Andy & Ari On3 - Steve Sarkisian on ‘Cap Space' with Texas roster: Are the 2026 Longhorns BETTER around Arch Manning? Protect College Sports Act Update

Episode Date: July 24, 2026

As SEC Media Days wrapped up on Thursday, the last team to take the main podium was the Texas Longhorns. As Steve Sarkisian took the microphone, the Longhorns head coach had to answer many questions on the new-look roster in Austin, which included some notable departures along the way. Watch here as Andy & Ari break down the comments from Steve Sarkisian on the ‘cap space’ he’s had to work with in this offseason college football.   (0:00) On Today’s Episode (0:40) Presenting Sponsor (2:10) Intro - Steve Sarkisian Quotes (7:17) Parker Livingstone Saga (11:24) Lebron Debate? (11:55) Texas Run Game entering 2026 (16:26) Transferring to Rival? (21:32) Senate: Protect College Sports Act (27:25) Who Am I? (30:36) Who Am I - Answer (34:14) ZenAI (35:25) Dear Andy & Ari - Revisiting Saban (38:22) Dylan’s pitch for relegation/promotion (47:54) How to include the G5 (54:02) Conferences - Necessary in CFB? (1:06:02) GPS & Geography (1:09:42) Coaches that wouldn’t drive trucks? (1:19:09) Thanks for watching! See you Monday!   Once Andy & Ari wrap up the discussion on Texas, the guys provide the latest on the Protect College Sports Act. With the latest news, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to get them done.” Watch here as Andy & Ari explain why this bill will most likely not be passed.   Next up, it’s time for everyone’s favorite game: Who Am I? How many guesses does it take you to guess this college football great?   In this week’s Dear Andy & Ari, the fellas receive a number of emails on the suggestions from Nick Saban on an all-power 12 game schedule in college football including…   Are conferences necessary? Which coaches are not truck guys in college football?   Thanks for watching!   Send your questions to: [e-mail] [e-mail]   Our show is also presented by BetMGM!   If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code CFB and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM! Here’s how it works:   1. Download the BetMGM app and sign-up using bonus code CFB. 2. Deposit at least $10 and place your first wager on any game. 3. You will receive up to $1500 in bonus bets if your bet loses! Just make sure you use bonus code CFB when you sign up!   Make this college football season one for the history books. Make it legendary.   See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. This promotional offer is not available in DC, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET (Available in the US) . 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel   Check out Zen AI here: http://bit.ly/zenAI_bpp_itf   Join On3 today! https://www.on3.com/join   Watch our show on YouTube! https://youtu.be/CEc6GIXQMJI   Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari Wasserman Producer: River Bailey   Interested in partnering with the show? Email [e-mail] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today's A&Ary on 3 presented by BetMGM, Texas coach Steve Sarkoian, said he didn't have enough, quote, unquote, cap space to keep several talented players. Ari and I will break down exactly what he meant by that. Plus, the Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he doubts the Protect College Sports Act will make it to the floor before the August recess. What does that mean for the college sports bill? Also, we've got a great Who Am I today. and your questions answered on Dear Andy and Dear Ari, all on today's Andy and Ari on three, presented by Bed-MGM. This show is brought to you by a bed-MGM.

All the spreads, all the win-totals we discuss. Come from Bed-MGM. We're going to talk about that Oklahoma win total today. We're probably going to talk about that Tennessee one this week, maybe that Auburn one when they come on Tuesday of this week. It's the SEC Media Day, so we are talking about the future in college football. But there is plenty going on in the present. The All-Star breaks over baseball, getting hot and heavy.

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We're going to put on our capologist hats on the day that LeBron James picks a team that he can, well, the NBA doesn't have a hard salary cap. They have the second apron, but he can fit on the 76ers cap sheet because he can take whatever he wants. He's a billionaire. But we're going to talk about something Steve Sarkesian said, the Texas coach, about not having quote unquote cap space or receiver DeAndre Moore, receiver Parker Livingston, running back Trey Weiser, running back CJ Baxter. Interesting use of term that you don't hear in college sports,

but maybe we should get used to it. What were you more, you know what I was more surprised with, him naming the names of the people who left? Yes. Yes. So he's on the Fine Bomb show on Thursday talking about his new roster. And Paul asked him a question about it. And here's what he said.

