players leave all the time every couple of years in college football and programs don't go down the tubes just because every time a star player leaves and also what I'll point out is you're giving players the credit but whatever player is on that roster is there because of the coach because the coach is in college football is effectively a GM and a head coach they they have two jobs in one so the reason Travis Hunter was there is because Dion brought him there Travis Hunter was number one recru colle for Deion Sanders but Travis Hunter was number more crew come out of high school any team you'd have went to he'd have been a great player no I know that but the point I'm making is that he wouldn't have been at Colorado if Deion Sanders didn't bring him there otherwise that's what I that's what I think too yeah but since that recruiting guy has Deion Sanders recruited anybody at close to that level uh since other than Travis Hunter I mean I don't think anybody really recruits that many players at that level because he he got Travis Hunter but he hasn't really had a star player I mean he got McAn the quarterback last year but he ended up having to transfer out so I mean he hasn't really got that he's got the one big recruit but has Deion Sanders brought anybody else in other than Travis Hunter and I'm just saying I think after Travis Hunter those guys leaves I'm not going to be so confident in Dion being able to still succeed at Colorado but but but you have to remember he's him his name attracts recruits players want to play for Deion Sanders recruits want to play for Deion Sanders and that makes a huge difference no I definitely agree but I don't think they're ever going to be a huge like recruiting power out it's never going to be a top 10 recruiting team no no I I agree they won't be a top 10 recruiting team like they will never compete with Alabama Georgia Ohio State and I and also I think what we're failing to realize too is they just transitioned from formerly the Pack 12 to the Big 12 which is which is which is no slouch like there they may have went from here to here in terms of in terms of who they have to play year year in and year out playing okal State's not easy playing State's not easy playing TCU is not easy playing award ad easy those are those are those are those are tough matchups well to be yeah yeah go ahead go ahead no no you go ahead I was I was basically done oh yeah so basically okay I kind of agree but I don't think it really makes that much of a difference because you have to remember the Pack 12 was actually the last couple of years it was around was actually a pretty tough conference the 12 usually has some really good teams and by the way a lot of the really good teams in the Big 12 namely Oklahoma and Texas they're not there anymore they're in the SEC so I don't think it's I I don't really think the Big 12 is vastly different than the Pack 12 right now just in terms of competition I don't think that makes much of a difference um but you know overall I basically if I were to summarize this whole thing is that he has to stop thinking like an athlete and a celebrity and a lot more like a coach and what I'll say is he has to know this like I know this he knows this too everybody who follows Sports knows this nobody is more scrutinized than a college football coach nobody's more scrutinized they're more scrutinized than NFL coaches ba basketball coaches baseball coaches they are scrutinized often times for silly reasons God forbid you lose a game in early September that maybe you should win uh with you know and with a bunch of college kids like it is way worse as a CO like you like just objectively speaking it is far worse as right and and it and it goes back to it goes back to what we just talked about in the first segment here you know PE you know Florida State loses one game to Georgia Tech and every single person in in Florida State L is thinking that is thinking that the sun isn't that the sun isn't gonna come up the next day yeah one more point I want to make to you guys before I move on um one thing I would give credit to Deion Sanders I'm not sure if you guys agree with me and this is true but obviously there was a lot of trans ition with college um you know conference alignments now obviously Colorado got to go and be accepted into the Big 12 had Deion Sanders knock gone to Colorado do you think the Big 12 would have woned Colorado because I think Deion Sanders being there had made Colorado an attractive team for the Big 12 to want to add and had Dion not went there do you think Colorado would have been on the outside looking in like we see with Oregon State and Washington State I would argue yeah his name his name alone I I I I think is is partially the reason why Colorado jumped to the Big 12 is as easily as easily as they did people listen when people would people want to watch a non uh a non Sanders uh us name colado uh compete in the compete in the in the in one of the in in one of the other western conference is that I'm not that I'm think Western Conference that nobody cares about no no so yeah so speaking of college football coaches I want to get to some of this stuff uh kayin dor former Washington head coach now the head coach of Alabama has big shoes to fill with Nick Sabin leaving uh I'm not an Alabama fan uh I'm not either he is an Alabama fan I'm not an Alabama fan but I'll say I think that kayin