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ITG 129 - Champ Week Preview with Phil Steele
Transcript
00:00:00 (upbeat music)
00:00:02 - In the gun episode 129, I'm Skylar Cowen.
00:00:08 That is the signal caller, Jed Drenning.
00:00:10 We're gonna have Phil Steele here with us in a minute
00:00:12 as we always do.
00:00:14 You know, the regular season's over.
00:00:15 We got Phil for the conference championship week,
00:00:18 and then we're gonna get him one more time,
00:00:20 sometime within the month of December
00:00:22 to speak on the bowl games,
00:00:24 including West Virginia's opponent and their destination.
00:00:27 But we'll get to that here in a little bit.
00:00:29 So Jed, let's start things off here first,
00:00:31 but first a word here from our sponsor here, BetOnline.
00:00:35 Where the game starts, where we'll start today
00:00:37 is our recap of our picks against Baylor.
00:00:40 We did a little something different last week.
00:00:42 We actually had a bonus pick as well.
00:00:44 So let's see how we did from last week's picks.
00:00:47 - What we should have had Skylar is over under
00:00:50 on folk legends born in that game.
00:00:54 Because we certainly had one.
00:00:57 Zach Frazier deservedly so,
00:01:00 as we've discussed so much this week.
00:01:03 But okay, let's recap.
00:01:05 This was a kind of an interesting week,
00:01:08 interesting matchup in Waco.
00:01:10 Our first prop bet last week,
00:01:12 the Baylor defense had faced going into the game
00:01:16 27 and a half pass attempts per game.
00:01:18 The reason we brought that up,
00:01:20 that was the fewest pass attempts
00:01:21 faced by a team in the Big 12.
00:01:24 But interestingly enough,
00:01:25 in the previous two games coming in,
00:01:27 Kansas State and TCU had thrown 34 times
00:01:29 on average against them.
00:01:30 So we quite simply went with over under.
00:01:34 Will West Virginia have more or fewer
00:01:38 than 27 and a half pass attempts?
00:01:40 I picked under.
00:01:42 And it was interesting because in six of 11 games,
00:01:46 West Virginia had gone under that number.
00:01:48 You picked under and we both hit it, of course.
00:01:53 Garrett was 16 of 25.
00:01:57 I have the game book in front of me
00:01:59 to help us out with this.
00:02:00 So under 27 and a half at 25.
00:02:03 Number two, so we were both one for one there.
00:02:06 The Baylor offense has allowed 7.3 TFLs per game.
00:02:09 Again, this was going into the game
00:02:11 and that was the most in the Big 12.
00:02:14 WVU defensively was averaging 6.2 per game.
00:02:18 So the question, TFLs for West Virginia's defense
00:02:22 over under six and a half.
00:02:24 I picked under, pointing out that even in conference play,
00:02:30 Baylor had allowed 7.9, but still wanted to go with the under.
00:02:33 West Virginia only three times
00:02:34 that exceeded that number defensively.
00:02:36 You picked under.
00:02:37 We both hit it because the number was five.
00:02:42 The under was five, or the number was five.
00:02:44 So it was under the 6.5.
00:02:46 So we both hit that one.
00:02:48 Question number three, going in.
00:02:52 Baylor was 13th in the Big 12 in rushing offense
00:02:55 at 114 a game, but the Bears have enjoyed much success
00:02:58 in the ground against West Virginia
00:03:00 in our five games in Waco, averaging 249 a game.
00:03:03 That's of course inflated by chunky totals
00:03:05 of 468 in the 2013 blowout and 304 in 2015.
00:03:10 But the lowest rushing total WVU has held the Bears to
00:03:16 in a road game there was 127.
00:03:19 127 going into the game was the fewest we ever held them
00:03:22 to in Waco.
00:03:24 And the Mountaineers had held seven of 11 opponents
00:03:27 under their season rushing average.
00:03:29 So Baylor's season rushing average 114,
00:03:33 the lowest we ever held them there in a road game was 127.
00:03:36 So that was the question.
00:03:38 Will WVU hold Baylor under 127 yards?
00:03:43 I said no.
00:03:44 You said no.
00:03:47 Double red X, West Virginia did in fact hold them
00:03:51 under 127 yards.
00:03:53 Baylor finished with 119 rushing yards.
00:03:56 Looked for a while, they weren't gonna have 30 yards
00:03:58 rushing right until the second half got cranked
00:04:01 and that changed things.
00:04:02 That third quarter changed a lot of these stats
00:04:04 'cause that was statistically at halftime,
00:04:07 obviously an incredibly lopsided game,
00:04:09 but Baylor did something about that in the third quarter.
00:04:12 And last week for the first time ever,
00:04:14 we had a bonus question.
00:04:17 Our bonus question.
00:04:18 And again, this was going in.
00:04:20 In 11 games between these two teams
00:04:23 since WVU joined the Big 12,
00:04:25 the offenses have scored 38 plus points 11 times.
00:04:30 Several times, both the offenses in the same game
00:04:33 had scored 38 plus.
00:04:34 In other words, 11 games going in.
00:04:39 In those 11 games, that's 22 chances for an offense
00:04:42 to score 38 or more.
00:04:43 And it's happened in half those games 11 times
00:04:46 out of the 22 opportunities.
00:04:48 The question was, will one or both of these teams
00:04:52 score 38 plus points Saturday night in Waco?
00:04:56 I said, no.
00:04:59 You said, yes.
00:05:01 Final score, West Virginia 34, Baylor 31.
00:05:06 Both were under the 38.
00:05:09 So I hit that one.
00:05:11 So I was three for four,
00:05:15 you were two for four.
00:05:18 - I'll take that.
00:05:19 - That's how it should be.
00:05:20 - That's up from about 333 from last week.
00:05:23 So, and plus I've noticed something too, Judd.
00:05:26 You notice how like all these sports books
00:05:28 throughout the year, like the beginning of the season,
00:05:30 that's like your best chance to get these picks right.
00:05:32 Because as the season goes along, the lines get tighter.
00:05:36 It's hard to pick that.
00:05:37 Yeah, it's almost like the same thing here.
00:05:39 I mean, Christ, you had the 27 pass attempts
00:05:44 and it was 25.
00:05:45 You had the five tackles for loss,
00:05:48 which was what, six and a half is what we set it at.
00:05:51 And then the 38 points and it was 34, 31.
00:05:55 I mean, I'm working uphill here.
00:05:57 So.
00:05:58 - Really pulled these from a Vegas book that I know of.
00:06:01 I mean, everything's out there, somewhere in a Vegas book.
00:06:04 But these are kind of just us coming up
00:06:07 in whatever or less than creative way
00:06:11 to come up with some prop bets to make this entertaining.
00:06:14 At least we entertain ourselves.
00:06:15 I hope we're entertaining the listeners with it,
00:06:17 but we entertain ourselves with it.
00:06:19 But so that's where we come up with it.
00:06:21 It was just interesting how, I don't know.
00:06:24 But you're right.
00:06:25 Sometimes we've landed pretty close to them.
00:06:27 - Yeah, and by the way,
00:06:29 have you seen the Baylor cinematic recap yet
00:06:32 that Big Daddy and his crew did?
00:06:34 - I have, yes I have.
00:06:35 - That stuff is chef's kiss.
00:06:38 And I think we got to owe Big Daddy and his crew
00:06:41 a big tip of the hat to all of their work
00:06:44 that they've done throughout the season.
00:06:46 But those cinematic recaps,
00:06:47 like Wes I think mentioned on a show or two ago,
00:06:50 are something you look forward to now.
00:06:52 As somebody that follows and covers
00:06:54 and watches West Virginia every single week,
00:06:57 you almost pray for one
00:06:58 because these things are really cool.
00:07:00 It's a nice little look behind the scenes a little bit.
00:07:03 And especially games like that,
00:07:05 where you see something you probably never see
00:07:08 in the history of West Virginia football
00:07:11 and what Zach Frazier did.
00:07:13 And man, that story that you were telling
00:07:17 on the show the other day,
00:07:18 that got to me a little bit.
00:07:20 That was incredible.
00:07:21 - Sometimes you don't see something coming.
00:07:24 And that was really the first time I discussed it.
00:07:28 And I didn't think that, it hit me.
00:07:31 And I'm telling you,
00:07:34 the O line was impacted in such a big way.
00:07:36 And I was seeing them get that news.
00:07:40 And we've talked all year, this unit's so tight.
00:07:43 Like I'll never forget the game in the second half.
00:07:47 Wyatt had to sit out because he got poked in the eye.
00:07:51 (laughing)
00:07:52 And the way the O line addressed it was
00:07:55 that halftime, it's been 10 minutes of halftime
00:07:58 making fun of it.
00:07:59 I mean, it was just like,
00:08:03 it's the old locker room style of taking care of your guy.
00:08:05 And this group has just been so tight.
00:08:08 And to see them just so crestfallen
00:08:12 and heartbroken and crushed.
00:08:14 Zach's a special dude, man.
00:08:18 And you know what?
00:08:19 I was happy to see that the national media
00:08:24 had picked up on this to some extent
00:08:26 because you saw some of the national writers,
00:08:28 whether it was Dan Wetzel or on down the line
00:08:30 or even the senior bowl rep, retweet WVU's tweet
00:08:35 that had the footage of Zach making his way off the field.
00:08:39 And I did what I could to chime in
00:08:44 and add to the narrative of Zach
00:08:46 to the new truly who he was.
00:08:47 Look, this guy is so much more
00:08:50 than just the toughest guy on the field.
00:08:52 He's a truly special individual.
00:08:55 We've said so many times, he had a family member
00:08:57 that you can only communicate with through sign language.
00:09:02 So Zach learned sign language to communicate
00:09:04 with this young family member.
00:09:05 Zach, the morning after the heartbreaking loss at Houston,
00:09:10 Zach and Garrett are at the children's hospital
00:09:13 visiting a cancer patient.
00:09:15 I just, he's a special dude.
00:09:17 And somebody in the NFL is gonna get a gym
00:09:21 that is gonna make their locker room just instantly better.