These were his exact words. You know, I think in this day and age of the portal and high school, you've got to have the ability to be strategic. And to do, to make the moves we make, to bring in a Cam Coleman, to bring in a Hollywood smothers, to bring in a Raleek Brown. to bring into Mike Massunis at Tide End, well, we had to let DeAndre Moore go. We had to let Parker Livingstone go. We had to let Trey Wisner go.

We had to let C.J. Baxter go. I mean, so this wasn't like we just kept acquiring. We had to let some pretty good players leave to create the cap space to bring those guys in. And I think strategically, you know, there were some tough decisions to make, but we made them. And I think we all can agree. We're probably, we're better around Arch today than we were a year ago at this time. And not only at the skill position, but I think on the offensive line as well. So he's not saying they cut them.

He's saying they let them walk, which is what NFL teams do every year when somebody blows up on a rookie contract is really good. But the NFL team can't necessarily afford them under the salary cap. Now, in college football, the salary cap isn't real, Ari. You can spend as much as you want. but, and I've said this all along, every school has a limit to how much it will pay total. Everyone doesn't have unlimited funds, even the schools like Texas that you think might have unlimited funds.

Yeah, he just means salary cap of what we can afford or what we're willing to pay. Yes. And also, too, there's roster numbers. You can't bring in everybody at a position, improve a position, and keep everybody. Like, you can't bring in two running backs and have seven people in your room.

Like, you know, you have to make room. If there's no salary cap in college football, there is roster limit cap, and that's also the true in the NFL. So I just like, this is a very real conversation, Andy. Every coach is dealing with this now. How much our players worth is the main role of every GM in the country. And piecing those puzzle pieces together is the equation that will ultimately lead to who wins the national championship.

I do think that coaching now is ultimately, I think I would say even more important than it used to be because evaluation is a huge part of coaching and getting those pieces to gel together is a huge part of it. But this isn't like Steve Sarkeesian is the only one dealing with this. Everybody's dealing with it. Who do you want to allocate your funds towards and who do you want to bring in and who can you improve on? I just thought it was crazy that he mentioned the names of the people who left by name because those are some pretty important players on other teams now. DeAndre Moore is in Colorado now. He's probably he's probably Colorado's best receiver. he did respond to this because on three tweeted out the quote and d'adre morse responded with three yawning emojis and it's interesting because look there are egos involved there are hurt feelings involved like if d'andre more wins the blitz of colorado and cam coleman doesn't have a great year at texas d'andre morse is like ha ha i showed you well that's that's also a reflection on the evaluation process of the coach and the allocation of funds just because you let somebody that would be a bad look better you can have a bad a bad move

People make bad moves all the time in pro sports where they let someone walk and they turn out to be really good. I mean, there are players on other teams. Like the entire New York Knicks roster were playing like their best player. Dylan Brunson was allowed to walk by the Dallas Mavericks. It doesn't mean that DeAndre Moore sucks. It means that Cam Coleman is perceived to be better.

And Parker Livingston do it. It's the same thing. And that's, I think I would agree with that. But it's interesting because this is all in its infancy. And so we had a segment on Parker Livingston earlier this offseason. I think it was right before spring practice at Oklahoma. He had a quote that was making the rounds that if I didn't have an agent, I'd still be at Texas. And I think some people took that the wrong way.

And here's what happened with Parker Livingston, as I've been told by people involved. They offered him one number, which was high six figures. They then offered him a much lower number. This is Texas. His agent informs him, they're offering you a lower number because they're going to throw a bag at Camp Coleman. And that was what caused him to say, if I didn't have an agent, I'd still be at Texas.

Because his implication was he just would have taken the lower number and stay at Texas. Meanwhile, Oklahoma offers him the original amount that Texas offered him. Indiana offers him even more than that, and he chooses Oklahoma. That's what happened. And that is a typical free agent situation. Like if we were in pro sports,

there's nothing unusual about that situation, except in pro sports, the player would probably have much more an idea on his own. He probably would need his agent to tell him what the market was and who might be coming in. Well, it's more easy in the NFL, I think, to do like tiered players because there's less of them. There's fewer players.