dbor is going to do a great job he is a tremendous offensive minded head coach uh he makes the best of his he makes the most of his players uh more than most uh more than most head coaches do I mean it's going to be difficult I mean it's always difficult filling in uh trying to replace a head coach like Nick Sabin and I think their defense might suffer because Nick Sabin was a defensive minded head coach well dor is an offensive minded head coach right um I would say a successful year for dubor this year is getting past the first round of the playoffs they don't have to win the SEC uh this year I I don't I don't think that at all they don't have to win the SEC but they've got a I would say he would be heavily scrutinized if they're not a playoff team uh so I would say he has to go at least nine and I'd say he has to go at least nine and three this year Alabama yeah Nick um you know you may not be the Alabama fan but you're pretty much spot on with everything you said um kayin theor yeah he's going to come in um he's definitely I think going to do a lot more offensively um he gets the most out of his uh players particularly the quarterback position we seen like what what he did with Michael penx Jr and now he gets a guy like Jaylen melro who's super super talented um the guy is super super physically strong he kind of reminds me of a smaller Anthony Richardson but um Jaylen melro could really throw the ball deep his intermediate and short accuracy is a little bad but his deep ball is really really nice um I think kayin the Bard is going to be able to get the most out of him in terms of his passing game and one thing that really you know stood out to me is what Nick Sabin was so good at is he was a great recruiter Alabama was always up there in recruiting and so far kayin debor seems to be continuing that Trend so far they got a great recruiting class coming in next year in 2025 um so he's definitely doing really good um if you want to ask me you know as an Alabama fan what I would be um as um considered as a successful season is exactly what you said Nick I think nine or 10 wins and even if they lose in the first round of the playoffs I wouldn't be mad if they could make a 12 team playoffs in the first year at the replacing what is definitely undoubtedly the greatest coach to ever coach college football um I think that would be a huge success for kayin dbor I do think the defense will suffer not be as good as previous years but the offense will be better to make up for it so I see probably a 10- win season and probably a first round exit in the playoffs for Kay and the board's first season well I mean their schedule is very I mean it there are some teams harder schedules but their schedule is difficult they have to I mean they're playing at home against Georgia uh but you know they go on the road and they have to play Tennessee LS and Oklahoma and wisc too out of conf few weeks I don't know I'm not really too concerned about Wisconsin but you never no I I I know but obviously obviously going to Camp Randall in mid-september is more than like is more than is more than likely going to be tough yeah but I mean I'm actually kind of surprised they're willing to go I'm surprised Alabama's willing to go on the road against Wisconsin usually they don't even play on the road well no it's a home and home because in 2025 Wisconsin comes to tuscal Lusa okay so it's like a deal yeah it's like a deal that they have okay I see yep yep yeah that Georgia game thatg game I think it's what week Bo that's going to be that's going to be the one to Circle I I think if I think if kayn Dort wins that game I think that everybody's going to be on the kin deor train and even if they lose that game and it's a really close game people were going to realize that Alabama I think is going to be okay for the foreseeable future yeah as long yeah yeah go ahead I was just gonna say as long as as long as they keep it close and and and as long as they keep it entertaining like the other classic George Alabama games that are been the last six seven years it'll it'll it'll deliver in my in my in my opinion to me their their notable games are obviously at home against Georgia then on the road get at LSU Oklahoma and uh Tennessee and to me if they split those four games and they go two and two that's a successful season and all those Road games are going to be difficult and by the way beating Georgia at home that's just as difficult be because Georgia is the toughest of all those games and they e and Georgia could have won the national championship last year they just barely lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game so you know all of those games are going to be very tough I mean if dor goes eight and4 loses all four of those games that would be that would be be a bit of a problem even if he goes nine and three and loses three out of those four games maybe they could be a playoff team and it wouldn't be a huge problem right well yeah I agree guys that Georgia game is going to be huge and you got to remember I know they lost in the national championship but Alabama's kind of had um you know Kirby Spartan George's number um they seem to be the team that always you know gives them the run for their money and um and If Alabama wins that game I mean how can Kirby Smart feel I mean you always lost to Nick Sabin and now you're going to lose to the guy who replaces Nick