00:09:26 And you talk about a guy who is the perfect,
00:09:29 one of the faces of your franchise in the NFL,
00:09:31 that is what you want as the face of a franchise in the NFL.
00:09:35 And you know what?
00:09:37 We're gonna have a lot of fun with some of these guys,
00:09:39 whether it's Zach, whether it's Doug, as we track things.
00:09:42 And of course, we've got to track his progress
00:09:44 from a recovery standpoint,
00:09:46 because he'll be on the shelf for a bit.
00:09:48 You know, his surgery went well,
00:09:49 but you don't recover from that overnight.
00:09:52 So it's tough 'cause it'll impact the senior bowl
00:09:56 and all the time leading up to, you know, the draft.
00:10:01 But yeah, what a night.
00:10:04 I mean, personally, he gave me a couple of things
00:10:09 that I'm never gonna forget.
00:10:10 I'll never forget him making his way
00:10:13 toward us on the sideline.
00:10:15 I'll never forget that.
00:10:16 I will never have that out of my mind.
00:10:19 He was slightly to my right, about 12 yards,
00:10:22 as he was doing that.
00:10:23 And I'd never seen that on a football field.
00:10:27 I'd never seen-
00:10:28 - You need to have the situational awareness, too.
00:10:30 Like, that's just-
00:10:31 - Exactly.
00:10:33 I said the other night, on the tape,
00:10:37 he's a quarterback in a center's body.
00:10:39 I would have been surprised if Zach didn't do that,
00:10:43 just understanding his mastery of the game
00:10:46 and the situation.
00:10:47 But I'd never seen someone acting,
00:10:51 an injured player acting with that level of alacrity
00:10:54 or just trying so desperately and so quickly
00:10:59 to get off a field.
00:11:01 I've never seen that.
00:11:01 I've never seen an injured player,
00:11:04 like they were in a race, to get off the field.
00:11:07 I've never seen that happen, and I will never forget.
00:11:10 - Yeah, it's one of the best moments you'll ever see,
00:11:13 best and worst at the same time.
00:11:16 Obviously, you don't wanna see the injury,
00:11:18 but for him to react that way
00:11:20 and have that situational awareness,
00:11:22 the way Brandon Yates stepped in,
00:11:23 I mean, it was just all seamless.
00:11:24 I mean, you could not have asked for a better transition.
00:11:26 Hats off to Yates, hats off to Matt Moore
00:11:30 for making sure that they were prepared
00:11:32 for a situation like that.
00:11:33 Incredible.
00:11:36 And yeah, for someone that covers the NFL,
00:11:39 somebody is gonna be, not just somebody,
00:11:41 there's gonna be a lot of these O-line coaches
00:11:43 around the league, they're gonna be pounding the table
00:11:46 for Zach Frazier.
00:11:46 They were already going to,
00:11:48 just based solely off of what he had done on tape.
00:11:51 But when you see stuff like that,
00:11:53 and you see stuff like, or you hear stuff about
00:11:56 him going to see the cancer patient
00:11:58 and the whole stuff that we're talking about,
00:12:00 about just him as a person,
00:12:03 that's the type of stuff that can make a center
00:12:05 go in the first round.
00:12:07 Because centers don't typically go in the first round,
00:12:09 but that's somebody that, I don't know that he will,
00:12:13 but that's somebody that can definitely,
00:12:16 at the end of the day, you can say,
00:12:18 he's got a first round break, at least.
00:12:20 So hats off to Zach Frazier.
00:12:25 Hope that everything goes well in his recovery.
00:12:27 And yeah, someone in the NFL is gonna get a gym,
00:12:30 that is for sure.
00:12:31 So we're gonna go ahead and take a break,
00:12:34 and we're gonna get to Phil Steele,
00:12:35 get his thoughts on these conference championship games
00:12:38 this weekend.
00:12:39 And there's no West Virginia game this week,
00:12:41 but we wanna get his thoughts on all these games.
00:12:44 And we'll do that right after this break
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00:13:58 - All right, it is that time of the week
00:14:03 that everyone looks forward to.
00:14:04 It is Phil Steele joining us here on In The Gun.
00:14:07 And we've got 10 conference championship games
00:14:10 to run through here.
00:14:11 And we're gonna hit each and every single one of them.
00:14:13 So Phil, thank you for joining us
00:14:15 and let's hop right into this thing here
00:14:17 with the Conference USA title game.
00:14:19 That is tonight at seven o'clock on CBS Sports Network.
00:14:24 It is New Mexico State and number 24 Liberty.
00:14:28 Liberty going 12 and 0 under Jamie Chadwell.
00:14:31 And one of the names again,
00:14:33 that's gonna be surfacing as a hot coaching name
00:14:36 here around the coaching carousel.
00:14:38 So Phil, who do you have in this game?
00:14:40 - You know, I tell you,
00:14:43 it's tough to go against either squad.
00:14:44 You look at Liberty this year,
00:14:45 they're nine and three against the spread,
00:14:48 undefeated on the year.
00:14:49 And one of their losses last week against UTEP,
00:14:52 they led that thing 42-14,
00:14:54 gave up a couple of late scores
00:14:55 allowing UTEP to get in the back door.
00:14:57 So they've been a spread darling all year.
00:14:59 Then how about New Mexico State?
00:15:01 Since that loss to Liberty earlier in the year,
00:15:03 they lost here 33 to 17.
00:15:05 They've only lost one other game.
00:15:07 And in fact, they've won their last eight
00:15:09 both straight up and against the spread.
00:15:10 And just two weeks back,
00:15:11 they went into Auburn and came out of there
00:15:13 with a 31 to 10 win.
00:15:15 And generally when a group of five team upsets
00:15:18 a power five team,
00:15:19 there's something fluky happened.
00:15:21 Nothing fluky happened in that game.
00:15:22 They dominated.
00:15:23 They had 23-12 first down edge,
00:15:25 414-213 yard edge.
00:15:28 So this is a New Mexico State team that's playing real well.
00:15:30 If you look at Liberty as a double digit favorite,
00:15:33 they're just three and 10 against the spread.
00:15:35 So I think we're gonna have a heck of a game.
00:15:38 I'm a little surprised the number is double digits.
00:15:41 It's 11 and a half.
00:15:42 I think New Mexico State keeps it closer than that
00:15:45 and should be a really good game.
00:15:46 Hopefully everybody's watching there on Friday night
00:15:48 'cause it's gonna be a good one.
00:15:50 And we'll see if Liberty can actually qualify
00:15:52 for that New Year's Six January one spot.
00:15:55 - Also sticking to Friday night, Phil,
00:15:58 in the Pac-12 out in Vegas,
00:16:00 you have Oregon against Washington rematch,
00:16:04 battle of two Heisman candidates and Penix and Nix.
00:16:08 We always say that defense travels well.
00:16:11 But Oregon has the nasty of the two defenses.
00:16:13 Will it travel to Vegas?
00:16:14 What say you here in this game?
00:16:16 - Yeah, and I've been saying it for weeks.
00:16:19 I think Oregon, when you look at my average game grades,
00:16:22 they are the number one team in the country, 125.6.
00:16:26 There really is no weakness with Oregon.
00:16:28 You look at them rushing wise,
00:16:30 they average close to 200 yards per game,
00:16:33 5.8 yards per carry on the ground.
00:16:36 You look at them passing wise,
00:16:37 Penix among the best in the country,
00:16:39 hitting close to 80%.
00:16:40 How about 37 touchdown passes
00:16:43 and just two interceptions all year?
00:16:45 And last year at the end of the year, he was banged up.
00:16:48 He's 100% right now.
00:16:50 Then you look at the defense.
00:16:51 There is no comparison here.
00:16:52 Washington's defense is average to slightly below average.
00:16:57 Oregon's defense is among the best.
00:16:59 They're holding opponents to 76 yards per game,
00:17:02 below their season average.
00:17:04 Very good rush defense, solid pass defense,
00:17:06 special teams edged Oregon.
00:17:08 They are the better team.
00:17:09 And in the first meeting, which was in Husky Stadium,
00:17:12 they had a 541 to 415 yard edge,
00:17:15 32-24 first down edge,
00:17:17 three fourth down conversions went awry,
00:17:21 and they came up short.
00:17:22 I think they are the much better team.
00:17:23 They've been playing better.
00:17:25 And my last four weeks average game grade
00:17:28 actually has them winning this thing by 17 points.
00:17:31 So I like the Ducks
00:17:33 and I like them by a couple of touchdowns.
00:17:35 I think they are clearly the more complete team
00:17:38 and now on a neutral field,
00:17:40 I like their chances here to get revenge.
00:17:43 Kicking off the action on Saturday
00:17:44 is the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship,
00:17:47 Oklahoma State and Texas.
00:17:49 The Cowboys had maybe the most unconventional path
00:17:51 to a conference title appearance this season.
00:17:54 They go in non-conference play
00:17:56 and they lose to South Alabama at home.
00:17:59 They get on a little bit of a streak.
00:18:01 They beat Oklahoma.
00:18:02 Then they lose to UCF by a lot.
00:18:05 And then they bounce back.
00:18:07 And then all of a sudden, just as soon as you think
00:18:09 they're right in the Big 12 title,
00:18:11 they fall behind at home in a game
00:18:13 where they have to have it to get into the Big 12 title
00:18:16 against BYU, but they found a way to win that one
00:18:18 in overtime.
00:18:20 Phil, this seems like a really uphill battle
00:18:22 for the Pokes here.
00:18:23 Do they have a chance to spur the upset
00:18:26 and keep Texas out of their playoff hopes?
00:18:28 - Well, I love Mike Gundy as an underdog,
00:18:32 but we have just watched in Oklahoma State
00:18:35 the last few weeks.
00:18:37 They have been extremely disappointing.
00:18:39 You go back to the UCF game where they got blown out by 42.
00:18:42 The Houston game, they trailed at the half 23 to 19.
00:18:47 You look at the BYU game last week, as you mentioned,
00:18:50 that's one where they were down 24-6 at the half.
00:18:53 Very lucky to come out of there with a win.