Yeah. And they also play all in the same. level. Like Parker Livingston playing in the Big 12 maybe would have commanded less money, like putting up similar numbers because the levels are different too. Like if you put a thousand yards or not. He was in the SEC last year. That's what I'm saying.

It would have been lower if he played in the Big 12 because it wouldn't have been as respected. In the NFL, if you put a thousand yards up with the Browns or you put a thousand yards up with the Seahawks. It doesn't matter. Yeah. Yeah. So it's a little bit different.

I think in that case, a lot of it's like the NFL teams just sort of tell you, hey, we're not going to be able to sign you. You're probably going to have to go somewhere else. There's not the back and forth. And I think that probably caused some hurt feelings here. Well, Andy, it doesn't matter what the reason is. If somebody offers you X and then offers you 0.5X, regardless of what the reason is, that's a slap in the face.

If on three came to you and said, hey, we're going to give you X number of dollars and then a week later it gave you half, wouldn't you be upset by that? It doesn't matter who they were going after or why they would. So, like, my takeaway from the situation, as you just told, it is I would have done the same thing. I think if I were Texas, although I am kind of surprised, given what we know Texas is able to do

with their numbers financially, that they wouldn't have kept Parker because he would have been a really great this offense. Could you imagine? But he also may not have been the two or the fourth option. Now, whether he's the second or third option at Oklahoma remains to be seen.

He's the second, right? Isaiah Satania is still on the team. Isaiah Satania was their leading receiver last year. He's back. They also brought in Charles Harris from Virginia. So it's possible that Trell Harris finds out being their second option. But that's, you know, and the thing is, like, DeAndre Moore was in this mix, too. Ryan Wingo is the number two option at Texas based on what we know behind Cam Coleman.

So, yeah, I mean, Livingston has a chance to make more money at Oklahoma based on Texas's final offer, has a chance to be higher in the pecking. ordered Oklahoma. And it makes sense. Well, I think that like there is some of this old school thought too in college football, Andy, where it's like, how could he go to a rival? Well, let me ask you this.

If you're rival, all we do is go to rivals in our business. Yeah. I mean, there are, well, there's no other options in our business. It's either a rival or it's no one. But I mean, I think in the NFL, like, the best running back in the entire sport was an interdivision move. And he led

the, Sequin Barkley. LeBron. Yeah, and it's not always free agency because, like, LeBron's going to the Sixers where he will play with Jalen Brown, who was traded to the Sixers by the Celtics. Yeah, they're going to be pretty good, I think. Yeah. Yeah, I'm actually excited about it. I know everybody's like, you should have gone to Cleveland. Yeah, have fun. That's me.

That's my opinion. Or Miami. One of the two. Why does he have played there before? Should we have a LeBron debate? I don't think we're not. kind of show, are we? Here we bring Stephen A on?

It would be nice to, I mean, Stephen A's been talking a bunch of nonsense about college football. Why can't we get some nonsense about NBA basketball? That's true. We should just have a LeBron segment here. Have you been watching the Stephen A. Smith clips that have been formulating online about like Nick Saban and Alabama? They don't tell me anything. So why would I?

I know, but they pop up on my feed and I watch them. Well, let's talk about Texas. I'm surprised he doesn't have any hot takes on Texas because this is a, a team that seems to generate hot takes like crazy. But, you know, like, Trey Wisner and C.J. Baxter, it's interesting because the two receivers and the two running backs, Sark mentioned,

I feel like are in different places. Like the two receivers, both of them, I feel like are going to really help their new teams quite a bit. Yeah. I think C.J. Baxter and Trey Wisner are going to help their new teams. But Texas's running game was not what it should have been last year.

What was Texas as being last year? The run game. And what do you think was the reason for that? I don't know if it was just the offensive line. The offensive line had a very shaky start. They got better as the year went on, but we can agree. They did. They had a shaky start.