Sabin um so I think definitely the pressure is going to be on Georgia to win it um I don't think Alabama um is going to be able to beat Georgia this year um I think Georgia is probably the first or second best team in college football right now if you ask me my uh you know analysis heading into the year I think Alabama's probably the third best team in the SEC I like Texas better and I like Georgia better um but yeah I think nine wins um would be good um I'm hoping for 10 because I think 10 will be what they need to sck into the playoffs do you guys think do you guys think even if they lose two or three games do you guys think that Alabama going to the SEC Championship game in kayn Bo's first year is very possible what do you what do you got what do you what do you what do you guys think well do I think it's possible I think it's certainly possible I don't think it's probable I I don't think they likely will make the national championship game but I no I'm talking about the SEC Championship Game oh I'm sorry championship game yeah I think that's very I think it's very possible but it's going to be very difficult I mean the SEC is a gauntlet and the best conference in in you know in all colle superball for a reason we didn't even speak about Old Miss is going to be a good team this year um there's just a lot of good teams in SEC and it's gonna be tough for uh Alabama to be the second best team this year in the conference I think they're gonna be probably closer to that third or fourth spot yeah so yeah I think it's certainly possible I I don't but but it will be difficult National Championship I don't know I don't see it it but it's certainly possible I mean anybody's any of those 12 teams probably or at least many of those 12 teams probably could make it um so another team I want to get to is USC Lincoln Riley um I think that I think that this Lincoln Riley thing is proves my point about college football coaches being heavily scrutinized he is an offensive genius Lincoln Riley uh he is just a tremendous offensive genius uh he was at Oklahoma Oklahoma fans are really um Oklahoma fans are very I think are still very salty about him leaving to go to USC because Oklahoma's not used to used to that having you know Oklahoma's a big program and they think of themselves as larger than life and everything which they are to to an extent and they're not used to their coaches leaving for better jobs better opportunities like like Oklahoma is like supposed to be the top level opportunity for college football coaches um and and you know Lincoln Riley's offenses are just tremendous I mean their defenses tend to not be great uh to say the least right but their offenses are tremendous and uh I really don't get all the criticism of Lincoln Riley all the time uh he took over USC which was a bit of a floundering program when he took over and he h he turned the program around overnight he did it overnight um it reminds me I could see I mean to me a successful season for USC this year is making the playoffs I think that's what that that would be a successful season uh for USC this year I think the schedule too and I'm sure I don't know if you guys know it off hand but I have it here next to me the schedule here actually sets them up to do that pretty well because the only real tough road game that you have to worry about in the newly minted Big 10 is going to Michigan in mid-september if it can if it can keep the Michigan game close and maybe win you know win you know the back half of their schedule in October and November and this is a potential uh in in win team just considering who they play and they reap the benefits of of of potentially getting a floundering Penn State team that could be looking past them traveling cross country to Southern California uh three to four weeks before they play Ohio State that's a big that's a big deal State I will say is not an easy game yeah I was just about to say that I I I think Penn State this year might be better in USC but yeah I I agree leol riy definitely gets a little too much criticism I just think that everybody knows that he's a top coach and they expect him to make the playoffs but I think his defense and defensive coordinators have really held their team back they definitely made some changes and brought some guys in I think defensively they'll be more competitive obviously the Big 10 is also a gauntlet um so it's going to be tough for them to compete this year with the Ohio States the Oregon and the Penn states of the world but I think outside of those three teams I think they could be right there with any other team in the conference yeah I was more I was more so just making the general Point too that you know thankfully for them they get to avoid Ohio State and or in this year but the two but but the two games to Circle from the overall General point would be would be the would be the game at Michigan and then the home game against against Penn State and you can't forget they closed with Notre Dame at the end of the year we you know that Notre Dame is going to be a top 10 team till the very end it's going to be it's going to be a very very interesting season for him I just wonder you know you know USC being one of these West Coast teams coming over to the Big 10 if the if if the travel ju ju ju is go going as many uh hund uh hundreds of thousands of miles as they have to as they have to tr this year it it