Nick Saban on Changes in College Football, Week 1 Predictions, 2024 Season Preview & More

Intro and ain't nobody gonna say nothing bad about Coach when I'm around I'mma knock him out I'mma drop him like it's hot you know what I mean ain't nobody gonna talk bad about when I [Music] around welcome everybody to the debut edition of the triple option presented by Wendy's try Wendy's new Saucy nugs today and uh before we get underway want to remind you to subscribe to our YouTube channel you can follow us on Apple podcast Spotify or wherever you get your podcast as well as across social media at 3x option Show new episodes drop every Wednesday like this Wednesday in the first ever episode of the triple options so glad you're here with us for episode number one I'm Rob Stone joining me where's Duce Duce Mark Ingram flexing the biceps down in South Florida former Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Alabama and where's my national title winning head coach down there in Sarasota the Urban Meyer uh guys man I can't believe I can't believe we're doing this we're actually doing a podcast coach what's happening to your world here you you're winning national titles and now you're like a you're like a media Mogul out here between television with big noon and now a podcast yeah my kids ask me that all say who are you I mean you've been traveling all over the place you have a smile on your face you're working on your golf handicap and now I get to do hang with dece deuce and Rob Stone and hopefully best podcast out there so great to hang with you boys hey Mark what' you do this summer man what was your highlight I chased around five human beings all summer no but um what a great time to be able to spend time with my wife and my kids I've never had that type of time you know I've always been preparing for training camp preparing to get ready for a season and this was the first time I was able to kind of just sit back and uh just spend time with the family so taking the kids son was in travel baseball um daughter travel soccer they did track and field over the summer daughter qualified for the Junior Olympics in a long jump so we did that heck yeah she did we went to the soccer match cop America final that a boy that was crazy I heard about that chaos yeah yeah went to cowbo spent some time with Coach you know what I mean so um I had a what happened there you were with coach and Cabo I yeah missed that in coach yeah yeah yeah how about you didn't get you didn't get the email I did not I did you did get the email you just denied it definitely did not get an invite to Cabo we off skiing together pre yeah we did that we did that that's good um and here we are guys like closing in on week zero uh for us for the three of us and our good friends Matt linard and Brady Quinn uh it's about week one where big noon kickoff hits the road man are Penn State at West Virginia like a sneaky great opening game in the atmosphere in Morgan I cannot wait to get to W Virginia I've there Rob I've been there elite elite elite going to blow you up man only show in town huh coach no Pro Sports they they they coming out strong for that game huh and I talked to their coach yet last night and I mean he they're they're a good team I watched they beat the mess out of North Carolina in a bowl game so it's could be a great game they're just outside the top 25 to start and speaking Defining Moments Top Ten of top 25 that's a good way for us to slide in our defining moments brought to you by Nitsa drinking and driving will change your whole world whether you get pulled over or get into a crash things will never be the same getting a sober ride will change your world for the better drive sober or get pulled over paid for by Nitsa great words by Nitsa so we talked about the AP Top 25 let's condense it right now and talk about the top 10 all right guys and we're going to kind of go rapid fire here and we're going to start at number 10 our partner bet mgm's favorite to win the ACC again is Florida State remember last year Urban went 13 and0 won the ACC Championship but was left out of the playoff picture for of 22 starters are gone including their stud quarterback Jordan Travis what do you make of Florida State and their chances this year you know I love Florida State I think they lose a lot but the first thing you always look at when I when I evaluate teams is their schedule they I think it's somewhat manageable I know it's tough but they have Clemson at home at Miami at Notre Dame I think Mike Norvell is one of the most underrated coaches Rob and Mark they were awful in 2020 and they were three I mean bad awful a lot of issues in the lock room and I'm an old Gator and so I looked at that and I said how did Florida State get so bad but look at what this coach has done he went three and six five and seven they won 10 games in the last year undefeated so I really think he's one of the top coaches in America I think they'll be there standing in the top 10 I might even have a little higher at the end of the season wow dju back in the ACC started at Clemson went out to Oregon State now he's in Tallahassee as their starting quarterback the schedule that run in early October of three weeks at Miami versus North Carolina who might be better than I think people think never sleep on a Mac Brown team and then at Notre Dame that will kind of Define number 10 FSU at number nine you were defending national champs they went 15 and0 last year to win their 10th National Title Michigan but Mark new head coach new offensive coordinator new defensive coordinator how many returning starters do they have a no four just four well maybe it's three now but I had four yeah is four cuz you get 11 on offense 11 on defense so yeah it is four math is hard man what do you think of Michigan especially when you count to four no but uh I think Michigan you know we all love coach head coach shiron Moore what he brings to the table um this is a team that has culture their last three years have been super successful but they don't have many players coming back from those teams so the big question is will Michigan take a step back after losing Jim Harbaugh in 18 starters um I think they're going to have to lean on their leaders Donovan Edwards running back offense uh their defensive tackle Mason Graham he was all big 10 the quarterback will Johnson he's a freshman All-American and as far as defense I have a personal connection with Coach wink Martell that's who's their new defensive coordinator and um I know he's going to get those boys flying around he's coming with a great scheme he has great energy so I think they're ranked a little high you know I think they're ranked where they need to be right now but I think towards the end of the year they're going to be kind of outside the top 10 they have a really tough schedule they they uh start with Texas like in week two they have USC they have Oregon they have the Ohio State University so that's four games right there where I have them losing and uh so I think they'll be a little lower than their current ranking but I'm rooting for Michigan I'm rooting for head coach shiron Moore Donovan Edwards is my guy at the running back wik Martin week Martell coach wi he was my uh DC when I was with the Ravens so I'm rooting for him but they got a tough schedule and a tough season ahead of them I I agree three straight playoff appearances it's going to be tough to replicate that as you mentioned like an eight and4 record kind of feels about right at least going into the preseason with Michigan we'll we'll find out more about them week two all of us will be there in Ann Arbor when they take on Texas and we're going to get to Texas eventually in the AP top 10 Mark we're going to stay with you we're going to stay in the Big 10 at number eight Penn State and this is tough to say after another quote unquote disappointing 10 win season you know they just they they can't get over this Ohio State Michigan hump and and it's those two programs that always kind of keep Penn State sitting back there this is a fascinating stat for me for Penn State last year they had the top scoring offense in the Big 10 so you're probably saying to yourself hey man this is great let's build on that right uhuh brand new offensive coordinator comes in in Andy cotal Nikki from Kansas and that conservative offensive approach Mark is gone in State College yeah um that's the thing with Penn State they have had successful Seasons numbers-wise but they can't beat Michigan they can't beat Ohio State and in order for them to take the next step order them to go to the next level Drew all is going to have to take his game to the next level they got a new offensive coordinator Andy koncki I believe I don't hope I didn't butcher that last name but I dare you to spell his name right now I hope I but I got much respect for him as OC cuz last year we went to Kansas yeah and I was watching film on Kansas the way he runs his offense a lot of shifts a lot of motions um putting his players in position to have success I think this is what Drew Allen needs to take his game to the next level so I think they made a great hire in going to get that offensive coordinator and they've had a great defense uh you know number three scoring defense last year number two Total Defense last year so they got six returners on on defense so their defense is still going to be strong and they got two great Runners and Nick Singleton and KRON Allen so the thing is is Drew Aller they need some support for The Supporting Cast CU if you're a running back and and you ain't got no receivers and your quarterback's not throwing the