Yeah. What is the thing that Kentucky invested in the most in the portal? The offensive line. What if CJ Baxter has a, like, that's a move that makes me excited about Kentucky. Yeah. C.J. Baxter's an interesting one because he was one thing as a freshman. He got hurt. And it didn't seem like he was the same after the injury.

And there's nothing you can do about that if that's what happened. But I'll be excited for him if he is back to what we saw his freshman year because he will gain a lot of yards at Kentucky if that line is because they think it'll be. Yeah, I guess the question is the injury and the ramifications of recovering from that injury a permanent situation or just being a year back and having another offseason and put you back in a position to get back into form. But he was a five-star prospect. He was a major pickup for Texas out of high school and somebody that a lot of people were excited.

about in Austin. So, you know, I think that new beginnings at times, too, as cutthroat as that quote was. And like, I actually don't think that Steve Sarkesian was coming from like an angry place or a place of spite. No, he was being honest. But, you know, change of scenery for incoming. Like, I think that Cam Coleman is going to gain quite a bit from his experience in Austin. I think that he's going to have a really good year. I think he's going to help Arch. I think Texas is going to be very good. That said, I don't think it's out of the question for DeAndre more to go lead Colorado and receiving. And for C.J. Baxter to help Kentucky's

Renault build back under Will Stein. And who's the other one? Parker Livingston. Craig Wisden is a four state. Yeah. So, I mean, these guys all landed at places that, you know, have big seasons coming up. So we'll see what happens. But like, it's cool to hear them talk about it in NFL terms, Andy.

But like, we know the listeners of the show have to know that like this is all one big math equation now. And everybody's values are fluctuating. And, you know, frankly speaking, if you're a Texas person and you have some, like, spite in your heart towards Parker because he went to a rival and that's like, who does that? It's like, well, I think I would have probably done the same thing. So, yeah, you know, you know, the thing that's interesting is maybe gone to Indiana, I guess. But like, also people are from certain areas of the country. He's from Texas, right?

So he might not have wanted to go play. Well, maybe he might, yeah, maybe he just wanted to continue playing the SEC. Yeah, it's everybody has the right to pick what they want to pick, LeBron. You don't have to go to Cleveland just because Ari wants you to. Yeah, like, LeBron doesn't have any. I mean, LeBron is, in my opinion, I don't know if I've ever asked you this. I think that LeBron James is the best basketball player that's ever played. I think Michael Jordan is the greatest.

I think there's a distinction. I think LeBron at his peak, playing basketball is the best all-around player that's ever played the game. It doesn't matter. We're not NBA analysts. He doesn't have anything to prove anybody. I think he's incredible. I think MJ is the best and the greatest.

But no, he's incredible. One of the greatest skill sets we've ever seen in sports. The longevity is amazing. The thing that I find curious about LeBron, and the thing that I think you know and you get a sense of is that he cares deeply about legacy and what people think of him. And I think this is a bizarre thing to do for somebody who's concerned with that. It's one thing if he doesn't care.

I don't think you should worry about that. He does worry about it. Parker Livingston, go to Oklahoma. and then maybe in Dallas you have a big game against Texas. Like that, that's the best. The thing that makes this so interesting, especially in that situation, is they're going to play.

And he'll have his chance. Now, like for DeAndre Moore, he's not playing against Texas, but he will have his chance to put up numbers and be a good player at Colorado. I think that may, the difference is like having a chance to go play them. Do you remember?

you should have kept me. You should have made me the priority. For the college football purists who listened to the show, I think I want to say this. Do you remember Justin Boren? Yes. He was an office to Miami State. 2008, and he transferred from Michigan to Ohio State. And that was very soon unto my professional career.

And I have very strong memories of that and that he felt, like he was asking questions about transferring from Michigan. again in his second year at Ohio State. Like that was a big, how could you possibly do that? Now, his brother, Zach, also ended up playing on the team and was a very good fullback linebacker type player. But back then, that was a major taboo move, right? And I think that there is a certain level of business that has trickled into football now. Not that it wasn't before, but it's a massive business that includes players now.

Right. But that was a situation where Michigan was getting rid of him. or couldn't keep him. He had a spot at Michigan. This was one where as soon as they cut your offer if you're Parker Livingston, you know how they feel about you. You know it's time to go. Right.