might imp them in in a negative in a negative way that'll be that'll be interesting well I would say their notable matchups this year would be LS would be the neutral sight game at LSU at Michigan hosting Penn State and uh and hosting Notre Dame if they go two and two they're a playoff team they're successful even if they lose three out of the four they might even be able to make the playoffs I'm not totally sure uh it might be difficult but even then they maybe could but like I said to me I think Lincoln riy I think Lincoln Riley is great I think that like I said before college football coaches are just over are criticized too much and people have to understand that programs develop and it reminds me a little bit of how um because I I think that he will be scrutinized this year if they're if they you know if they make the playoffs or if they and then lose in the first round or whatever I think that college football coach like you have to give them time to really develop the program I think per perfect example of this is I would say seven years ago a very common hot take we were hearing was Jim Harbaugh is overrated because you know it's his third year and you know he's still losing to Ohio State losing to his Rivals and it's like are you not considering how much of a joke Michigan football was before he took over they were I mean I mean to have Brady Hulk and Rich Rodriguez be the previous two regimes owes you everything you need to know about how Michigan about how bad Michigan really was so I when I say when I say bad this team was non bad you want to talk about how how how mid those jard Robinson and Devin Gardner teams were those teams were really really really bad so and not only that but it's like that opinion has completely died out it's extinct nobody thinks that anymore like it just and looking back on it it just seems so silly and and I think a similar thing could be the case with Lincoln Riley yeah I agree yeah um so I also want to talk a little bit about Ohio State Ryan day and Ohio State um this is I wouldn't say it's a championship or bust year I don't think any team in the league right now is a championship or bus team at all but this is I would say is the closest and it's also uh if anything a beat Michigan or bust year I think that's what I was gonna a too because he's lost he's lost three times in a row and he's been criticized for two of them and he and and it seems to me like he's starting to be abled as the coach that just can't win the big games he he's beat he's beat every team in the Big 10 so far except Michigan it's it's pretty it's it's pretty it's pretty astonishing yeah I I agree guys and honestly um you know I don't think the criticism for Ryan day was warranted but if he doesn't beat Michigan this year he deserves all the criticism he's gonna get he's got to beat Michigan this year I mean Michigan does not have Jim Harbaugh I do think they're still going to be a good program but they do have questions at quarterback we're not sure how they're going to be offensively um in terms of the quarterback position they're replacing so many players I know they're going to have a good defense but Ohio state is stacked I mean look at all the players they add in the transfer portal like Caleb DS Caleb DS is an unbelievable safety I think will Howard's a good dual threat quarterback um you're bringing back a Mecca Anda at wide receiver you got those two great Edge rushers and JT and Jack Sawyer coming back Denzel Burke I mean this team is stacked at almost every single position I mean look at their running backs I mean you got trayon Henderson and you got Quin jins I mean no team's competing with that so this team has to to win it this year um they're going to be my preseason pick I think they're going to win it all this year um I feel like everything's going for them and I think everything's lining up just right for them I think they're going to be a top three defense along with a top five offense and look out for their freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith he may be the best receiver that ever come out of high school the guy's big fast and strong and according to guys in Ohio State circles he maybe end up being a better player than Marvin Harrison Jr so these these guys this team has a lot of great talent and I think this team is gonna probably win the national championship this year Well I I'd say they're their notable matchups would be at Penn State at Oregon and uh at home against M obviously that's the biggest one at home against Michigan that that is like Ryan day's biggest thing and uh you know what the thing is is that like I understand Ryan day has big shoes to fill you know Urban Meyer is one of the best head coaches in college football history he's not Nick Sabin level but he's certainly up there right and you have to remember but a lot of it is also luck like a lot of urban Meyers tenure at at Ohio State for much of that time Michigan was a joke I mean he's going up against Brady hul and Rich Rodriguez as like those are their head coach yeah yeah the Rivalry it wasn't even a rivalry right I was gonna I was I was to say it wasn't even it wasn't even a rivalry and the game known as the game was the most irrelevant game in the entire country every year for like six years so right and not only that but like and by the way to be fair Urban Meyer did go up against Harbaugh the last four years