football it makes it's it's a tough life for you so um Drew Al needs to take that next step the new OC Andy he needs to get them get him unlocked get him comfortable get him in a position where he can be successful if they do that we'll see Penn State has a favorable schedule I see they start they start they start off the season with West Virginia that that could be an 0 and-one start oh by the way that could be it could be it could very possibly be but you look at the rest of the schedule I mean you got USC you go at Wisconsin okay so you get Washington Ohio State so it's not really that favorable that that's a four game that's a four game stretch you just mentioned yeah it's not really that favorable off at Wisconsin Ohio State in Washington that that is tough you talk about their defense former Indiana head coach Tom Allen now taking over the D It's All About Drew Aller for me you know the former five-star quarterback 29 total touchdowns last season two interceptions in his first year as a starter and you got to run the ball Nick Singleton four 100 yard rushing games two seasons ago just one last year Penn State's going to be a really interesting watch so I got him lower to eight I got him lower got lower to eight all right uh number seven coach 10 and three last year was Notre Dame a top 10 recruiting class coming in but the story for the third time in four years it will be a transfer quarterback that's taking the snaps for the Irish yeah I think they're picked right where they need to be and I I just get confused I don't quite understand Marcus Freeman's a hell of a coach hell of a person we were there last year and he treats us great and and I've known him for a long time but how at Notre Dame do you keep going to Wake Forest and Duke to go get your quarterback those are fine players you know nothing against Sam Hartman to transfer last year had a good season and then the the r Riley Leonard this year from a Duke once again a good player but you're Notre Dame and how about this Mark in the last 10 years only One National Champion had a transfer quarterback and it was Joe burrow so I guess I'm old school and I know it's starting to change a little bit but to win it all I think you have to have a quarterback that's been there that is the culture that represents your school that gets everybody together non-stop they have great relationships so my you know until that happens I think Notre Dame is going to be a good team really good team I mean they recruit great great players it's a great place I spent six years of my life there and we love it but and the second part that has the expectations changed at Notre Dame when I was there with Lou Holtz who was always National Championship or bust I'm not sure that's the standard anymore and I hope they get back to that I think they can but I think you need to go get you an All-American you know get to Brady Quinn and Coach him up and let him build that culture for three years hit hard already by the injury bug in preseason their schedule pretty manageable if we're talking about defining moments they're going to open at Texas A&M we know that's no Cakewalk the middle of the schedule it looks to be extremely manageable and then early November Florida State late November at USC all right number six if we're talking about uh defining moments this might be the team that defines the top 10 this year how good is Old Miss sixth best odds to win the national championship 11-2 last year coach that was a school record for wins their only losses to Alabama and Georgia and here they are the lane train sitting pre pre season at number six I went and watched a lot of their film yesterday because I knew I was going to take a shot at this thing whenever you talk SCC and the guy in the right hand corner there mark noses that it's once again schedule who do you have in that damn conference it's by far the hardest conference you that damn conference you're not in it anymore coach oh I still feel like I am so so they have and it might sound Manel and I believe it is they're at LSU which is ridiculous Oklahoma at home and then the big dog Georgia at home I know there's a bunch of other ones in there but I think I how about this Old Miss in my opinion will be favored in 11 of their 12 games that's a credit to obviously the coaching staff Lane kein but what game W they what game won't they be a favorite in that November 9th versus Georgia Georgia I really and LSU it depends on LSU does but when you want look at that it's a loaded roster and you know he calls himself the transfer king or portal king or whatever the hell that is but they did they once again filled in every piece that they needed they lost a great running back to Ohio State but they still have a great Back Field I like their quarterback Jackson Dart I think I think they're going to be in the hunt for this thing at the end of the season number one transfer class in the country you talk about Dart he's absolutely a Heisman candidate right here in August 31 total touchdowns five interceptions last year will they get their first Conference Championship since can you guys guess the year the last time Old Miss 60s yeah 63 how uh number five Mark get ready baby get ready to flex those guns Here Comes Alabama 12-2 last year lost in the semi-finals to Michigan gone is our guest in segment two former Alabama head coach Nick Sabin 17 years nine SEC titles six natties but he left 30 players left as well jumped into the portal and in comes Kaylin deor what should we think of Alabama sitting there at number five in the preseason like you said we got to give the utmost respect to the goat himself you know coach sa what he's done Second To None one of the greatest college football coach that we've seen other than barar Bryant they both came from B then Coach right there you know what I mean but also out respect the guy next to is pretty darn good too yeah he's the man and ain't nobody GNA say nothing bad about Coach when I'm around I'mma knock him out I'mma drop him like it's hot you know what I mean ain't nobody going to talk bad about heran when I'm around yeah I didn't see you defending him in Ann Arbor last year oh I got coach on his own in an AR somebody tried try somebody tried to do something oh I'm auh I'm in the cut you know what I mean it's it ain't the gun show for it ain't for show it's for go you know what I mean no but no coach Sabin man he's he's a legend but I think the hire that they made in coach kayin dbor was tremendous you have a coach who was just in the national championship last year with Washington now you come and give him the resources of a program like Al and he's done a great job of weathering the storm I mean he was in a huge a huge downpour crazy wins and he stood strong cuz he got players who wanted to be there everyone who is there right now wanted to be there everyone who didn't want to be there left he has number one crew in class for 2025 they have tremendous amount of talent all through the locker room great leadership you talk about jayen milroe who in his first season as a starter just improved tremendously we wouldn't have been in the position where we were last year beating Michigan with 6 minutes to go in the fourth quarter we just didn't finish the game if he hadn't improved the way he did two running backs who are dogs I'm telling you right now Justice Haynes and jam Miller they going to tag team it and they are the real deal Holyfield then you got Deontay Lawson then you got Deontay Lawson the linebacker on the leadership on defense Malachi Moore the leadership on defense then you add out of the transfer portal quarterback domanii Jackson from USC these guys want to be there I went there spend some time with the team and I love the attitude I love the mindset of this team coach dor has a plan he has them working he has them grinding they're going good on good they're competing and you know coach there's no other way to get better than to compete against the ones ones on ones and they doing live periods they are hitting they are thumping they are working out they are conditioning and they have the right mentality moving forward so I'm excited about this Alabama team I think they're ranked right where they need to be at number five but they do have a schedule that they're going to have to overcome uh they got at Wisconsin which will be there Georgia yep they got Georgia coming to town and you got Tennessee who was always they're always just kind of like aat at the at the barbecue just they just annoying you know what I mean then you got uh LSU always tough at LSU Oklahoma and then always that Iron Bowl so you got you got a good schedule so we'll be able to see about them this year if it they the real deal but I think they're going to be in a good position I think they're going to be in the playoffs and I like their ranking right where they're at and again we have Nick Sabin joining us in the next next segment we're going to ask him the advice he passed on to kayin dbor taking over this this project right I mean I love when he said the resources you're right like look what Kaylin dor did without Bama resources 104 wins 12 losses and now he's got 20 former five-star recruits sitting on his roster I cannot wait to see what kayin dor does in Tuscaloosa and I would always look at our schedule Mark and when I had you know we had good on good now in Ohio State in Florida that was probably 10 of our games we were better on that Tuesday Wednesday practice and so depending upon our schedule and I know Ohio State we're going to talk about that in a minute but when you start the schedule kind of soft you want to do as