00:18:55 Their defense over the last four weeks,
00:18:58 actually over the second half of the season,
00:19:00 not playing very well.
00:19:01 They're giving up 446 yards per game in Big 12 play.
00:19:05 Allen Bowman, their quarterback, only has a 10-11 ratio.
00:19:09 And Ollie Gordon, since that Oklahoma game,
00:19:11 really hasn't been 100%.
00:19:13 And he comes out of the game a lot.
00:19:15 And you've seen the run game has been,
00:19:16 you know, they had been averaging six, seven,
00:19:18 eight yards per carry.
00:19:20 And all of a sudden, since that game,
00:19:21 they're averaging two, four, and four.
00:19:23 So it's been a completely different team.
00:19:25 Texas, meanwhile, even though they're missing
00:19:28 a couple of running backs,
00:19:29 I think Worthy will play a wide receiver.
00:19:32 But they are just a team that is physically dominant.
00:19:35 They're big, they're strong, they're fast.
00:19:37 Every single unit that they have on the team
00:19:40 is among the best in the Big 12,
00:19:41 if not the best in the Big 12.
00:19:43 And I think they're playing really good football right now.
00:19:45 So even though Mike Gundy can pull some magic out
00:19:48 as an underdog, I think Texas is the far better team
00:19:51 and gets this win, probably by more than the 15.
00:19:54 I like Texas to win this one comfortably.
00:19:56 - Head up to Ford Field in Detroit
00:19:59 for the MAAC Championship, Phil.
00:20:01 You have Miami and Toledo.
00:20:03 Toledo, a seven and a half point favorite.
00:20:06 There's reasons for that.
00:20:08 Miami sits there at 10 and two,
00:20:09 but one of those two losses was to Toledo.
00:20:12 Toledo's only loss, meanwhile, was at Illinois.
00:20:15 They outgamed Illinois.
00:20:17 And since then, they've ripped off 11 straight.
00:20:19 What do you see playing out here?
00:20:20 - Yeah, Toledo's clearly the best team in the MAAC.
00:20:24 They are the most complete team.
00:20:25 They've got Taequann Finn, a quarterback.
00:20:27 They sit in 65% with a 21-8 ratio.
00:20:30 They got Penny Boone, a running back.
00:20:32 Maryland transfer, he's got 1,359 yards rushing,
00:20:35 7.4 yards per carry.
00:20:37 They've got the offensive line.
00:20:38 They've got the receiving core.
00:20:39 And defensively, they're stout, once again, as always.
00:20:42 Now, Miami's got a really good defense,
00:20:43 but offensively, they just don't compare to Toledo.
00:20:46 They're only averaging 333 yards per game.
00:20:49 Their top running back is Rashad Amos,
00:20:51 who's averaging five yards per carry, which is pretty good.
00:20:54 But they lost Brett Gabbard a couple weeks ago
00:20:56 at Davion Smith.
00:20:57 Smith, not quite the passer Gabbard was,
00:20:59 only hitting 52% with two touchdown passes all year.
00:21:03 He is a good runner.
00:21:04 I think when I look at these two teams on paper,
00:21:06 I would favor Toledo probably by about 14.
00:21:09 But there's just something about the way
00:21:10 Toledo's been playing as a big favorite,
00:21:12 something about the way Miami's playing as a dog.
00:21:14 When these two met in the first game,
00:21:16 Toledo got out to a big lead, but only ended up
00:21:18 winning the game by four.
00:21:20 Probably a slight lean here to Miami of Ohio,
00:21:23 plus the points, but I like Toledo to win the game.
00:21:25 And they are the best team in the MAAC.
00:21:26 And I said in the magazine at the start of the year,
00:21:28 if they got past Toledo, they had a chance
00:21:30 of running the table.
00:21:31 This is-- they may be the best group of five team out there.
00:21:36 Bill, going to the Mountain West, big Mountain West title
00:21:39 game, and that's Boise State and UNLV.
00:21:41 It's a little unusual to see a team that
00:21:44 fired its coach in the month of November
00:21:46 get into a conference championship game.
00:21:48 That is the case here with Boise State.
00:21:50 Do you like their chances, essentially here on the road,
00:21:53 against the running rebs?
00:21:56 Yeah, when they fired Andy Avalos, I was like,
00:21:58 wait, what?
00:22:01 Because they were in the mix of going to the big--
00:22:03 to the Mountain West title game, and they ended up still
00:22:05 getting there, beating Utah State handily,
00:22:08 and beating Air Force again last week.
00:22:11 The thing with Boise State is that when
00:22:14 you look at their run game, at the start of the year,
00:22:17 I looked at Ashton Gentee and George Helani,
00:22:21 and I said they were one of the best running back
00:22:23 combos in the country.
00:22:24 Now, Helani's been banged up on and off in his career.
00:22:27 Gentee actually missed a couple of games late in the year.
00:22:30 They're both back 100%.
00:22:32 They had been using two quarterbacks in Taylor Green
00:22:34 and Maddox Madsen.
00:22:36 Madsen's injured.
00:22:37 Now that Green's got the team completely under his control,
00:22:39 he's improved.
00:22:41 And defensively, they rate the edge as well.
00:22:44 Now, they're holding opponents to six yards per game below
00:22:46 their season average.
00:22:47 UNLV allows 26 above.
00:22:48 UNLV's probably here because they had the softer schedule.
00:22:51 They didn't really play many of the big boys.
00:22:54 They did get past Air Force, much like Boise did.
00:22:57 But Boise's played the tougher schedule.
00:22:59 I feel they're the better team overall.
00:23:01 And the game's in Vegas.
00:23:02 You know Boise's going to travel well.
00:23:04 I think they'll have a good amount of the fans
00:23:06 for the game as well.
00:23:07 Tough to go against either team here,
00:23:09 but Boise's only laying 2 and 1/2.
00:23:11 I'm going to lean with Boise minus the points in that one.
00:23:14 Meanwhile, here we go to Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium,
00:23:17 the SEC championship game.
00:23:19 Alabama, of course, coming off an emotionally charged win
00:23:22 with that miracle finish in the Iron Bowl.
00:23:25 But if anybody can stabilize their team after such a win,
00:23:28 you'd think it's Nick Saban.
00:23:29 Down the stretch, they keep surviving near miss,
00:23:32 after near miss, after near miss.
00:23:35 Maybe one of Nick Saban's better coaching jobs,
00:23:37 heading into what appears to be a pretty complete Georgia team.
00:23:40 Maybe not as complete as the last couple of years,
00:23:43 but they're kind of firing on all cylinders as well.
00:23:45 What do you see shaking out in the SEC championship game,
00:23:48 Phil?
00:23:50 I see a great game.
00:23:52 And while Alabama struggled in Jordan-Hare
00:23:54 against Auburn last week, keep in mind,
00:23:56 Georgia struggled in Jordan-Hare earlier this year.
00:23:58 They only beat them 27-20.
00:24:01 It was tied 10-10 to half.
00:24:02 They trailed 17-10 in the third quarter,
00:24:04 Georgia did, against Auburn.
00:24:06 So both teams struggled in that stadium.
00:24:09 This is an Alabama team that's so much better
00:24:11 than the start of the year.
00:24:12 And back in the magazine process, guys,
00:24:15 when I picked Alabama to win the West,
00:24:16 a lot of people asked me in the offseason,
00:24:19 why'd you pick Alabama?
00:24:20 And I said, well, they're inexperienced.
00:24:23 They lost a lot of talent.
00:24:24 They don't have a great schedule.
00:24:26 Nick Saban, how are you going to be the guy that
00:24:28 picks against Nick Saban?
00:24:30 And I didn't, and I'm happy I didn't.
00:24:32 You could have made a case LSU to win the West.
00:24:34 Could have made a case for A&M to win the West or Ole Miss.
00:24:36 But I went with Bama, and they delivered the West title.
00:24:39 But this is a very good Georgia team.
00:24:41 Now, Georgia rested a bunch of players last week.
00:24:43 They rested Brock Bowers.
00:24:45 They rested Lad McConkie.
00:24:47 They rested a few offensive linemen
00:24:49 to be healthy for this game.
00:24:50 And the Georgia Tech game is not as close as the final score.
00:24:53 They were up by 18, about to score again,
00:24:56 something like that.
00:24:57 And they got intercepted in the end zone.
00:24:59 And then Georgia Tech went down, got a late touch
00:25:01 on the pull within eight.
00:25:02 So they were up by 15 before that.
00:25:04 So I think it's just going to be a tremendous game.
00:25:06 I would make it one of those toss-up games.
00:25:08 I think Georgia does win.
00:25:10 I feel Georgia is the better team.
00:25:12 But the spread's actually up to six.
00:25:14 And I think the Alabamas won something like 16 straight
00:25:17 games in Atlanta.
00:25:18 So it's tough to go against Nick Saban.
00:25:20 And Alabama, tough to go against Georgia.
00:25:22 I think it's going to be a great game to watch.
00:25:24 I'm going to call the Bulldogs to win that one by three.
00:25:27 American Athletic Championship and SMU,
00:25:31 before they head to the ACC here soon,
00:25:33 they're going to get one more chance
00:25:34 at crowning themselves as a conference title champion here
00:25:38 in the AAC.
00:25:40 SMU, Tulane, two pretty good offenses,
00:25:43 two pretty good quarterbacks that a lot of people
00:25:45 don't know a whole lot about.
00:25:47 This is a big one, Phil.
00:25:49 I think both teams can improve their bowl standing,
00:25:51 certainly, with a win here.
00:25:54 Yeah, and I thought these teams were going to meet.
00:25:56 And last week in my analysis of the game, I was looking at it
00:26:00 and I said, boy, I think SMU is the best team
00:26:03 in the American Conference.
00:26:05 I'm going to pick SMU to win outright on the road
00:26:07 when they face Tulane.
00:26:09 And then what happens in the second quarter,
00:26:11 Preston Stone, their starting quarterback,
00:26:13 goes down the injury.
00:26:14 I do not think he's going to play here.
00:26:16 I think it's going to be Kevin Jennings at quarterbacks.