of his uh Co tenure at Ohio State but Michigan but he had just taken over and it does take a few years for programs to develop especially a team like Michigan which like like Michigan like like Harbaugh teams he tends to take a while to develop those teams a little bit and they have they weren't quite as good as what Ryan day went up against like Ryan day's competition against Michigan is is much harder than it was for Urban Meyer it's not even really all that close and like no Ryan day is not as good as Urban Meyer uh that doesn't mean he's doing a bad job either I mean he still has really good team no right and I just want to make another General point this is no disrespect to the schedule makers here or anything like that but would you guys agree or disagree with me that Ohio State's first five games are an absolute joke they're all they're all they're all cupcakes but I think that's another reason why they could win it all I mean look at Michigan the last couple years they had an easy start to the schedule they were able to get get their offensive going and now you got Chip Kelly coming in Fr Ohio State he's going to be able to experiment and really figure out how to use these offensive players the first couple weeks so by the time they get into their hard schedule I think they're going to be full going on you know full chemistry um gam are a joke they're playing akan Western Michigan and Marshall the first three games all home games they're playing and they're playing they they're playing at Michigan State against a coach that's never coached in a big 10 game yeah so I mean Michigan state is a whole another thing uh but look I can only criticize Ohio State for what they can control and you can control your own schedule right to be fair they're not the only team that does it uh Alabama they play merer right after Thanksgiving every year I mean like that's just a running joke like these big SEC teams have to play teams right they basically play culinary schools in in late November at least Ohio state they're getting them out in they're getting them out in September um but yes you're right about that their schedule I mean they're in the I mean they don't do you guys see any potential trap games on this schedule because I don't I really I really I really don't I mean honestly I think the way Ohio State season is GNA go on my H prediction I don't think they're GNA have a perfect season I think they're gonna lose to Oregon they're still gonna make the big 10 championship and then because of that loss it's going to really pump them up and then they're going to go on a run they're going to win the Big 10 Championship maybe in a rematch against Oregon and then they're gonna go through the playoffs to win the championship with that one loss I mean you said I could I could I could see that when you say Trap game do you mean a game they might lose or like a g a team that really so no no no so what I'm trying to say is um a game where they're playing a team that they could potentially be wame pass would say maybe against a Purdue and Northwestern and Nebraska something something like something like that okay I don't think that happen that often the Trap game it would either be Purdue or Nebraska because Nebraska's gotten much better uh in terms of might might at least might have gotten much better after hiring Matt Rule and Purdue always plays these teams tough but I don't see Ohio State losing to either of those teams I I don't right I don't think so either I don't think I was just curious because sometimes these really good teams have the one blimp in the road and lose to a team that they shouldn't so I was just I was just I was just curious so yeah but I mean even against Penn State with on the road Ohio State's definitely gonna be favored they might even be favored against Oregon too on the road right um I mean any of those I mean but losing to Michigan that's not a trap game that's just Michigan's just a tough team right and it also is a lot more pressure on Ryan day now that shiron Moore is their head coach and not har Jim not Jim harbach is now the whole narrative is going to shift where it's like okay you better be the guy that's never been um that's never been a coach at the that's never been a head coach at the highest level the sport you have no excuse now so yeah pretty much I think they have to meet Michigan this year there's no excuse I know there's a lot of luck in games and Michigan is a talented team but they have to he has to win this year there's too many question with Michigan and Ohio State's way too Talent especially since it's a home game and they're yeah 100% And and they're at home yeah yeah yeah all right yeah so I do want to get to some picks um over some I do have a list of games right here uh picks to get to for the weekend uh so Clemson number 14 Clemson versus number one Georgia uh at George Georgia's giving 13 and a half I think it is crazy to me that Clemson is the 14th ranked team I never thought I'd see that because the committee has loved Clemson for a really long time uh Georgia's giving 13 and a half I like Georgia Georgia is a t they are still I don't think they've taken much of a step back I think Clemson has taken several steps back uh it's a neutral sight game look I'm not sneezing at Clemson or anything but their situation like I said I think Clemson has regressed a lot Georgia has a lot to prove I think