much good on good as you possibly can to get your boys ready for the the big one down the down the road so I I I don't want to just let that go good on good is how you make good players great yes sir appreciate you coach for that for that Co number four Mark I bet Mark doesn't have as much Intel on Texas as he did on Alabama Longhorns 12-2 last year lost in the college football playoff semifinals welcome to life in the SEC Texas after 28 years in the Big 12 they make the big move to the SEC and and Mark I think that's going to be kind of their defining moment how they handle this transition yeah UT welcome to Big Dog football you say everything bigger in Texas well welcome to the big leagues the SEC dog we going to see is they is they uh it's their SEC debut we going to see how they fair but um I think they're right where they deserve to be at number four they've gotten better and better each year and the win tles have increased each year Under head coach Steve sarkeesian and um I think that they're in good position they have their quarterback returning Quinn ERS um Heisman candidate for sure right all but he's it's his third year that experience that he's had like they're in good position at the quarterback position and not even uh mentioning Arch Manning you know what I mean so they're in a good they're is that crazy we're not even mentioning Arch Manning by the way props to props to Arch Manning for sticking around right like I I can see coach over there has got like a soft spot for Arch Manning not just the last name but the fact that you're a number one recruit and you're going to hang around campus for at least two years to be the backup good for him you stay in F stay in the fight no matter where you go you got to compete correct so why not yeah so I respect it I respect the kid mullet and I respect him he's got a mullet ERS cut his mullet finally he Cut the Mullet he Cut the Mullet he he went got the clean fade like your boy yeah no but um yeah so they got him returning but they have to replace their leading rusher and their leading receiver which is not going good right now they lost their top two backs uh CJ Baxter season ending knee injury Christian Clark season ending Achilles um but they got a huge transfer Edition uh in the portal with Isaiah Bond coming from Al hurt my heart but um so many Bama guys went to Big Time programs a bunch went to Ohio State we're going to talk about that in a second too yeah wow wow but hey we don't need them I know I know we're talking about Texas let's talk about the the Texas schedule real fast Mark uh week two at Michigan I think I think we see Texas as the favorite in ant Arbor for that one they should be 5-0 going into that mid- October date with Oklahoma they're home to Georgia and they close with Florida AR Arkansas Kentucky Texas A&M you feel like somewhere on that closing run somebody's going to going to trip them up if Georgia hasn't already yeah I think like that's that's part of the SEC man you go Florida Arkansas Kentucky like you never know what day is one of their days you know and if you don't come to play they can possibly trip you up but when I look at that schedule all I really see is that you know the Red River rivalry you can never Overlook that Georgia and then probably the A&M that's a Texas rivalry that's getting reignited and it's at A&M it's always go it's always tough to go and play at College Station so um I like where Texas at I think this is a playoff team 100% and uh we'll just see how they fair man um they're repacing six of 11 on defense I know they're returning six of 11 on defense they lost their two big dogs who we loved in the middle of the defense coach uh my tandre sweat and Byron Murphy the second those are two big dogs who commanded the defensive line so uh this team's in good position man uh and I like where they're at let's slide into the top three right now and I think we all agree they're all kind of interchangeable we we would be content with any of these three sitting at number one we start though at number three Oregon Dan Lanning the man who turned down Alabama one of four new teams joining the Big 10 or we can just call it the big 18 right now back-to-back 10- win seasons for Oregon Coach Bo Nicks is gone in comes another transfer and another Heisman candidate early on in Dylan Gabriel from Oklahoma yeah two two of the top three I saw in person in Spring obviously Ohio State we did the spring game and then Dan Lanning had me come out and I spent the day with him watch practice talk to the team talk to the staff what a great place Oregon is you know it's the first time I spent that much time out there and the big one you know when they play when they host Ohio State I heard coach landia say that's the biggest game in Oregon history and that Stadium it only seats 655,000 but I'm told I've never played in it that it's the the most difficult I called Dan lanan and his staff I did this last year I think they're the best pain in the ass staff in the country and that's something that I remember when I was a younger coach we would always do whatever the defense didn't want to see so I'd sit in the defensive rooms and I'd all ask them what drives you nuts and whatever did I put it in on offense on offense I'd ask them defensively whether it be bear whether it be odd four ey whether it be some some kind of Blitz if it was a pain in the ass I went over the decord I said put it in when I watch Oregon play that's them they're rep pain in the ass all over the field special teams offense defense and that's a credit to their staff I love watching them play and I'm a big fan they're just pissing off programs right like this is going to annoy the hell out of Indiana put it in that's exactly how to do it because because a lot of times offensive and defense think about this Mark offensive coaches put in plays that don't bother the defense and that would drive me nuts Oregon doesn't do that when you watch Oregon every play has a purpose and then on defense every time uh Tosh Lupo their coordinator put something in I can tell he's doing it because it's a pain I call the pain in the ass program stress the defense stress the offense don't don't let him just come out there and just down set hut you know make the question is is Dylan Gabriel good enough to take him to the promised land you know I think he's I watched him closely I love him as a player I love him as a leader he's not a first round draft pick he's not he's he's he's surprisingly not very big I stood right next to him but he gets the ball where it needs to be when he's scrambles he does a hell of a job and he's an incredible leader but that's a big to go from 10 wins to 13 Mark you know that that's big jump man yeah but what what what he's good at is a lot of that RPO the Run pass option stuff and that's what Dan Landon in Oregon does with the backs the receivers and that's where he thrives so I think the system he went to I think he made the right decision going to the Oregon and I think that system fits his skill set so we'll see if that makes a headline the pain in the ass program that's that's a good one in respect respectfully saying it coach when respectfully when you were looking at their talent when you were out there in Eugene what what was that term you gave me the other day when you looked at some of those dudes do you remember it uhuh fast no big veined up cats oh no that was uh big vein up cats that's Texas last year Mar got some big I got I'm still looking for a vein you got some veins somewhere there yeah there's for the viewer that's a great uh visual right now one and one not yeah big veined up cats uh let's talk about their schedule real fast should be 6 and0 heading into that October 12th home date with Ohio State November 2nd big trip to Michigan November 16th long trip out to Wisconsin November 30th they have Washington it' be very interesting to see how that pain in the ass staff does at number two of all the bets wagered on which team will win the college football playoffs according to bet MGM 20% of them have been on number to the Ohio State 11-2 last year crushed it in the transfer portal coach crushed it in retaining Talent crushed it in recruiting young Talent it feels very much like all the chips are in in Columbus to win another Natty they lost the last two games of the season last year and we were there you know we we saw I was there for Big 10 Network against Missouri but we were there for the Rivalry game that's three in a row and the one thing about the great state of Ohio man that that's they're not going to that that's not in their DNA and it is the best roster I I talked to Jim Trestle about this I I've read about him I've watched him this might be the best roster in college football in the last decade fact as far as NFL Talent as far as depth you got the the second string running back whoever it is is going to be probably a first round draft pick think about that for a minute I mean they are loaded they got will Howard is going to be a big question mark but I think the combination of him and Chip Kelly the new offense coordinator they're married for each other he's an athletic quarterback he's he's surprisingly fast I was told he ran 22 miles hour at practice which you know you're sub four five that's fast fast and he's a big dude he's a big dude you know he's gotten leaner right leaner and faster in the off season I saw him ironically at mirfield we sat and sat down and talked for a while and he's he's a big guy 65 I want to say 225 he was down from 245 y um but I think he's the perfect fit here here's the challenge and I want Mark's opinion on this