00:26:18 And now you've got a backup quarterback going on the road
00:26:21 to Tulane.
00:26:22 And Tulane's got a hell of a defense.
00:26:24 They're holding the points at 75 yards per game
00:26:26 below their season average.
00:26:27 That's number 15 in the country.
00:26:29 SMU also has an excellent defense.
00:26:31 They're holding the points at 78 yards per game
00:26:33 below their season average.
00:26:35 But now you've got Michael Pratt against a backup quarterback.
00:26:37 I think SMU's got the more potent offense.
00:26:42 But now you've got a backup quarterback.
00:26:44 So that sort of throws the whole thing out of kilter for me.
00:26:46 Tulane is right now a 3 and 1/2 point favorite in the game.
00:26:50 I'd probably lean with SMU plus the points,
00:26:53 because I thought they were going to win outright
00:26:54 prior to Stone's injury.
00:26:55 But it's probably going to be another really interesting game
00:26:59 to watch.
00:26:59 Tough to go against Tulane at home, though.
00:27:02 Boy, Alabama, Sun Belt Championship.
00:27:05 This has been kind of a below the radar rivalry
00:27:08 game that doesn't get enough credit,
00:27:10 I think, in the last decade or so in college football.
00:27:12 You've got Appy State coming to town at 8 and 4
00:27:15 against a Troy team that stands at 10 and 2,
00:27:18 with only two losses to a really good JMU team.
00:27:21 And on the road, Manhattan, Kansas against the Wildcats.
00:27:24 What do you see shaking out in the SBC title game?
00:27:28 Yeah, I tell you, John Summerill's
00:27:29 done a tremendous job at Troy in his two years there.
00:27:32 And going over the team with them this year,
00:27:34 they lost a lot on defense.
00:27:36 And last year, they were just absolutely dominant on defense.
00:27:39 Guess what?
00:27:39 They still have a dominant defense.
00:27:41 In fact, even better than last year.
00:27:42 Holding the points at 86 yards per game
00:27:44 below their season average.
00:27:45 And this year, they have a little bit more of an offense.
00:27:48 They're letting Gunnar Watson throw more.
00:27:50 Last year, Watson threw for under 3,000 yards.
00:27:53 This year, he's already over 3,000.
00:27:55 He's got two games left.
00:27:57 Vidal at running back is a real treat to watch.
00:28:01 He's got 1,350 yards rushing, 5.3 yards per carry.
00:28:05 So I think Troy's a very dangerous team,
00:28:07 and they're at home.
00:28:08 However, any time App State's an underdog,
00:28:10 I'm going to take them.
00:28:11 Now, they've struggled as a favorite.
00:28:12 But there was a streak where they had about 18 straight
00:28:14 games as a favorite.
00:28:15 And then all of a sudden, they were an underdog
00:28:17 at Georgia State.
00:28:18 They won.
00:28:19 An underdog at James Madison.
00:28:21 They won.
00:28:22 And earlier in the year, remember,
00:28:23 they were an underdog at North Carolina.
00:28:25 And they nearly beat North Carolina.
00:28:27 In fact, they almost knocked off North Carolina two straight
00:28:30 years.
00:28:30 They knocked off Texas A&M last year as a dog.
00:28:33 They're just a great underdog.
00:28:34 So this is an App State team that's playing real well.
00:28:38 I talked about the quarterback for Troy.
00:28:40 Joey Aguilar is playing great for App State.
00:28:43 He's got over 3,000 yards passing, 33-9 ratio.
00:28:46 They've got a couple of good running backs,
00:28:48 and Nate Knoll and Cain Roberts.
00:28:50 And the defense, Troy's got the defensive edge.
00:28:53 I think App State's got the offensive edge.
00:28:55 App State knows how to play as a dog.
00:28:57 I'm going to take App State plus the points in a possible upset
00:28:59 there.
00:29:01 Big 10 championship, Michigan and Iowa.
00:29:03 And out of all the teams that are vying for a spot
00:29:06 in the college football playoff, I
00:29:08 think Michigan's probably the safest.
00:29:10 You can tell me if I'm wrong here, Phil.
00:29:12 But Iowa obviously doesn't have much offensive firepower.
00:29:16 Week after week, they seem to be setting a new record in terms
00:29:19 of the lowest total in college football history
00:29:22 heading into the week.
00:29:23 So do you feel like this is a pretty easy game here
00:29:25 for the Wolverines?
00:29:28 Yeah, 24 and 1/2 was the total last week, guys.
00:29:33 I can remember it was tough to get below 35.
00:29:37 And still, Iowa went under the number.
00:29:40 I tell you what.
00:29:41 Coaching-wise, I have so much, so much respect
00:29:45 for Kirk Ferentz.
00:29:47 This guy just gets-- he doesn't care about flashy.
00:29:50 He's blue collar.
00:29:52 They're defense.
00:29:53 They're special teams.
00:29:55 And somehow, someway, at the end of the game,
00:29:57 Iowa's on top of the scoreboard.
00:29:59 Now, the last two championship games--
00:30:02 last year, when Michigan was in the championship game
00:30:04 against Purdue, it was close at the half.
00:30:06 It was 14-13.
00:30:07 In fact, they were out-gained by 100 yards at the half by Purdue.
00:30:10 And then the second half, it just turned into a 43-22 route.
00:30:14 And then two years ago, when they hosted Iowa, once again,
00:30:16 a close game at the half, 14-3.
00:30:18 Turned out to be 42-3.
00:30:21 I find a tough time going against Kirk Ferentz.
00:30:23 I think that somehow, someway, his defense will
00:30:25 keep him in this game and could be a good game.
00:30:29 But I mean, they have lost their quarterback, Cade McNamara.
00:30:31 And Deacon Hill is a quarterback that's
00:30:33 hitting below 50% of his completions.
00:30:36 He's got a negative ratio.
00:30:38 They lost their top two receivers,
00:30:39 both tight ends, and Holland Reganey.
00:30:41 They lost their top defensive player,
00:30:44 who's one of the top defensive players in the country.
00:30:46 And he's out for the year.
00:30:48 But I'm not going to bet against Iowa,
00:30:50 because Michigan's laying 23.
00:30:51 But I do think Michigan wins the game.
00:30:53 You know what, guys?
00:30:54 I'm going to go with the under again in the Iowa game.
00:30:56 What the hell?
00:30:57 It's 35, it seems high for an Iowa team.
00:31:00 I think Iowa's going to keep this one closer than expected
00:31:03 and a lower scoring game.
00:31:05 But yeah, I think Michigan comes out of here a winner.
00:31:09 Finally, to wrap the weekend's action up,
00:31:11 final conference championship game Saturday night on ABC.
00:31:15 Louisville, Florida State, interesting matchup.
00:31:18 Of course, Jordan Travis a couple of weeks
00:31:20 back against North Alabama got knocked out,
00:31:23 star quarterback for the Seminoles.
00:31:25 You got two of the top three defenses in the ACC
00:31:28 pitted against each other here, Phil.
00:31:30 It kind of feels like Louisville, at least,
00:31:32 with the number one rush defense in the conference,
00:31:35 is built to force Florida State to throw the football
00:31:38 and find out if they do have a quarterback.
00:31:41 What do you see playing out here?
00:31:44 Yeah, and do keep in mind, though,
00:31:46 that I know Tate Rademacher and Florida State
00:31:49 struggled last week.
00:31:50 They only had 220 some odd yards against Florida,
00:31:54 needed a late touchdown to get the cover in a game.
00:31:58 But last year, at the half, when these two played,
00:32:03 the game was Louisville, 21 to 14 at the half.
00:32:06 And guess what?
00:32:06 Jordan Travis was out of the game.
00:32:09 So in the second half, they had to go with Tate Rademacher.
00:32:12 And I'm watching the game, and I'm like, OK, it's a done deal.
00:32:14 Louisville's won this thing.
00:32:15 Tate Rademacher led Florida State to 21 points
00:32:18 in the second half and a comeback win, 35-31.
00:32:23 So Rademacher has played against the Louisville defense
00:32:26 last year, did well, threw for 109 yards,
00:32:30 and two touchdowns in that second half.
00:32:32 So he's got experience against Louisville, actually,
00:32:35 although it was a different Louisville team, different head
00:32:38 coach.
00:32:39 I like the way Louisville is playing all year long this
00:32:41 year.
00:32:42 They disappointed me last week against Kentucky.
00:32:45 It was a game they led by 10 a couple of times,
00:32:47 gave up kick, return, touchdown, and a couple of momentum
00:32:50 swings, a couple of big fumbles that they had.
00:32:52 But I do think Louisville's a team capable of playing
00:32:55 with Florida State.
00:32:56 And with Rademacher in there, as opposed to Travis,
00:33:00 you've got to think Florida State's not quite 100%.
00:33:03 So I think Louisville's got a shot at upsetting them.
00:33:05 I know there's a lot of folks out there
00:33:07 that are going to be rooting for Louisville, fan bases
00:33:10 across the country rooting for Louisville
00:33:13 to knock off Florida State, knock them out of the playoff,
00:33:15 and open up a spot.
00:33:16 But I think it's going to be a really good game.
00:33:20 I would side with Louisville as a possible upset,
00:33:22 but I think it's just going to be a really good game,
00:33:24 tough one for me to pick.
00:33:26 Tyler, if you notice, that's what makes Phil Phil.
00:33:28 Who else this week has talked about Rademacher actually
00:33:32 playing the second half against Louisville last year.
00:33:35 I've completely forgotten that.
00:33:37 Tip of the cap, Phil.
00:33:38 That was a great piece of information.
00:33:40 I completely forgot that happened.
00:33:43 Any thoughts as these things start
00:33:47 to unfold in the craziness, and we now
00:33:49 live in the brief period of bold projections?
00:33:53 We have West Virginia rumored to land four or five
00:33:56 different spots.
00:33:57 Do you have any thoughts from the outside looking
00:34:00 in how this mayor may not shake out
00:34:02 with all these different moving parts coming in here
00:34:05 with West Virginia?