they're bitter after losing to Alabama in that SEC Championship game so I like Georgia to be able to cover 13 and a half it's not I don't think it'll be a I don't think it'll be too bad of a blowout but I think they should be able to win by two touchdowns or more yeah I mean I like I like Georgia too and this is no disrespect to Clemson but Clemson just has not been the same team the last couple years I think that dabu Sween even though he's a very good coach he's kind of uh lost his way and gotten his own ego to be in his own head a little bit um and I just think that you know as you as you alluded to they were a few plays away from beating Alabama in in making it uh to the college footb playoff last year and well I just think that every year you know Georgia doesn't rebuild Georgia continues to reload and as long as Kirby Smart is continuing to do his thing and as long as you know Georgia you know is staying up there as one of the upper r l teams is the number one or number two team in the country AG should be fine so to me even Clemson is relatively okay we sort of had the same thing last year ahead of their game against Duke and we all know that one worked out to me kind of all Noah Clemson season worked out I think that this is this is too close for comfort give me Georgia by at least 17 to 21 points to win the game and cover the spread so yeah guys uh I think Georgia is gonna win this game um Carson Beck is gonna be in the conversation for the best quarterback and like you said Georg is not taking a step back if anything offensively they're taking step forward this might be the best offense I think Carson Beck's a better quarterback than what we saw with stens of Bennett as good as he was um but Clemson honestly is going to be better than what you guys are giving them credit for I know they struggled the last couple years but I think this year they could be a little bit better I think Kate kumnick gonna have a slight breakout year I think he's gonna show some improvement um I think they're definitely going to be improved at the wide receiver position they got a lot of young guys coming in like TJ Moore um Brian Wesco um they still got Tyler Brown as well so I like their young receivers they're always going to be talented on defense they got some young sof like Peter woods and TJ Parker as well who I love so I like their team um so I'm going to go Georgia in this one but I think Georgia is only going to win by 10 points I think Clemson is Gonna Keep It closer and I'm gonna go Clemson with the points but Georgia the win outright okay so you like you like Clemson plus 13 and a half all right cool uh any over under picks or anything I'm not touching it no all right um I would say I would see the over as a chance to hit but it'll be like very late with like maybe seven minutes to go in the game or some or right something like that um USC at LSU uh LSU's giving four uh I think this is going to be a very close game uh I like I like USC to cover I I don't know I'm not picking them to win outright either way but I like USC to cover Four Points uh I think that their offense I I think that they'll be very competitive with ls with LSU uh I'm it's a it's a neutral sight game it's not they're not at and in in vas it's a neutral sight game yep in Vegas at allegian they're they're in Vegas so ignore the at uh yeah but they're they're a neutral site game it's a neutral sight game USC's offense is tremendous I think they should easily be able to I think they should be able to cover Four Points uh I could see it being like a field goal game you gotta be careful though because sometimes in highs scoring games which we know it will be a high-scoring game proof is that will be yep uh proof is that it's you know two offensive minded EG coaches uh Brian Kelly and uh and uh Lincoln Riley 63 and a half is it looks it looks a little high I think I would take the over I think I'll take USC to cover and I'll take the over uh in in this matchup uh just because I think they're going to be there's going to be a lot of just constant scoring even though like 63 and a half is a lot um but I think USC should be able to cover the three points uh Four Points sorry yeah I like I like USC to cover but I like LSU to win by one I think they're going to win on some sort of game-winning field goal I think and I actually I like the I like the under I like I feel like 63 and a half is too many points I feel like with it being week zero with both teams trying to get the Jitters out I don't see anything astronomical that makes me think that the score is is going to go over for 63 and a half this was if this was week six or week seven and both both teams were undefeated and both offense were firing in all cylinders I would of the over but I just feel like the over in week one is just way too risky in my opinion so you like the under yeah I do okay yeah guys of the of all the games we're going to speak about this was the toughest to pick you got two teams with two brand new quarterbacks and Miller Moss for USC and Garrett nme for LSU both guys are super super talented I like nme's potential better but I think right now in Lincoln Riley system um with zakaya bran at wide receiver I think uh Miller Moss is probably going to be better and more efficient um you know la honestly struggled on defense as well last year just like USC so both both teams got struggling defenses that got