how do you keep all happy their schedule is kind of a joke early on I mean they're going to be 50o favorites in the first three games they have a bye and then they play Michigan State which is a shell of himself right now how do you keep the so the starters will probably play 30 to 40 plays in the first month of the Season that means statistically they're not going to have many catches the running backs are going to not have many carries because you're not going to play those guys in the second half of those games and someone gets hurt right so how do you keep the personalities the nil the agents I guess that's a world I don't know but how you about agents a little bit later to me coach how you do that to me coach it has to be everyone having the same mindset which is why did every single one of you guys come here to the Ohio state is to win a championship y you didn't come here not a big not a big 10 title right yeah you want to win a National Championship so in order for us to win a National Championship everyone needs to be their best and yes you're going to have individual goals which should drive you and inspire you and cause you to work hard but at the end of the day the only thing that matters here is getting the win so your time your day your time your opportunity is going to come you just need to be prepared for it you need to be patient with it because if they do that Mark they'll be in the national championship game they don't they'll have struggles and and but it's hard that's where coach Ryan day comes into play having that message hitting that message home daily daily daily all through training camp all through the season hey National Championship focus on what you need to do to be the best player that you could be focus on what you need to do to be the best version of yourself so when your opportunity does come you're Hing the team win four first team preseason all-americans two more on the second team they are absolutely loaded but they're not at number one instead it is the favorite to win at all according to bet MGM Georgia they lost one game last season by three points but it kept them out of the playoff picture so after back-to-back national titles Georgia goes without a playoff appearance but they start the preseason Mark at number one and they start with maybe the preseason Heisman favorite certainly a preseason All-American at quarterback in Carson Beck I think they're I think they deserve to be the number one team right now the um they would have won the national championship last year in my opinion if it wasn't for Alabama I don't think Michigan was going to beat him I don't think Washington was going to beat him I don't think the only team that could possibly beat them was Alabama and I'm going to tell you right right now because they've been 42-2 over the last three seasons only two losses to bound but they're 41 and0 versus everyone else so that's why they deserve to be the number one team because if Alabama hadn't beaten them they would have been probably the three Peak national champions they got Carson Beck coming back you got shoot six of your starters on defense returning six of your starters on offense returning and Kirby Smart has this program running like a well-oiled machine they play tough they play physical they know their assignments and like I said coach it's about the team it's it's a big team little me and the that's the mindset that they have that's the culture that they have there and Georgia is a dangerous team Georgia is a dangerous team they have weapons they have the skills they have the talent they have the big veined up dudes that coach talking about and uh man Georgia's going to be a problem but they have a tough schedule man they have a tough schedule let's see let's let's go through the schedule they got they pop off with Clemson that's no that's no slouch week one we talked about that coach week ones when you got a a real team you got to come ready to play it's not like a little pushover then you got at Alabama you got that's coming off a bye though that's really big for Georgia bye before that late September date at Alabama yeah at Texas at Old Miss vers Tennessee like that's five games right there that's that's the real deal but uh they're built for it for sure so yeah and again I think we all feel that Oregon Ohio State Georgia interchangeable at number one and the they're the big three in college football this season let's talk about number one 18 of the last 20 AP preseason number one ranked teams failed to win the national title which includes Georgia last year that's your Saucy nug of the week try some at your nearest wed sa Saucy nugs um let's talk about teams that we didn't hit a program that's outside of the top 10 that we think is going to make some noise and I'm going to steal your thunder the favorite according to bet MGM to win the Big 12 Utah coach I know you're in Salt Lake City yeah everybody it's kind of high on Utah but they better make sure they're they're they're healthy at quarterback coach so that's Utah right yeah yeah C uh the quarterback cam Rising you know I've heard I went and watch practice he he was and he didn't just have any the injury he had a real one and that's that's a problem and I understand in training camp he's been you know obviously a little bit limited and all that so I'm a huge Utah fan I was there twice I watched them practice uh I think they got the best coaching college football and K Whittingham I'm very biased but that's okay uh you talk about big veined up Polynesians is what they got Mark I mean big and I I I wasn't sure oh man you know when I first got to I was like okay tell who are these Giants I mean and they're great players great culture they love Utah so I I there's no doubt Utah is going to finish in the top 10 of the country unless injury bug bites him so I'm a Utah fan KY Wenham fan and yeah if if I was a betting person I'd throw a couple bucks on that one coach how do you know that Kyle Whittingham believes he's got a program that can be a a changer in the playoffs this year so Kyle Whittingham is a guy that first of all dear friend and my as good a coach I've ever been around and I texted him uh I was actually out in Salt Lake and I didn't want to bother him so uh he said I'm I wish you would have came to our scrimmage today we have a really good team and he never ever says that you know he's the half sometimes you know how you going to be well we got to do you know like typical coaches like I was you know half empty guy like we we stink here we stink here we need to get better when he says that I was like I read that I said uhoh this could be real season in Salt Lake anybody else we're missing dude I got you guys went with the Utes I'mma go with the you I'mma go with the youu down here in Miami right down the street you know what I mean so um they're right in ACC man so you know this ACC schedule ain't all that right now but you know they got the number one quarterback transfer in the country and Cameron Ward they got the running back from Oregon State Damien Martinez back toback thousand yard seasons and they just been getting better and better and so if I just have to pick a dark course from outside the top 10 I'm going to go with the U I think they got the Q and they got the running bike you know they got to make sure the defense is is right cuz they only got three returning starters but um I got the youu I got the big one in the opener against the Gators they got the big one Gators and then the only other one after that is really Florida State so you can get up for two big games can you get up for the rest the ones that you supposed to win can you win them it's about time the U Got The Q [Music] you've had Wendy's nugs dipped in sauce but have you had them covered in sauce Wendy's new Saucy nugs take the crispy and spicy nugs you love and turn them up to 11 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and driving your vehicle may not be the only thing that gets damaged in that crash you could face a life-altering injury or even death but you're not the only one who could face these consequences your decision to drink and drive could permanently change someone else's world whether you injure them or leave their loved ones grieving the next time you're out drinking call a ride share a taxi a sober friend or a designated sober driver the only decision that will change your world for the better is the decision to call for a sober ride drive sober or get pulled over paid for by Nitsa time now to introduce the first ever guessed on the triple option and we Nick Saban Interview went big we went strong here seven time National titlist as head coach at Alabama most all time he and Urban Meyer you know him the only two coaches to have won at two different FBS schools winning national titles coached four Heisman Trophy winners including our own du Duce he is the legend Nick Sabin and Coach Sabin thank you for joining us you're in Tuscaloosa right now where where are you though right now I'm curious looking at your background I have an office in the stadium uh now they kind of you know got me out of the malmore building so I wouldn't be in the way which is probably a good thing and uh I was just watching Georgia Tech uh last year so uh this a good place to be I got some good people helping me and um trying to prepare for the season because this is a sort of a new Venture for uh Us in terms of TV and but the one thing I do like about it it keeps you involved in the game which is really really gives you something to do and uh I love football I love college football so this has been great coach can you