00:34:06 Do you even have a guess?
00:34:09 You know what?
00:34:10 I do not.
00:34:10 Let me explain that a little bit.
00:34:12 Folks will ask me, they'll say, hey, I'll do a radio show.
00:34:16 They'll say, this kid just committed to this school.
00:34:18 What do you think of his impact?
00:34:20 And I'm like, I'm not even going to think about it
00:34:22 till he's signed and at the school.
00:34:24 Then I'll worry about how he's going to impact it.
00:34:26 Because I'm not going to waste a single ounce
00:34:29 of my energy because this kid's going to possibly transfer.
00:34:32 So I'm not going to worry about what bowl game these guys could
00:34:35 possibly be in.
00:34:36 You know what I'm doing right now, guys?
00:34:38 I am in the first write-through process of the magazine
00:34:41 for next year.
00:34:41 It's a seven-month process.
00:34:43 And I'm already on team 14.
00:34:45 I do the teams that are eliminated from the bowls.
00:34:47 Their season is over.
00:34:49 I read through every single article
00:34:50 that's written about the team for the season.
00:34:52 So I get completely enhanced and engrossed
00:34:55 in everything about the team.
00:34:56 And then I do my first write-through.
00:34:58 Now, the first write-- it's going to change.
00:35:00 I mean, there's going to be players that transfer portal
00:35:02 in and out.
00:35:04 But at least I've captured what kind of shape
00:35:06 were they heading into last year, what happened last year.
00:35:09 And I got an early outlook for this year.
00:35:11 But I go through a second write-through,
00:35:12 which is in the spring after all the portal things.
00:35:15 And then the third write-through is
00:35:16 after I talk to the coaches.
00:35:17 But it's a seven-month process.
00:35:19 So I'm working on stuff that I can control.
00:35:21 And then when the bowls are announced,
00:35:23 then I'll worry about where they're going after the bowls.
00:35:25 But that was a good question.
00:35:26 I appreciate that.
00:35:27 Perfect answer.
00:35:29 And also that, guys, now remember,
00:35:30 when you're buying your magazine next year,
00:35:33 this is why some of the other publications
00:35:35 have three or four starters listed
00:35:38 that are no longer even at the school when Phil doesn't.
00:35:41 So--
00:35:43 Yeah.
00:35:44 I think talking to the coaches is huge in that respect.
00:35:47 And this year, of the 133 head coaches,
00:35:50 I believe I talked to 120 of them this year.
00:35:53 And each conversation takes roughly about an hour.
00:35:55 We go over every single player on the team.
00:35:57 And they're post-spring write-ups.
00:36:00 So in other words, they've already
00:36:02 had their exit interviews with all the head coaches.
00:36:05 So I know who's coming and who's going.
00:36:07 And some of the magazines, there's
00:36:09 always been a thing in the magazine business, guys.
00:36:12 Joe Del Popolo told me this back when I started the magazine,
00:36:14 back in 1994 or 1995.
00:36:17 He said the key to the magazine business, Phil,
00:36:20 is to be the first magazine on the market.
00:36:21 Everybody buys that first magazine.
00:36:23 Everybody buys that second.
00:36:25 And then all of a sudden, they may run out of money
00:36:28 and stop buying it.
00:36:29 So there's a lot of push to be that first magazine
00:36:32 on the market.
00:36:32 But these guys that are going on the newsstand June 1st
00:36:36 are actually going there before the transfer portal even
00:36:39 closes.
00:36:40 So as you touched on, they're going
00:36:42 to have three, four players on their roster that aren't even
00:36:44 on the team anymore.
00:36:45 I go to the press June 8th.
00:36:47 The portal's been closed for four weeks.
00:36:50 We've captured where all the players have landed.
00:36:52 And you know what?
00:36:53 We come out later, but everybody waits around for the magazine
00:36:56 because, let's face it, it's the best magazine out there.
00:37:00 Absolutely.
00:37:00 It definitely is.
00:37:01 It's been closed.
00:37:02 And you have to almost wait, especially
00:37:04 in this age of college football or college sports,
00:37:07 for that matter.
00:37:08 It is just nonstop roster turning.
00:37:11 And as Neil Brown has constantly called it,
00:37:13 it's more like roster management more than anything else,
00:37:15 year to year, that is.
00:37:17 So, Phil, before we get out of here,
00:37:19 I do want to ask you about your thoughts on the playoff.
00:37:23 There's-- I mean, you could argue six, seven teams really
00:37:26 still alive for this thing.
00:37:28 I don't know what your thoughts are on it
00:37:30 in terms of who actually gets in, who gets left out.
00:37:34 But how crazy is it that we're sitting here talking
00:37:37 about all these teams that could be in the mix here
00:37:41 in the conference championship week.
00:37:43 We've got only four spots open.
00:37:46 We're going to the 12 team next year.
00:37:48 What are your thoughts on the four versus 12 team playoff?
00:37:53 Well, back when the 14 playoff started, guys,
00:37:58 I'd say seven years prior to that,
00:38:00 I started writing an article in my magazine.
00:38:01 I said, we need to go to a 14 playoff.
00:38:04 And I had listed a lot of reasons for it.
00:38:07 And so, actually, it was 10 years
00:38:09 I wrote about in the magazine.
00:38:10 And it finally came to fruition.
00:38:12 So I've always been a 14 playoff guy.
00:38:14 But this year does make the argument a little questionable
00:38:18 because you do have so many.
00:38:19 Generally, it is sorted out by now.
00:38:21 And you generally, at this point,
00:38:23 have three teams that you say, hey,
00:38:25 this team must be in the playoff.
00:38:27 But now this year, I think you could legitimately
00:38:29 make a case for four or five teams to be in the playoff.
00:38:32 So it'll be interesting to see how the 12 team playoff works.
00:38:36 But this year, you're right.
00:38:38 We haven't had the chaos.
00:38:39 Maybe we'll have the chaos this week, guys.
00:38:41 We'll see what happens.
00:38:43 Yeah.
00:38:43 And for folks like West Virginia,
00:38:45 it certainly makes getting to the playoff more attainable,
00:38:48 right, because it's almost impossible to get a team
00:38:53 like a West Virginia all the way up into the top four
00:38:56 by the season's end unless you just have a bunch of things
00:38:59 go your way and everything lines up.
00:39:01 So getting to the top 12 is a little bit easier
00:39:04 for folks like us.
00:39:05 So, Phil, we appreciate your time once again here
00:39:09 breaking down the conference championship games.
00:39:10 We'll have you back on one more time
00:39:13 taking a look at some of the bowl games,
00:39:14 including West Virginia.
00:39:15 It's been a pleasure, my guy.
00:39:18 Hey, a lot of fun talking football
00:39:20 and a great season with West Virginia this year.
00:39:22 Made it a lot more fun talking about them
00:39:24 on a week-to-week basis.
00:39:26 Yeah, I think guys, Neil Brown did one of the best
00:39:28 coaching jobs out there in the Big 12 this year.
00:39:31 Yeah, I agree with you.
00:39:32 And I think we said it last week,
00:39:34 it wouldn't be surprising if he won Big 12 Coach of the Year.
00:39:37 Obviously, Mike Gundy did a terrific job with them
00:39:39 as well at Oklahoma State.
00:39:41 So can't fault them for making him the choice.
00:39:43 So--
00:39:45 I want to say one more thing.
00:39:47 Last year at the end of the year,
00:39:48 there was all this talk about are they going to fire Neil
00:39:50 Brown or not.
00:39:51 Thank goodness they kept this guy.
00:39:53 Yeah, you're not kidding.
00:39:55 My goodness.
00:39:56 I mean, talk about the job that he has done with this team.
00:40:00 And now all of a sudden, you've got some really exciting
00:40:03 young players, three of them, all true freshmen.
00:40:06 So this is something that West Virginia fans
00:40:09 have been longing for, a young nucleus to build around.
00:40:11 They finally got it, and it looks like things
00:40:14 are heading in the right direction for Neil
00:40:16 Brown and the Mountaineers.
00:40:17 So Phil, we appreciate you.
00:40:19 And we'll be back here to recap the show,
00:40:22 or to end the show here on Phil Steel Friday.
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00:41:33 All right, since there's no game to talk about this week
00:41:36 for West Virginia, unfortunately, maybe
00:41:38 this time next year we will be talking
00:41:39 about the Mountaineers in the Big 12 title game.
00:41:41 But with no picks to make, we're going
00:41:44 to talk a little bit about the Big 12 coach of the year, which
00:41:47 went to Mike Gundy, our thoughts on whether or not
00:41:50 Neil Brown should have been awarded that, and then also
00:41:53 some bowl projections.
00:41:54 So first, let's go and start with the Big 12
00:41:56 coach of the year, Mike Gundy.
00:41:58 Again, I'm a fool because I say it every year.
00:42:02 It looks like on paper, Gundy's got like a 7-1 team.
00:42:05 This year, I was like, man, there's really no chance.
00:42:08 Like, this is the year he's going to have a down year.
00:42:12 They get off to a slow start.
00:42:13 They're barely beating Central Arkansas.
00:42:15 They get crushed at home to South Alabama.
00:42:17 And you're like, man, there's no way
00:42:20 that he's going to figure this out
00:42:22 because they're playing merry-go-round
00:42:24 with three quarterbacks.
00:42:25 And then, yeah, well, I'm stupid because it's Mike Gundy.
00:42:29 He's going to figure it out.
00:42:31 They go on to win nine games to get to the Big 12 title game.
00:42:34 Not shocking at the least that they figured things out there.
00:42:38 But I got to say, Jed, I think Neil
00:42:42 proved a lot of people wrong.
00:42:44 And I think also part of this is why he's not
00:42:47 voted as the Big 12 coach of the year
00:42:49 because people don't like to admit they're wrong.
00:42:51 And boy, were they wrong on the mountaineers.
00:42:55 They sure were.
00:42:55 And let's start with Gundy, your Big 12 coach of the year
00:42:59 winner.
00:43:01 There were so many chances for him to really lose things
00:43:07 out there.
00:43:08 And it just didn't happen.