something to prove um I do think LSU's defense will make slightly more plays so uh I'm gonna go LSU here and it's funny that xan said by uh late game field goal um I see it being the same way I think LSU is gonna win a very close one by a late game field goal as well okay so you like LSU to cover so I like LSU by a field goal but not to cover okay so you like USC yeah okay and are you touching the over under all no okay you're not touching okay uh another so here's Notre Dame at Texas A&M um Texas A&M is giving three uh the over under is 46 and a half I like Notre Dame I like Notre Dame to win outright uh I do too this is a this is a statement game from erus Freeman if they can't go into college station and win this game Notre Dame fans are going to be living that's for that's for sure because this is this is one of those Seasons where I think it's a put up or shut up here for Notre name it's clear that Marcus Freeman can win nine games he can win 10 games but they haven't been able to get to that upper sine that upper threshold to make the national championship playing a Texas C&M team in a hostile environment must win the game even though it's week one yeah I like Notre Dame here's the thing with Notre Dame they're this is a preh Halloween game most seasons Notre Dame is really good before Halloween and then their season Fall off the rails after Halloween that's usually how it works with Notre Dame I could see them going 11 and one this year I mean just to talk about Notre Dame it's like they have a pretty easy schedule this is I was I was uh I was looking at their schedule this is probably the second most difficult game on their schedule it looks like I would I well other than USC and and other than having to try to be Florida State at home though that's true Florida State they have to okay fine maybe their third toughest game yeah I agree with you guys I love Notre Dame in this and with uh I like Notre Dame I think they're probably going to win by four or more um Notre Dame brings a lot of talent back on defense you got Howard cross um you got Morrison that corner and you got Xavier Watts who was the best safety in college football last year obviously they're bringing in one of the most talented uh College dual threat quarterbacks and Riley Leonard um if he can even get any better as a passer after K and Duke's offense last year um he's going to be really successful at Notre Dame um I do think Texas A&M can can be sneaky good this year um if Conor wigman could stay healthy I think he's a talented quarterback the loss of running back Ruby and uh Owens is definitely going to hurt the offense but I like I like Notre Dame as well by four or seven okay uh over under I'm not touching me either it's it's gonna be it's gonna be way too risky either way because you don't know which offense is gonna show up so yeah because like these week one games Notre Dame tends to show up for Notre Dame usually shows up for these games these week one games right it's just you don't know what type of Notre Dame offense you're G to get though are you going to get are you going to get the one that's sluggish and kicking field goals or you g get the one that constantly scores every single time they have the ball so we don't know but even I mean there's also a question about their defense and what are we gonna get from A&M I mean A&M throughout the years has had some really bad has had some they have a real talented defense though they just got to get the most other players they got so many top recoups on that defense and honestly it's BFFL Nick that their defense hasn't been great with all that Talent they've had yeah right uh so I want to get into Penn State at West Virginia West Virginia's giving uh getting uh getting eight and a half over under 51 and a half I think Penn State is gonna kill West Virginia I do I do I think really is gonna show out uh they games like this Penn State tends to win by pretty big margins yeah and I I feel like I've seen too many people pick West Virginia in the upset pick they have not shown enough to me in this newer regime that that they can even remotely hang with Penn State I'm gonna go hold on the Lim and say that Drew all has a chance to throw potentially four touchdowns in this game if they play they play well and actually G to go out in a Lim and say that they scor between 45 and 56 points this is gonna be this is gon this is gonna be an absolute ass kicking yeah glad I'm glad you brought up Drew all I know there's a lot of doubters out there but I like him as a potential um he's a very big guy with a strong arm um he doesn't throw many interceptions he's got to improve his accuracy I think will this season um I don't really like West Virginia's defense they got a couple good players but not not enough to stop Penn State um and you know on Penn State now they're moving Abdul Carter to the edge um he reminds me a lot of Mika Parsons um he's going to be awesome this year um West Virginia though I think their running attack is good um you got Garrett green who's a do threat quarterback you got CJ Donelson and Jahim white who's a great running back du all that will make it somewhat competitive and give him somewhat of a pring chance but yeah I agree with you guys I got Penn State ol over this one probably by 10 plus all right so here's one more Miami at Florida plus two and a half uh I hate how much I love Florida this game uh I