can we watch the game from your office the game that I'm watching no I'm talking about like in you're in Bryant Denny Stadium right your office is in stadium in can I do I have do I have a view of the actual football game from your office that's no sir okay I I I I don't I don't have that kind of status Mark you oh yes you do you could probably get an office here that you could see the field from your office but not me they nameing the field after you dude what are you talking about like you got all the juice I was just hoping that I didn't need a ticket and I could just come straight to your office and watch the game well we could probably sneak you in but um yeah office no we just GNA upgrade you but no um we when we were talking about having a guest you know they mentioned coose but I'm like I figured you wouldn't have a problem with it because during our time together we're two- one against this dude over here coach Meyer you know what I mean he says we're one in one he's just neglecting a whole team have you ever neglected a whole team like no no we don't count 2010 we lost all our players no 20 0809 that was the two best teams arguably in the recent history those are those are some wild games but no no 010 I went through the record book and just redlined it that didn't happen he says it doesn't happen but there's video footage of Coach Meyer on the sideline coaching that game so we're two and one went our time together vers him you know what I mean but he he just neglect he just neglects a whole Victory we had well as I know is when we played they were always very tough games and yeah um really good teams and used to drive me crazy on special teams with all like crazy stuff you all did but um it was always challenging I can tell you that much I don't I don't even remember the records I just know how tough the games were yeah the 0809 games was different for sure uh Mark and I spent a lot of time talking about the 089 and and uh tbo's comeback and the fourth that was two great teams Julio Jones and I mean just great effort across NFL players everywhere then 09 Mark told the story a little bit like we did with Georgia one year that that was just you know not every day but just a big emphasis to go get that game and I'm just curious about you know your take on that where you know you look back coach that those two teams those are their you know on my lifetime those two teams when they jogged out on the field that was as good of football as I've ever seen in my lifetime and you're talking about there wasn't a weakness no and whenever you watch a Nick Sabin team you know well your job as a coach go find some weakness and I I mean by you know 10:00 on Sunday I'm saying there's you can't find it you know your kickoff return a kickoff like you said and and so just your take on that 09 you know and and I know I we take credit of giving Mark that Heisman over his right shoulder he had 189 allpurpose yards and 09 against us so your take coach well I've always said the SEC Championship game is almost like a playoff game but you know the 08 and 09 games I think an ' 08 you guys were one we were two um the next year it might have been vice versa but I know we were one and two and those are two great teams uh no doubt um but you know the thing I loved about the 08 and 09 teams from our perspective at Alabama is you know those guys all came to Alabama when we weren't any good um even you know Mark when we recruited him I mean we're coming off of seven and six and is trying to build a program so you know Julio Jones Mark a lot of the players that were on the field all came Dante high tower they they all came when we really weren't very good and they had something to prove and obviously the' 08 game was um you know TBO was fantastic couldn't get off the field on third down that's all I can remember especially in the second half whether he scrambled or threw it or whatever and and then in the 09 game it was you know our big strategy change was you know we were going to rush Five Guys as much as we could make him throw it and see if we could guard everybody and uh we couldn't guard everybody but we did it well enough to be able to win the game and I thought that was probably one of our greatest team efforts uh and of all the teams that team came together in that game uh as well as any that I ever coached and we needed to because you had such a great team in Florida you know I tell these guys I can't remember my middle name or my address but I remember the play in ' 09 you know Bama got off to a pretty good jump on us and and we were fighting and CLA back and then we Charlie Strong ran the corner Blitz Joe Hayden off the edge and you guys ran a slip screen right behind them and the T I think the tackle got up on major right and it was out and that was kind of the that was the changer of the game and it was you know that was like I said I don't remember much but I remember remember that kind of stuff man yeah shout out to my coach Burton Burns man you know rolled up Corner short side of the field impress coverage be alert for the corner cat Bluff the Blitzer out the gate let's go you know it's amazing though as a coach that I think we were in the playoffs 12 times so we won seven playoffs championship game whatever but the only ones that I remember is all the plays from the five that we lost I agree I agree yes the plays that haunt us yeah it just haunts you all the time so kind of interesting one one of those haunting moments 2014 coach said please rob don't bring it up don't bring it up but I I I overruled coach Meyer college football playoffs NFL Talent all over the field and the big storyline in 2014 when you guys met Ohio state was the Buckeyes were rolling out a third string quarterback in Cardell Jones what was the game planning and the thought process like that week leading into that game coach Sabin well I mean they had a lot of really good skill guys had a very good team um you know but I I we had all the respect in the world for you know Cardell Jones he was a big guy he strong arm uh very talented people around him uh so he didn't have to win the game for him but he played extremely well in in that game and um it was a battle no doubt um but we couldn't really stop them and you know the tailback who plays for the Dallas Cowboys was pretty damn good too so uh that was a really good team what was it like recruiting and coaching dece Duce Mark Ingram the second well you know Mark I I shouldn't tell stories about Mark no please tell please tell tell St we're here for him yeah tell the stories you I I saw mark on high school film and I thought but man this guy is one of the best backs in the country I was really impressed with his instinctive you know way that he ran the ball change the direction burst out of you know a cut uh had good hands had really good track time so he had finishing speed and um so he was like our number one guy that we were going after but what I was concerned about was you know when I was at Michigan State you know George when I was a defensive coordinator George peus used to go to Europe on Duffy dh's clinics or whatever in the summertime so I was in charge of making sure everybody got eligible and in those days you know you could take as many hours of summer school as you want and you know Mark's dad big Mark here he goes Andre ryen were the two white outs and uh they were not easy to track down all the time going to class so the only way that I could track them down as I knew big Mark's girlfriend and I had her number so I would call and find out where he was so when I went in Mark's home I was like man I don't know if Mark's mom is [Applause] really so I sat there for two hours hoping it never came up and finally his mom started laughing at the end of the home visit and said I was the girl you used to yes wow what a great story yes sir she's like coach that was me call me oh I can't wait to see Senior now I cannot wait to see hey what what was Mark like in the locker room and and in the huddles and in all those practices because we know what he's like in in you know our big noon locker room what was he like back then oh Mark is a was a tremendous competitor really hard worker good leader my teammates loved him um he he was you know fantastic and I can tell you a story about him you know we were playing in a Chick-fil-A whatever it is tournament over there at uh in Lake aone and um we we we we get in a a playoff at the end with Georgia Tech and we keep playing the 18 toll over and over and over well the plane's waiting for me because I had to go speak at one of these alumni events and they keep calling me on the phone you know we're going to be late we're going to be late you got to get out of here so after we were going to the fifth um playoff and I told Mark I said Mark look we really did well worst we're going to do is come in second I said I gotta go after this hole whether we win or lose and you know Mark put his hand down you know and hit the hit the seat and said you didn't teach me that way coach we K guys's ass yeah I'm like coach come on man you talking about second place we got to leave we in the championship holes man man you talking about you got to get out of here heck no man you ain't teach me this you ain't talk to us like this we need to get this one man but uh he had the he had the ad the president everybody on the jet waiting on him I'm like hey man no we got to get this done first before you go and we didn't get it done we didn't we lost because you had the mentality you had the wrong mentality that's right coach you know you it's going to get easier I can imagine you cuz I know you