00:43:11 Remember the chatter of, oh, well, there's
00:43:13 going to be a mutiny on Saturday.
00:43:15 And if they lose, half the team's quitting.
00:43:17 And you remember all these rumors that were
00:43:19 swirling around?
00:43:20 Oh, yeah.
00:43:20 It was bad.
00:43:21 Of course, a lot of the flames were being
00:43:24 fanned by Oklahoma people.
00:43:25 But there were so many chances for things to go south.
00:43:30 And when they got boat raced by South Alabama,
00:43:33 a South Alabama team that turned out to be 6-6.
00:43:36 Now, South Alabama did spend their offseason committed
00:43:39 to pulling that upset.
00:43:40 Their whole offseason, they sold their soul
00:43:44 to go to Stillwater and win that game.
00:43:46 And it caught up to them because they finished 6-6.
00:43:49 But they could have gone in a whole different direction.
00:43:53 But instead, they looked in the mirror.
00:43:55 Gundy-- I mean, what did Ollie Gordon have,
00:43:58 three or four carries in that game?
00:43:59 They were a fundamentally different team,
00:44:01 especially offensively.
00:44:02 So they looked in the mirror, and they said,
00:44:04 what are we going to do differently?
00:44:06 And they reinvented their entire running game.
00:44:09 They were-- or they had been.
00:44:10 They'd been leaning into a lot of zone concepts,
00:44:12 very heavy zone.
00:44:14 They went more gap scheme, more physicality, more downhill.
00:44:18 And I really think the turnaround with Oklahoma State
00:44:21 started in the loss at Iowa State the next week.
00:44:24 The loss at Iowa State against John Hecox defense,
00:44:28 they lost, what, 34-27.
00:44:30 But the run game that would carry them
00:44:32 for the final couple of months of the year
00:44:34 was born in that game.
00:44:36 And it's tough to run against Iowa State.
00:44:38 But they had some success on the road in that game.
00:44:40 And the rest is kind of history.
00:44:43 But even when they got things together,
00:44:45 they get boat raced in the bounce house by UCF.
00:44:50 And then the following week, they
00:44:51 fall way behind in the first half at Houston.
00:44:54 Well, they found a way to circle the wagons,
00:44:56 bounce back, win the Houston game.
00:44:59 I've often said, look, postseason coaching awards,
00:45:04 whether at the college level, at the pro level,
00:45:06 doesn't really matter.
00:45:07 The strings that seem to thread them together,
00:45:11 it's often a narrative of overachievement
00:45:15 and overcoming things.
00:45:17 So not just do you overachieve the station
00:45:19 that people expected you to land in,
00:45:21 but you overcome the setbacks along the way to overachieve.
00:45:25 And Oklahoma State did both those things.
00:45:28 And for that matter, so did West Virginia.
00:45:30 So the three names that I'm fine with--
00:45:33 Sarkeesian, now you could argue, well, the fact
00:45:36 that they were picked number one,
00:45:37 the fact that they had all these units with all this talent,
00:45:40 well, he helped recruit those units.
00:45:42 And he helped get to that point.
00:45:43 That's fine.
00:45:44 But that's typically not what coach of the year conversations
00:45:48 are about.
00:45:49 They're about overcoming and overachieving.
00:45:51 And--
00:45:52 You know, I was going to--
00:45:53 I would have had no problem if Gundy, Neil Brown, or Matt
00:45:57 Campbell, for all the same reasons--
00:45:59 Matt Campbell, who went on the road and lost to a Mac team
00:46:02 and rebounded from that.
00:46:03 They had to overcome that setback.
00:46:05 So to put things together down the stretch
00:46:09 and put together a much better year than what
00:46:11 it looked like earlier in the season we're going to have.
00:46:13 So those are the three names--
00:46:15 Gundy, Coach Brown, and Matt Campbell--
00:46:17 that I would have had no problem with.
00:46:19 I always say that as a Steeler fan on the NFL front, OK,
00:46:24 again, I talk about overachieving
00:46:26 and overcoming things.
00:46:29 Chuck Knoll won four Super Bowls.
00:46:32 Now, Chuck Knoll won one NFL Coach of the Year honor.
00:46:35 Do you think it was when he won a Super Bowl?
00:46:37 No.
00:46:37 No.
00:46:37 It wasn't.
00:46:38 [LAUGHS]
00:46:39 His only NFL Coach of the Year honor
00:46:41 wasn't in one of his four Super Bowl seasons.
00:46:43 It was in 1989 when the Steelers opened the season with a 51
00:46:48 nothing loss to the Browns.
00:46:49 In week two, they got beat 41 to 10 by the Bengals.
00:46:52 So you're outscored 92 to 10, and you're 0 and 2.
00:46:55 They rebounded to win 9 of 14, earn a wild card berth,
00:46:59 went on the road, shocked the Oilers,
00:47:01 and almost upset Elway in Denver.
00:47:03 That was Chuck Knoll's one NFL Coach of the Year.
00:47:06 You see, it's not one of his Super Bowl seasons.
00:47:10 That's the SART conversation.
00:47:12 The Gundy conversation is overcoming the South Alabama
00:47:15 blowout loss at home.
00:47:16 That's what Chuck Knoll did.
00:47:18 It works in college.
00:47:18 It works in the NFL.
00:47:20 These are the threads that string these things together.
00:47:22 Those are the narratives that typically
00:47:24 propel you to a Coach of the Year award,
00:47:27 much like Mike Gundy won.
00:47:29 And I have no problem with it.
00:47:30 As I said, if it would have been any of those three names--
00:47:34 Gundy, Coach Brown, or Matt Campbell--
00:47:37 I'm fine with it because those are the parallels with those
00:47:40 three stories there.
00:47:41 Yeah, I'm with you.
00:47:42 And typically, I would say the team that
00:47:45 is picked to win the league and wins the league, I would say
00:47:47 there's no reason why that coach should be even in consideration
00:47:51 because you're expected to finish there.
00:47:53 I think the only reason I would say maybe I would give some
00:47:56 consideration is because they did lose Quinn Ures
00:47:58 for a little bit.
00:47:59 And they had to overcome that.
00:48:00 But still, they have so much talent on that team
00:48:06 that they really didn't need Malik Murphy
00:48:09 to do a whole heck of a lot.
00:48:10 So back to my point there towards the end with Phil
00:48:14 is this could not have worked out any better for West
00:48:18 Virginia Works fans.
00:48:19 Because if this season ended the way the previous four seasons
00:48:26 did, we're talking about maybe having a coaching search
00:48:30 and a ton of guys heading to the transfer port.
00:48:34 And you're reloading.
00:48:35 And all of a sudden, this thing gets set back a couple of years.
00:48:39 We saw at the early portion of the season
00:48:42 how Colorado was being hyped up as, oh, you
00:48:46 can turn it around in one year.
00:48:48 Well, we eventually found out that depth was a major issue.
00:48:52 And you can't win when you go and pull 70, 80 guys out
00:48:56 of the portal.
00:48:57 So for this team to turn it around in one--
00:49:01 yeah.
00:49:02 Your point.
00:49:03 Even if you can turn it around in a year,
00:49:06 much like TCU last year--
00:49:09 Lightning in the fall.
00:49:10 The sustainability piece in the modern era of the portal
00:49:14 is completely different than what it once was.
00:49:18 Right, right.
00:49:19 You might be able to blow things up with a big portal class
00:49:24 and hit more than other teams hit like TCU did last year.
00:49:27 And then find a way to come back in the fourth quarter
00:49:29 and overcome all these double-digit deficits
00:49:31 and all that.
00:49:31 You're really-- Lady Luck really smiled on them.
00:49:37 So that was a magical season for a bunch of reasons
00:49:39 and more power to them.
00:49:41 But to sustain that is difficult because a lot of those portal
00:49:44 guys are one and done.
00:49:46 Whereas in the past, sustainability
00:49:48 was what you built your program.
00:49:51 Well, now you've got to reinvent your roster, or at least
00:49:54 a third to 40 or more percent of it each year.
00:49:56 So you might be able to turn it around in a year
00:50:00 if everything breaks your way, as it did with TCU.
00:50:03 But then what do you do to sustain it?
00:50:04 Because look where TCU's standing now, a year later.
00:50:07 It's not even remote.
00:50:08 You have to do it again.
00:50:09 That's right.
00:50:09 They're not even in a bowl game.
00:50:10 So those are the two complications of it.
00:50:12 First, it's difficult to do as you touched on with Colorado,
00:50:15 the depth issue, all these different things that
00:50:17 caught up to them.
00:50:18 But second, even if you do all those things right--
00:50:22 in college football at one point,
00:50:26 if you would have had a season like TCU had last year,
00:50:28 in large measure, it was because of a very fortified roster.
00:50:32 And freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors,
00:50:36 and a lot of them are going to be back next year.
00:50:37 So of course you're building towards something.
00:50:39 Well, that's not the case now.
00:50:41 So you have to reinvent it each year
00:50:43 to do it again and sustain it.
00:50:44 So there are challenges across the board.
00:50:46 So yeah, continue.
00:50:49 Yeah, and there also is, like I said, with West Virginia,
00:50:52 if you won six or seven games, or maybe even eight games,
00:50:56 and it was a bunch of older guys playing,
00:50:58 and you really didn't have anything
00:51:00 to really build on in the future with, you'd be like, OK,
00:51:03 but what's coming next?
00:51:06 When you have Trae Lynn Ray, Rodney Gallagher, Jaheem White,
00:51:10 and some of those young kids on the defensive side
00:51:12 stepping up, you're looking at this thing saying, man,
00:51:14 this could not have been any better.
00:51:16 You win eight games, and you've got a young nucleus
00:51:19 to build around.
00:51:20 So I think that's why 2024, or this offseason
00:51:24 that we're about to enter, is probably
00:51:26 going to be the most hyped offseason that we've
00:51:29 seen in Morgantown probably since, what,
00:51:32 2018, heading into the 2018 season?
00:51:35 If--
00:51:36 If you can keep--
00:51:37 --the conversation, roster retention
00:51:40 is as critical as roster management.