hate how much I love Florida um Florida is I think that similar to Notre Dame Florida tends to be good early in the year and then they they do they do and then they kind of fall off later in the year I think Florida is here's what I think about Florida they're like an average team with a really tough schedule and it might make them look a little worse than they really are and here's the thing I think Florida this is a tough game for Miami they're going on the road this is sort of a rivalry game uh in a sense Florida tends to be very good in these week one games I I think Florida like I think Florida really will win I really like Florida this game uh I think they'll win outright actually wow so you're what do you what's your um I guess what's your criticism of of uh of of Miami as to why you think that they might trip up and and lose a game that they probably shouldn't well I don't think that's necessarily A criticism of Miami exactly I mean things like it's just that teams trip up and lose games that they shouldn't all the time this this particular game just seems like it largely because it's kind of a rivalry game and Florida tends to be good in these games Florida tends to be good in these week one in these week one games uh and they got a veteran quarterback who's been around I know a lot of people don't like Grant MZ but he definitely showed some improvement last year and I definitely think he gives Florida a chance Florida's Got Talent all over that roster but like you said it's their schedule that's really going to hold him back um but honestly I disagree Nick I think this can be a close game but I'm gonna go Miami um I really like Miami to shoot I like the quarterback they're bringing in cam w i remember his breakout season when he was at incarnated word and then he transferred to Washington State he's been a good quarterback but I think this this year he could be a great quarterback and maybe even push himself as NFL prospect you know Miami's got some great receivers they got some great defensive players we've seen Ruben Bane the Freshman last year jump on the scene and I've seen NFL people saying he might be a future top pick in the draft when he's eligible so this Miami team's Got Talent all over the field um Florida's Got Talent as well um they obviously have the advantage on being at home but uh I think cam Ward is going to really break out this year Miami is going to be a real talented team he's definitely a huge upgrade over the quarterback they had last year and Tyler van dijk so I think Miami is GNA win this by three yeah by the way I also want to say this I think is going to be one of Miami's I mean Miami is a talented team and they have a very favorable schedule I think this is going to be one of Miami's toughest games actually they do I've seen a lot of projections say that this team has a chance to go 11 and one so I don't think they will I mean okay so I'm looking at their schedule right now they H they're playing uh they're they're only ranked opponent is so far their only ranked opponent is Florida State that's where people are saying them he lose so even if they lose to if they lose this game and they lose to Florida State that's a 10 and two season they could be a playoff team Miami by the way talking about my criticism of Miami I just want to get back to this for a second I could see Mario Chris Ball laying some type of blender that would not surprise yeah g it been uh given past history Mar chrisal balls teams you never you never know you're not you're not wrong so you never know what might happen he could be he could be a little bit of a wild you talked about Coach is uh being criticized and that's another coach that if he goes out there and lays an egg there's definitely going to be a lot of criticizing because uh this is definitely the year that Miami definitely has are put together and they have a lot of Hope in him as a head coach yeah um so last game Boston College at Florida State minus 17 Florida State's gonna kill him Florida this a get right for this is Get Right game for Florida State right it's a bounceback game for Florida State Florida State coming off that embarrassing loss against Georgia Tech uh not to mention the fact that they're playing at home and Boston College sticks Boston College is a team Florida State could easily beat up on yeah I agree guys um you know usually like we said earlier when you see teams that get blown out nationville television they come up pumped and ready to go and I feel bad for Boston College you know I bet if Florida state would have won that game week one maybe we'd actually have a comptitive game and maybe this may be a slight tra game um I do think um you know Boston College has a decent college quarterback and Thomas calones but he's not going to be enough and yeah give me Florida State by plus 20 yeah they'll they'll win they'll win EAS yeah they'll win by at least three touchdowns I'm gonna say they'll probably win like 30 like maybe 30 to 10 or something like that it'll be it'll be it'll be it'll be easy yeah all right so uh thanks for tuning in everybody uh this is this is new uh this is a forever power five uh you can follow me on Twitter at you can follow me you can follow me on Twitter at Nick dmart you can follow Zan uh Zan b99 you can follow Anthony at ballister 555 uh this was uh forever power five and 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