fairly well that every second of your life consumed with that team and keeping players healthy and recruiting and schedules and um what what FS your time now uh now that you're not consumed with uh Crimson Tide yeah well um you know having the opportunity to do the draft uh this year um SEC media day uh now I'm going to do game day um you know there takes a lot of preparation time for these things but the one thing that you can do is you do it on your time um you can do it in the morning go play golf in the afternoon go see your mom in the afternoon whatever you need to do so uh that keeps me busy it gives me something to do um we have businesses uh that I'm involved with to a small degree so I can spend some time doing that if I need to but um so the biggest thing is that I realized is for 50 years of my life I was always in a hurry always in a hurry to do the next thing always in a hurry to get wherever I was going because it was something else she had to do whether it's go see a recruit um get ready for practice prepare for a game whatever it was and what I realized when I retired is I didn't even know that I was always in a hurry I just thought that was a way of life so um not to have that sort of stress point all the time uh has really been a good thing uh it's great to be able to enjoy your kids your grandkids spend time with your wife and not be in a hurry because you had to do something else um as soon as you got home so it's it's it's been really good and I'm I'm I'm happy that I have something to do I I I want to say that I retired from coaching but I didn't really retire from working because I do enjoy having something to do all the time you you the man coach you the man you deserve it man shoot all them years you been poured into players like myself and uh you deserve to be able to enjoy your family and reap the benefits of what you sold in your whole entire life so I'm excited for you I'm happy for you I'm glad you get to go out there and shoot your age and golf and practice how to surf in in the ocean and stuff like that you out there doing your thing man so I'm proud of you but no coach seven national titles seven national titles is there one that sticks out to you most that's your favorite or one that just sticks that that's one that stands out more than others well I I think the first one obviously was at LSU in 2003 oh damn and then and then the 2009 first championship here at Alabama and the reason those two first probably are the ones that resonate the most for me is what I mentioned before is all those guys came to the program when the program really wasn't successful you know once a program's successful well you know sometimes players come because of what you can do for them right not really what they can do for the University or building a program or whatever and um it's it's just it's it's okay that that happens but it's a lot more meaningful when all these players came to try to prove something and um work their butt off to to to make it happen and uh you're a part of it and you grow together uh as as a team and I think those two are the the because they were the first uh at each Place were the most special they're all great though um because that's the one thing about being a part of a team is when you get a team to reach the Pinnacle of success that's really there's a lot of self-gratification in that for you know not only myself but the entire group of people who contributed to it roll down tight boy the evolution of the game has been amazing and I look back when we first started coaching back in the'80s and and it was very set schedule you know you you you got to spend so much time on your own team you know and I felt that disappearing near the end of my career where I mean it was enough you know it used to be I mean Bobby Bowen coach used to have his only recruiting weekend third week in January that was the only time they recruited and I remember you know obviously I was in Florida recruiting against like you know you just it consumed you and then as the as a calendar began to change at the end of your career in in in my career before you was that I found it was very hard to spend time with your own team because you were constantly when they started pumping those official visits in the spring that wore me you know that I just felt like I wasn't doing Justice to our current team our current roster what's your thoughts on you know the evolution of that you know the time I it's almost like and I talked to Ryan day about it's you're you're a GM now you're I mean Ryan da spends you know half his time raising money for nil as a opposed to coaching as players and I know what kind of Coach you are what's your thoughts on that Evolution that took place during your last half of your career yeah I don't think there's any question about the fact is you know the last especially five years you know we've passed a lot of legislation relative to college football that has really made it more difficult to spend time with with your current team even though it's necessary now to spend a lot of time with your current team because you got to recruit the players on your team all the time because B basically their free agents twice a year and um but I think the biggest change was when as you mentioned when they Chang a recruiting calendar to allow spring and summer visits that that really took away from those those were almost sacred times when we had spring recruiting but when spring recruiting was over you had a lot of time to spend with your team especially you know throughout the summer uh even though you weren't allowed to go out there and Coach them you could spend a lot of time with them and um that's all kind of disappeared and I think the biggest change for me as a coach was how much responsibility you had to put on the strength coach and other people in the organization who couldn't recruit as much um that they had to have great relationships to try to you know sort of reinforce the culture that you were trying to uh get your players to compete to so uh it it it was dramatic change from and and just the last five years and E even technically in terms of football and how it's changed um you know I always you know sort of mention the fact that in 2013 2014 we were having a hard time playing against Old Miss and they beat us a couple times because they were going so fast on offense no huddle was kind of the new new thing then and we played Michigan this last year and they got in a huddle and our players didn't know how to adjust to that so uh in in a 10-year period we went from not being able to play against no huddle to struggling to play against a team that did get in the Huddle so that just that just kind of reinforces how things have changed on and off the field in the last 10 years I would really want to hit you with this and get your thoughts because I think the media for some reason doesn't report on it um pretty traditionalist myself as far as the whole recruiting a high school athlete bringing them in developing them making sure they can operate you know Life After College all the things that you know I know you coached at Ohio State and the Woody bow all those great coaches we followed but you see coach Prime who I know he's a friend of yours a friend of mine and you you you start transitioning a team every you're 40 sometime you know I I see those numbers and it it astonishes me that you could rebuild a team and you get some of those kids aren't even showing up until July and what's not being talked about is the residual when I see and I talk to high school coach I I still have so many friends like we all do when you see a program say I'm not going to recruit high school players or I'm saving people don't realize that's the residual of that is those high school players might not be getting those opportunities that you know I'm wondering where that's going to end up because at the end of the day college football was there for a reason it's been there for a long time before us and it's going to be there a long time after us and that's to take young people get them in a great environment toughen them up make sure academically they're set and they can go live life after this game's done that's the world I grew up in now that you see the teams are more focused on transfer portal what's a residual in your mind to that in down to the high school athlete yeah well you know it's always been my philosophy and I think your as well is you know players that came into your program the number one goal is how can we help them be more successful in life because they were involved in the program so you're really going to create to college to create value for your future and as an athlete that could be on the field in terms of developing a career at the next level but most importantly preparing yourself for the day you couldn't play football and uh that means making sure you get an education and you know I'm really proud of the fact that we had 668 degrees here in seven years you know like 575 of them were undergraduate and um a lot of graduate degrees you know from our players and that's really what it's all about now you and I coached back in the day where you know we didn't have progress toward the degree rules we didn't have you could take as many hours in the summer to get eligible and the graduation rates were you know not very good and we went through probably a 25 year process of developing ways that we could make sure guys were developing careers off the field and we got to the point where we have 85% graduation rates and you know we had personal development programs mental health care we had all these