00:51:42 That's right now.
00:51:43 In the blink of an eye, we saw three starting quarterbacks
00:51:47 in the Big 12 in the portal before you could sneeze.
00:51:50 So everybody's going to lose players.
00:51:53 We just don't know who they're going to be,
00:51:54 including West Virginia.
00:51:56 So roster management is more critical than ever, of course.
00:52:00 But a big piece of that is roster retention.
00:52:04 What can you do with working magic with your trust
00:52:07 that's going to be a smaller number than a lot
00:52:09 of other schools you're competing against have?
00:52:11 What can you do to be creative?
00:52:13 What can you do in the portal to out-scout other teams
00:52:17 and replace some of what you lose?
00:52:19 Because everybody's going to lose players.
00:52:22 I mean, mark it down.
00:52:23 I don't know who it's going to be.
00:52:25 I don't know if Neil Brown could tell you who it's going to be.
00:52:27 At this juncture, it's too difficult to forecast.
00:52:29 But just about every team's going to lose people
00:52:32 they don't want to lose.
00:52:33 But then the question becomes, how do you supplant that?
00:52:36 How do you replace that by out-scouting people?
00:52:38 And that's where Drew Fabianich comes in
00:52:40 as the general manager with the scouting pedigree from the NFL.
00:52:44 That's why I feel comfortable that Drew is going to--
00:52:47 these evals are done.
00:52:48 In other words, there's a menu that's
00:52:50 been established based on who has been in the portal.
00:52:53 Here's your top 10 at this position, top 10 or 15
00:52:55 at this position.
00:52:56 And then what you do is you sit down at the staff
00:52:58 and you say, OK, if there's 20 kids at this position,
00:53:01 all right, well, we understand the first four or five kids
00:53:04 as much as we'd like to have them.
00:53:05 They're going to Georgia or Alabama
00:53:06 or whoever else is going to pay them four times more.
00:53:08 OK, so what about guys 5 through 15?
00:53:12 Can we get creative enough to make a financial offer to them
00:53:16 that competes with some of the other schools
00:53:18 in our stratosphere?
00:53:19 Or how about that 16th guy?
00:53:21 Maybe we think he can be better than the other guys,
00:53:24 and that's why we can get him a little cheaper,
00:53:26 because we out-scouted people.
00:53:27 You see what I'm saying?
00:53:28 So that's where all that comes in.
00:53:30 Yeah, that's why--
00:53:31 This is going to be such a critical--
00:53:33 if you can get through December with a smile on your face
00:53:37 and then reach the point of what you just said, wow,
00:53:41 look at this young nucleus on this team,
00:53:43 then in January, if you're having that conversation,
00:53:46 you're in a good spot.
00:53:47 Having all these young skill players, having Garrett Green,
00:53:50 I mean, yeah, all these guys back.
00:53:53 Some pieces, again, yeah, we lose some critical pieces
00:53:56 on the offensive line, but we have some critical pieces back.
00:53:59 So on the defensive side, look at all three levels.
00:54:03 There's a conversation you can have
00:54:04 about why to be excited about what's coming back.
00:54:07 Look at those three backers once we're healthy.
00:54:09 I mean, when you get Trotter back,
00:54:11 when you get Latham back, Ben Cutter,
00:54:13 look at the defensive line, what we're returning.
00:54:16 We're going to have to find us some corners
00:54:18 and populate that room in addition to what we got,
00:54:20 but it's going to be an interesting month of December,
00:54:25 not just with the recruiting piece of it,
00:54:28 but with the portal piece of it,
00:54:29 with the retention piece of it.
00:54:31 And then once January settles in,
00:54:33 if we're sitting there having these conversations about,
00:54:35 wow, look at all these kids that we survived December with,
00:54:39 and they're still coming back,
00:54:41 that's when you can really get amped up, right?
00:54:43 But either way, I agree with you.
00:54:46 Wes and I had this conversation
00:54:47 about different bowl victories, for instance,
00:54:51 come in different forms.
00:54:52 Like it was one thing to win the Meineke Car Care Bowl,
00:54:56 you know, when Pat had a career high
00:54:57 over 300 yards passing,
00:54:58 Pat White against North Carolina.
00:55:01 But at the end of the game, you're like,
00:55:02 despite that exciting win, well, Pat's gone.
00:55:05 - Yeah, it's- - You know?
00:55:07 It's like in the Sugar Bowl, when, you know,
00:55:09 when Pat and Owen and Steve and Darius Raynaud,
00:55:12 all these freshmen were doing it,
00:55:14 you know, Owen was a registered sophomore,
00:55:16 but when all these young guys were doing it
00:55:18 and you knew they were coming back after the big win,
00:55:21 that's when you really get excited about something.
00:55:23 And that's why this eight and four season, to your point,
00:55:27 will be different than an eight and four season
00:55:29 in which you're losing everybody.
00:55:30 You're always going to lose some guys,
00:55:32 but potentially, if we can circle the wagons
00:55:36 and demonstrate great roster retention
00:55:38 and get really creative with our trust,
00:55:41 then in January, we could be having some fun conversations
00:55:44 about what's coming back.
00:55:45 - Absolutely, and that's why I think,
00:55:47 I personally feel more comfortable with West Virginia
00:55:50 this year because of Drew Fabianich.
00:55:52 Not every college team has a GM.
00:55:54 That's new.
00:55:55 And the Contra Roads trust is a lot stronger than it was.
00:55:59 It can always improve.
00:56:00 That's partially on the fans as well.
00:56:02 So if you want to keep the players,
00:56:03 you got to start donating to the trust a little bit.
00:56:06 And, but I do want to note here, Jet, too,
00:56:10 this will be the first off season
00:56:13 since Neil Brown has been the head coach
00:56:15 that he has had a proven answer
00:56:17 at the quarterback position going into next season.
00:56:20 He already knows his quarterback.
00:56:22 Last few years, I mean, you could say maybe Jarrett Deggie,
00:56:24 but there were some still question marks
00:56:26 with Jarrett Deggie when he was coming back.
00:56:28 So I think this is the first time
00:56:30 you kind of know who you are.
00:56:31 You can build off of the success that you have.
00:56:33 And who knows, if you win nine games,
00:56:37 you may be picked in the top five
00:56:39 to finish in the Big 12, maybe higher.
00:56:41 So speaking of the bowl game.
00:56:43 - Conversation, too, Skyler, if, speaking of that,
00:56:46 if you win nine games, and we'll segue into the bowl here,
00:56:48 but you know, you got your quarterback back.
00:56:51 When you are a fringe top 25 team in the conversation,
00:56:55 quarterbacks often dictate that.
00:56:57 So if you find a way to win
00:56:59 whatever bowl matchup you land in,
00:57:02 and you're nine and four,
00:57:03 with your starting quarterback back in Garrett,
00:57:06 and that's where we find ourselves this off season.
00:57:08 Let's say that's the case.
00:57:10 There's a conversation that you're in the preseason top 25.
00:57:14 - Oh, absolutely.
00:57:15 - And right now we're not getting votes.
00:57:16 - Right.
00:57:17 - That's how that leap takes place.
00:57:19 A bowl win, and then if you can return
00:57:21 your starting quarterback, don't underestimate when,
00:57:24 because I don't know if you've ever done a top 25,
00:57:26 but the truth is, after you get through seven or eight,
00:57:29 they all get, they kind of get jammed together
00:57:31 in this log jam, especially when you get to 15 to 25,
00:57:33 and you're looking for, well,
00:57:34 what separates this team from that team, really?
00:57:36 Well, nothing does more so than a returning quarterback.
00:57:40 So that carries a lot of value
00:57:42 with these preseason posters.
00:57:44 So something to think about,
00:57:45 but we're talking about the trust, Skyler.
00:57:47 It's a good time to mention.
00:57:49 I shared this with the group chat.
00:57:51 - Oh yeah, the new-
00:57:52 - This tweet from Brett McMurphy yesterday.
00:57:54 Swilled Dog, a West Virginia craft beverage producer,
00:57:57 is producing a 119 proof straight bourbon whiskey
00:58:01 called 1863 WV Gold,
00:58:04 a tribute to the state being founded in 1863.
00:58:07 It's part of a licensing agreement
00:58:09 with WVU's NIL leader, Country Roads Trust.
00:58:12 So if you can go to Brett McMurphy's, we retweeted it,
00:58:15 but if you want to go to Brett McMurphy's Twitter account,
00:58:17 there's a picture of it on there.
00:58:19 It looks pretty cool.
00:58:19 So these are the types of things you have to do
00:58:22 to create these revenue streams,
00:58:24 to retain these players in this new modern era
00:58:27 of college football 2.0,
00:58:30 because I've often told people college football 1.0
00:58:34 was an unbelievable, awesome sport.
00:58:37 But unfortunately, Major Harris might've been a great player
00:58:40 for Ohio State,
00:58:41 after his exciting freshman year,
00:58:44 instead of for West Virginia.
00:58:46 - Dave, Austin's LSU.
00:58:46 - College football 2.0,
00:58:48 that's what you got to deal with.
00:58:50 You didn't have to deal with that in college football 1.0.
00:58:53 Back in the old days, you could develop players,
00:58:55 keep your whole roster for four or five years,
00:58:58 overdevelop, over-train, and turn out a bunch of NFL guys
00:59:01 because you had your players in your room
00:59:02 for four or five years.
00:59:04 That's so much more difficult to do,
00:59:07 program development now more than ever.
00:59:09 So you have to come up with things like this
00:59:11 to try and retain your roster.
00:59:13 - Absolutely.
00:59:14 And it's kind of smart too,
00:59:15 that they're going with the alcohol route here
00:59:17 'cause us West Virginians,
00:59:19 we like to have a couple of drinks or two.
00:59:20 So I like that.
00:59:23 Speaking of the bowl game,
00:59:24 we'll know the destination,
00:59:25 we'll know the opponent come Sunday.
00:59:27 Here's a few projections so far,
00:59:30 and we'll kind of discuss this lightly here.