things that you know enhance players having the opportunity to be you know more successful in life and you know the one fear that I have is you know guys being able to transfer especially two or three times you know may impact how many guys graduate so we may have down the road we may have some sad stories about what happens to these players and has all this progress that we made through these years to get where we are now uh is this going to be something that really doesn't enhance the opportunity of helping that continue to grow and be successful in the future so I do have I am very concerned about that because there are there is some statistical information out there is the when you transfer you know that how that impacts your chances to graduate um and I I I do think that you know having the ability to transfer after you know two or three years of a school and you can go someplace else and play you know maybe that's not a terrible thing in some cases but you know when guys just do it um for financial reasons uh I think you know it's a little shortsighted in terms of what they can develop you know down the road coach I want to sneak in one Alabama question um coaching the Crimson Tide is that's a whole different animal when Kayla dor took over what were some of the questions he asked you what was some of the advice that you wanted to make sure you shared with him well I think the biggest thing you know Urban coach at Ohio State is no different there I mean when you coach at these programs that have high expectations which is what we all want there's nothing wrong with that um but I think the number one thing you got to do is be who you are focus on you know the things that are in front of you and don't get impacted by external factors you know whether it's everybody says there's a lot of pressure we all put more pressure on ourselves than anybody in the media fans or anybody else's expectations could ever put on us but um and I think that's a little more difficult to do you know in this day and age because of social media you know social media is a great thing and in terms of creating interest you know in athletics but um you know when players start to believe what they read on the internet um that sometimes can affect their psychological disposition of how they approach what they do whether they get frustrated whether they're disappointed whether they're over confident complacent I mean there's all kind of impacts that you can have from worrying about what other people think rather than controlling what you can control coach we've been hitting you with questions uh we like to end with giving you the opportunity to fire one back at us so do you have a question for one of us as you head into your new pastures my thing is how many shots Urban's going to give me I mean I'm just worried about winning a golf game now I'm not worried about all this other stuff coach you want shots and you out here shooting even par he shot even par he shot his age he was bragging to me about it it was one far 71 it don't matter 72 you giving me strokes but I remember you played like you told me you played High School golf or something because you had a nice swing and I asked you I said you said yeah as a kid you played I was shoveling driveways in Cleveland Ohio for two bucks a driveway and you were out on your wedge for a dollar an hour in my dad service station so you're not getting any shots from me but my handicap is way higher than both of yours therefore you sandbaggers are giving me Strokes no if your hand if your handicap is higher than mine you're the sandbagger no I'm not we've played together you saw me hit it left right everywhere but in the Fairway but hit it far yeah far and out of bounds I'm now I'm laying three coach sain thanks for joining us on the first edition of the triple option an honor to talk to you and we look forward to to hearing more from you in the future and your next Endeavors and safe trip to doubl Ireland and Coach all I got to tell you is this make sure you go crowd surfing out there in Ireland you got to jump In Crowd and go surfing coach do it let you don't have to do that that's not my style no you got all the style and the profile so now you just got to go fly high and get surfing all right that's as much of this as I can take you guys have a good day thanks coach appreciate it [Music] coach are you hiring what type of position do you need to fill well whether you need to hire a civil engineer New York a pediatric nurse in Nebraska an attorney in Colorado or I don't know even a mascot in Michigan you need zip recruiter zip recruiter finds qualified candidates fast for all kinds of roles and right now you can try it for free at ziprecruiter.com Option say your favorite school fired their offensive coordinator in the middle of the Season zip recruiter lets you connect with top candidates ASAP you can use zip recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to some of of your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner from accountant to zoologist zip recruiter makes hiring faster and easier four out of five employers who post on zip recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day you can try it for free at this exclusive web address ziprecruiter.com option again that's ziprecruiter.com option recruiter the smartest way to hire all right it is time to sound off each week Sound Off we're going to bring you a clip that that caught our ear and this week it's a doozy and it comes from one of the best courtesy of stillwaters own Mike Gundy here is Mike Gundy talking about agents you can just there's no negotiating now portals over all negotiations history now we're playing football you can enjoy just coaching playing football confence 12 team playoff and everything being so different just the newness of it all yeah and you know the business side of what we do now is is we have to have those conversations with them you know tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money it's non-negotiable now going to start again in December so now we're able to direct ourselves just at football and that part is fun because there's been so much other stuff going on that's been hard to really focus on football how about quote of the day in college football tell your agent to quit calling and that is real Mark I mean I talked to some people in this business now and that that is non-stop I had one guy tell me that walkon had his agent you know he didn't earn a scholarship and he said you know is there a way that I can get some of that in like what what are we doing here you know so tell your agent to quick call and that is the the sound that is it and of course not an NFL sound bite that's a college colle sound bite don't call me till December call but the problem nonnegotiable but the problem Marc is they are going to be calling in December so like you've got to put up with this multiple times I got news they're going to call anyway they're going to call next week they're going to call next week after they guy ain't got 13 carries or six targets I mean Rob if this thing hits Mark Mark's agent's going to be calling us hey you going pick phone you better call there's our first inside joke on the triple option all right let's pivot here pick six is brought to you by our Pick 6 great Partners at betmgm place your moneyline prop parlay and same game parlay bets at betmgm download the app today please gamble responsibly so each week we're going to pick six games against the spread and each week Mark over there will have his deuce deuce dog of the week that's going to make a great t-shirt one of Mark's picks will be the underdog that he thinks will outright win we're going to start with the dog dog the dece dog dog of the week has sound effects um we're going to start with Coach number 10 Florida state Georgia Tech neutral St site game all the way in Dublin Ireland the nolles favored by 11 and a half what do you see coach I see the I see this as a great game Georgia Tech has been kind of gone since Paul Johnson left now Brent key has brought him back a former player excellent I mean did a had a heck of a year uh he understands Georgia Tech and by the way they had the number one r offense in the ACC I just however I'm going to say FSU covers 11 and a half point spread I think Florida State I I just feel very strong about them I I I think that coaching staff that head coach in particular what he's done the recruiting base they have I think they're going to have a great year this year they're going to be a a playoff Contender and they'll beat uh Georgia Tech by more than 11 and a half and they got this thing on their shoulder after getting snubbed last year sure as he's using it too oh you bet he is that ship is going to be massive uh 18th ranked SMU welcome to the ACC they open up on the road in Reno at Nevada SMU favored by 27 and a half folks this is where we start the stone for Heisman campaign quarterback Preston Stone among the top returners for the Mustangs Nevada is in a total rebuild mode right now I know it is a big line for the road team but I think SMU is able to cover North Carolina ma brown boy they got a stud at tailb tailback Mark they open up on the road in Minneapolis next Thursday 8 Eastern the Gophers favored by two and a half I'mma go with thear heels I'mma go with the baby blue thear heels you know m brown you know m brown holding it down they lost Drake may but they got Max Johnson LSU Texas A&M formerly quarterbacks so max Johnson but the guy who I'm paying attention to is the man who you mentioned the running bike om Maran Hampton 2023 allamerican dop Walker finalist and he is the real deal Holyfield so with om Maran Hampton and the baby blue and mac daddy Brown I'm going with him to cover the spread in Minnesota dog the Big O might be the best tailback in college football this season coach we go to you North Dakota State at Colorado next Thursday the Buffs and Coach Prime favored by 9 and a half yeah tough trip for North Dakota State but before we do that Mark Mark in particular I want you to watch this video this is a hype video was released earlier and I'm going to get your pinion after you watch this damn thing you g for me Co girls alone she don't mean I met her down in she said that she saw me walking in about a mile away just had to take her phone and I just took her smile awayo drunk crazy what in the world that's box I like the boom box I just don't know what we watched like what was it I guess that's supposed to be a Morgan Wallen entrance so was it just like five dudes that said we going to do this we going do we're going to walk into an empty Arena yes like I think it was so bad the school took it down though Rob someone told me the school took it down or something that's all right at least they for season North Dakota State aren't they like oh down and they yeah sorry here here is North Dakota State Mark they won nine of the last 13 fcfs national championships they're real they beat Iowa Iowa State Kansas State Minnesota over the last few years coach Prime's aware he made the comment that he's mad at his ad that it he thought it was going to be a soft game it's not I actually got North Dakota State going to cover this thing now now athletically I went watched them they can't hang in there with shador and Travis Hunter they just can't if I'm then I'm going to play zone keep the ball in front of you try to control the line of scrimmage I'm going to snap the ball with two seconds left every snap on offense shorten the game and find a way to keep that thing close in the fourth quarter that's that's how I would do it and I they got it a new coach pok's his name Tim poek but that's a program with a great history man they put players in the NFL they win they know how to win it's a great culture so I got them covered with that with that video they not covering nothing the video delete don't judge him on the video by the way a big noon road trip to North Dakota State sign me up yes I'm down because I've never been to any of the program man oh you got to hit the dtas man the dtas oh it's beautiful pack the kids in the station wagon you hit like those uh oh man it's gorgeous it's gorgeous trust me all right let's move on here Temple at number 16 Oklahoma next Friday the Sooners a 42 and 1 Half Point favorite how about this little tidbit first Friday night home game ever at Owen field Temple they have struggled lately just 10 wins since 2020 their defense is in a complete makeover mode the story at Oklahoma of course new quarterback Dylan Gabriel gone he goes out to the West Coast Jackson Arnold a former five star is QB number one Oklahoma's going to win this right like that's not the question but will they cover it I just think the number is a little too big right now I don't think Oklahoma covers that 42 and a half point spread and Mark we finish with you uh two programs that have some some ties to you FAU at Michigan State next Friday Sparty favored by 11 and a half yeah I live down here at Delray Beach boa I mean FAU was right there Lane kein when he was there he showed me love I went train with the team so I got love for FAU but in my blood I grew up I had Michigan State bed sheets I had green bed streets cuz my dad played in Michigan State my grandpa played at Michigan State my mom went to Michigan State so Sparty dogs running my BL running my veins you know what I mean and Coach Jonathan Smith is his first year and the sparties have a great tradition and a great culture and a history of Pride and so they looking to bounce back and I see it as an opportunity versus FAU week one to go ahead and show that Sparty dogs are back on the right track I got them covering the spread in East Lantern Sparty dogs coach you're not you're not feeling you're not feeling Sparty quite yet are you no not at all and I when marked Antonio they were the best team in the in the Big 10 when I first got there I thought they did the best job of recruiting like Kyle Whittingham the three fourstar guys and making M NFL draft picks however and I love playing there I mean those are rugged fans they share the same hatred of Ann Arbor that you in Columbus but what what happened there in the last couple years is beyond belief at a great place like Michigan State I think they got an excellent coach but they're that's going to take a minute Mark when you say a minute years so you have fa covering I I don't know I you know when you have those big point spreads I don't know what's and a half it's 11 and touchdowns yeah they're home East Lancing they covery covers if you ask me um real Preseason Prep quick let's talk about opening week week zero is here upon us um what is it that you remember most coach and then I'll go to you Mark about week zero or opening week should I say it's all about the schedule you know we played Oklahoma before early in the season we played Virginia Tech uh to start the season we've had some big ones but then a lot of times you play teams that you're just far superior and to me we talked about it earlier in the show is that I would do as much good on good if we had a soft schedule and then if we had a hard schedule I'd back that good off good because you need two weeks to get those boys ready you know their shoulders there's neck there's knees the conditioning their toughness that's all early in the training camp if you got a big game it's late in the training camp if you got soft games so that was that was a what I always remember about week zero week one coach if it's a soft game is it almost like a a a scrimmage type approach I would never say that because your team you know I would never say that but yes in my mind I counted that as our first you know I wouldn't scrimmage them and no one ever really asked I think after you know my coordinators eventually would know but I would count that as scrimmages because you you can only have so many hits on a body during the course of year especially if you're in a tough conference and when you have teams like I had at Florida and Ohio State and even Utah I'm not going to beat them up unless we're you know I'm not going to do that so you want to I would count the week one week week z12 depends on who you're playing as scrimmages hey coach see that's why that's why I use a players guy took care of your players coach we love that we love when we get taken care of by our coach make you run through the brick wall for the coach that's why they love you coach that's why you the man coach yes sir that's why you the goat coach no but um I remember uh shoot just the pregame Jitters man just that week leading up to the games man just kind of anxious kind of jitters you've been doing all this preparation the offseason the fourth quarter program what just called Alabama the spring football the summer workouts running 110s and 110 heat in the mornings the max squats the stadium runs um the one-on ons versus Rando mlan at 260 lbs picking up pass Pro like I can't cut him because it's practice but I a big Vin dude you're going against big veined up dude you know what I mean buted up cat that's it but uh um no I just remember the pregame Jitters man and just wanted to do well wanted to perform and you've been working all this time man for this moment so I remember just being ready to roll ready to put the lights come on that's when the stars shine you feel me that's when you ball and when you ball you get the call and if you get the call you feel me you get that that that that money especially these days but um no man I'm uh I remember those days man it's just nothing like it you know getting ready for a game and um yeah it's the best and we didn't play no Rinky Dinks like coach was saying when I was there we Ain Play No Rinky Dinks we had Clemson who was a top 10 team Virginia Tech who was a top 10 team I think we went to Penn State week one so we ain't Play No Rudy you saved them for a little bit later when was Citadel on your roster or your uh schedule we had we had um Georgia Texas we had North Texas we had a Georgia Southern we had you know T Lane which you know I had to come save the day vers T Lane you know what I mean but um yeah open the week is Fun open the week is the best that's what you do it for man we're so excited man and we're so excited that that you wherever you're listening to this or watching this took part in our first ever edition of the triple option Mark coach we look forward to many many more of these uh next week Dan Lanning Oregon head coach is going to join us our thanks to Nick Sabin for joining us on our first ever edition of the triple option please subscribe to our YouTube channel follow us on Apple podcast Spotify or wherever you get your podcast as well as across social media at 3x option show again new episodes drop every single Wednesday and we want to thank our sponsors man how good of our sponsor been so many sponsors and we just kind of Hit the podcast waves if you will w we got the best sponsors love sponsors nit bet MGM zip recruiter thank you so much for your belief in what we are going to be giving you to our college football fan base out there college football is back and the triple option is here for all of it and do what Rob said like subscribe follow or I'm on y get a mark shut your mouth what you want [Music]