00:59:32 The Action Network, or excuse me,
00:59:35 Athletic is predicting West Virginia
00:59:38 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State.
00:59:40 Athlon Sports says Liberty Bowl versus Memphis,
00:59:42 CBS, Liberty Bowl, SMU.
00:59:45 College Football Network, Liberty Bowl
00:59:46 versus Virginia Tech, which would be interesting.
00:59:49 Don't know that that would happen.
00:59:51 College Football News,
00:59:52 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against SMU.
00:59:56 ESPN has two predictions, Liberty Bowl versus App State.
00:59:59 Guaranteed Rate versus Northwestern.
01:00:01 Fox Sports says Texas Bowl versus A&M.
01:00:05 And Sporting News says First Responder Bowl versus Wyoming.
01:00:10 So kind of a little bit of everything there,
01:00:13 not really any common themes.
01:00:15 A couple of weeks ago, it seemed like
01:00:17 it was almost a sure bet that West Virginia
01:00:19 was going to end up in that Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
01:00:21 Now it seems like there's more and more talk
01:00:23 that the Pop-Tarts Bowl is more likely.
01:00:27 Things are still going to have to happen.
01:00:28 You would probably want Texas to win
01:00:30 so that they have a chance
01:00:31 to get into the college football playoff.
01:00:33 That then bumps up Oklahoma State,
01:00:35 then bumps up West Virginia.
01:00:36 So thoughts on bowl projections.
01:00:39 What do you think?
01:00:40 Who do you want to see?
01:00:42 - Well, if I had my choice, Pop-Tarts would be optimal.
01:00:47 - Yes.
01:00:49 - I mean, it's a $6 million payout.
01:00:50 It's a great venue.
01:00:53 We've obviously played bowls in that site before.
01:00:56 West Virginia fans will travel to Orlando.
01:00:58 We've demonstrated that before.
01:01:00 The Alamo Bowl, as these bowls go,
01:01:03 pays the most of all of them.
01:01:05 It's over $8 million.
01:01:07 But the Pop-Tarts Bowl not only pays a lot,
01:01:11 but for all those other reasons,
01:01:13 the venue, the accessibility for West Virginia fans,
01:01:16 there's a lot of West Virginia fans in Florida,
01:01:18 transplanted Mountaineers.
01:01:20 So I don't know if I'd use the word likely.
01:01:24 It still seems like a bit of a long shot,
01:01:26 which is why I was excited to see the Athletic
01:01:29 with some fairly reliable resources,
01:01:31 or sources, I should say,
01:01:33 reporting that as a distinct possibility.
01:01:35 And a great matchup against the Fighting Gibbys.
01:01:37 I mean, come on, that's a great narrative, right?
01:01:40 NC State's a heck of a football team.
01:01:41 This year they're ranked,
01:01:43 so that would mean West Virginia
01:01:44 was playing a ranked opponent in their bowl.
01:01:46 So that's a great opportunity for you.
01:01:49 But yeah, when you look at the different bowls
01:01:51 and the different reasons
01:01:52 and the different whys behind them,
01:01:54 that's part of what would come out there.
01:01:56 I think I would like most to see us
01:01:59 land in the Pop-Tarts Bowl,
01:02:00 because that would seem the optimal situation.
01:02:02 But I don't see any way that's possible
01:02:05 without Texas in the playoff.
01:02:06 I really don't.
01:02:07 I never say never,
01:02:09 but I think Texas would almost need to go to the playoff
01:02:12 to pump everybody else up a spot
01:02:14 and take them out of the equation
01:02:15 from these big 12 bowl alignments
01:02:18 and be part of the CFP.
01:02:19 But I mean, if I was gonna say Independence Bowl,
01:02:23 that's a payout of 2.2 million.
01:02:26 To me, the one appealing part, selfishly,
01:02:28 of the Independence Bowl was it's December 16th.
01:02:31 I have a recruiting show to do December 20th.
01:02:33 I'd really like to avoid doing that recruiting show on site.
01:02:37 So on the bowl site, I'd rather focus on it back home
01:02:41 and get to Morgantown and do the show with Tony.
01:02:43 But yeah, I mean, it would be almost strange
01:02:46 to be going to a bowl game in a Amon G. Carter Stadium
01:02:49 to be with the Armed Forces Bowl,
01:02:51 because we're there so much to play TCU.
01:02:53 We were just there.
01:02:53 I blinked, we were there.
01:02:54 We just finished our third trip to the state of Texas.
01:02:57 That's the other thing.
01:02:59 No knock on Texas,
01:03:00 but I've been there three times this season already.
01:03:01 I'm good, all right?
01:03:03 That was my 25th regular season game in the state of Texas
01:03:06 as a member of the Big 12.
01:03:07 I'm good.
01:03:08 I'm good with Texas.
01:03:09 We can move on to another state.
01:03:11 I'll take Shreveport, you know?
01:03:13 But Memphis, the appeal would be the matchup.
01:03:18 - In the proximity.
01:03:19 - Yeah, yeah.
01:03:22 So that'd be interesting.
01:03:24 Put the Black Diamond trophy on the table
01:03:26 and see where it goes.
01:03:27 But yeah, I mean, it's fun to see
01:03:31 because these different people for different reasons.
01:03:33 Some people just completely are, it's a shot in the dark.
01:03:35 They have no idea what they're talking about.
01:03:37 They just know that the affiliations
01:03:38 are with the conference and with the ball,
01:03:40 and they just randomly grab a team
01:03:41 and throw it out there and publish it.
01:03:43 And people talk as if there's some merit to it.
01:03:45 Well, I saw it published and such and such,
01:03:47 so that could have, but whereas, again,
01:03:49 I think what you saw with the athletic,
01:03:51 at least it's reaching the point
01:03:53 where some relatively reliable sources
01:03:57 are suggesting, hey, this could happen,
01:04:00 and that could happen,
01:04:00 and West Virginia's gonna be playing NC State
01:04:02 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, so let's hope.
01:04:05 Yeah, that'd be pretty cool.
01:04:07 Now, correct me if I'm-- Right, it's Team Orlando.
01:04:09 Correct me if I'm wrong,
01:04:10 but if West Virginia and Virginia Tech were matched up,
01:04:13 they could, West Virginia could technically say
01:04:16 that they're not putting the trophy up
01:04:17 for grabs for that game.
01:04:18 Is that right?
01:04:19 I would think, but why would we do that?
01:04:23 I mean, yeah, I would think they would
01:04:26 just play for both trophies,
01:04:28 the bowl game and the Black Diamond,
01:04:29 but I think I've either read or heard that somewhere before.
01:04:33 Could be wrong, but I'm with you.
01:04:36 Yeah, it could be.
01:04:37 I'm with you.
01:04:38 I'm wanting to see Pop-Tarts Bowl.
01:04:40 Selfishly, I'd like to play NC State
01:04:43 because I can't stand NC State,
01:04:45 and I'm in their backyard.
01:04:48 I'd like to see them maybe play Carolina.
01:04:49 That'd be a good matchup with Drake May.
01:04:52 My wife would probably don't have no idea
01:04:54 who to root for in that game
01:04:55 'cause she's a Tar Heel fan,
01:04:58 but if it's not the Pop-Tarts Bowl,
01:04:59 I'm with you also, and I wish it
01:05:02 and hope it's the Liberty Bowl
01:05:03 'cause I think the Liberty Bowl
01:05:04 is an interesting situation,
01:05:06 and you can get a good matchup there.
01:05:07 I just don't wanna see Rockers.
01:05:08 I don't wanna see Rockers.
01:05:09 I don't wanna see Air Force.
01:05:11 I don't wanna see any of these teams
01:05:12 that don't have any sort of history.
01:05:14 I want somebody that you can go and beat in the bowl game,
01:05:17 get that ninth win,
01:05:19 that has some respect to their name long-term,
01:05:22 and that will really put that momentum
01:05:24 in full motion into the offseason.
01:05:27 Air Force, it feels like,
01:05:31 it has vibes of that Liberty Bowl against Army.
01:05:33 In other words, that was so challenging to prepare for,
01:05:36 and that was a good Army team,
01:05:38 and it's always difficult to prepare
01:05:39 for those Academy schools offensively,
01:05:41 but as I see it, I'd like to play a ranked team.
01:05:46 - Yeah. - I love that,
01:05:48 and the only scenario I see that,
01:05:50 again, there's other scenarios
01:05:52 maybe I haven't thought of,
01:05:53 but NC State might be the most likely
01:05:56 if you're gonna face them ranked.
01:05:58 - And if you win, you can maybe finish the season
01:06:00 in the top 25.
01:06:01 With a nine and four--
01:06:02 - Again, you have to start by getting votes,
01:06:05 then climb through that pack, but who knows?
01:06:07 But to me, it's all about working towards 24.
01:06:10 I mean, if you finish the season even getting some votes,
01:06:14 that's a step ahead,
01:06:15 and then you get into some of the reasons
01:06:16 we talked about earlier,
01:06:17 that maybe you find yourself at nine and four
01:06:20 with a top 25 possibility preseason next year.
01:06:24 - Absolutely.
01:06:25 So that'll do it for another week of coverage.
01:06:29 No game this week, but we'll be back next week
01:06:32 having some more episodes going up.
01:06:34 If you don't know when they're coming,
01:06:36 just make sure you hit that subscribe button.
01:06:37 It's the easiest thing to do on YouTube.
01:06:39 Go and find our channel @IndigunPodcast.
01:06:41 Hit that subscribe button, hit the like as well.
01:06:43 Follow us on @XindigunPodcast, and we'll be back.
01:06:48 We've got a lot more stuff to talk about this offseason.
01:06:50 Signing days coming up, transfer portal,
01:06:53 a lot of things to talk about here.
01:06:54 So we're not going anywhere anytime soon.
01:06:57 So for Jed Drenning, I'm Skylar Callahan.
01:06:59 We thank you, and as always,
01:07:01 be an ear and tell an ear
01:07:02 about your new favorite WVU football podcast.
01:07:04 You've been in the gun.
01:07:06 (door opening)
01:07:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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