But there is the level of like college football purists who want this rivalries to stand above everything else and to be special. There is a sliver where that's 25% less important now as a result of the financial aspect of this. and that that is a I think a net negative for the game itself. I disagree.

I think it makes the rivalry better because if Parker Livingston goes off on Texas, that's a hell of a story. Yeah, that's true. I mean, there's two ways of looking at it, but there's certain, like, barriers that you used to never be able to cross.

And, like, now you cross them, and it's just like, it's like, no, it's not just like anything. The Texas fans hate him. Sark said, I hope we kick his ass. Remember when Luke Fickle was, kind of a quasi candidate for Michigan. Yeah.

Like, I guess that would have been kind of cool, you know, if he went there and, you know, did it. I guess that's like the Woody Hayes-Bos Schembeckler thing, right? Yeah. But, you know, it's just interesting now how views have changed on it because it's not, it's just not the same anymore. It's not unheard of. Vince Dooley played at Auburn.

Yeah. Like, these things happen. I guess Will Stein played at Louisville. Will Stein played a Louisville. Now, if Kentucky had offered Willstein a preferred walk-on spot, might be a different story. Yeah. But they didn't.

The point, though, is that you're not following general norms and rivalries and stuff anymore. You're following paychecks and prosperity. And the truth here, Andy, too, is when you're talking about somebody that's in Parker Livingston's salary range, like this is maybe an NFL player, maybe he's not. I don't know. He has to have a big year, I think. in order to move up draft boards. But if you are somebody who may not be a pro,

the difference in income between low six figures and high six figures is a huge deal for life, like a normal person's life. And like I think that like sometimes people who listen to the show and I take for granted the difference in money for people because everybody assumes that everyone's going to go to max deal in the NFL and that's not the way the sport works. Yeah.

Also, when we talk. talk about these, we talk about the coaches salaries. We talk about the NFL and NBA free agency salaries. Like it sounds like there's such absurd high numbers that they don't feel real. The fact of the matter is like the difference between $800,000 and $400,000 is $400,000. For somebody who may not sign a NFL deal. Like I know it's easy to roll your eyes and go, dang, Lincoln Kiffin took $11 million. He was already making $9.5. Like to people like us who are normal like that two and a half million dollars but but for people who like parker livingston might be a professional football player i don't know where he is do you know how he's rated as a draft

prospect like i'm sure he's like a top four round he will he will certainly be if he's not drafted he will certainly be in a camp i mean a lot of it will depend on how he plays this year and obviously he could stay and play another year but it's not like cam coleman that's like automatic first round pick you know so like i i understand chasing the money means something different to people at different income levels too. So we have to at least acknowledge that. Absolutely. And I'm telling you right now, if he blows up against Texas, it'll be a big story.

And you bet you're sweet ass he wants to do. That'll be a story. I also think that Texas has to account for that, like in the preparations of the game. Well, yes, they do. But don't you don't do anything different. Oklahoma has a bunch of really good players. They will attempt to beat them. Like, that's the job.

So, all right, let's move from the Red River rivalry to the halls of Congress. Oh, boy. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says the Protect College Sports Act is not expected to go to the floor for a vote before the August recess. What does that mean? It means the bill we said it's probably not going to pass is probably not going to pass. and we've been telling you that all along for a reason because it was always an uphill climb. Then when Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell wrote the bill,

they wrote it in a way that specifically targeted the Big Ten in the SEC, they basically tried to pull an okey-doke on those leagues. And they've tried to amend it since then to re-earn the trust of those leagues. They had not gotten there. It is not in a place where they feel like they could get 60 votes. And remember, it's the Senate. You need to be able to break the full.

filibuster, so you need 60 votes to get it through. And they just haven't been able to guarantee those votes. And look, if you're the majority leader and you feel like, you know, there's a bill that somebody in your party, in this case, Ted Cruz is really excited about, if they got the votes, you're going to make sure it gets through. They don't have the votes. And that's what John Thune said. It doesn't mean the bill is completely dead. There's still an outside chance they could rally in the next week or something. or, you know, maybe they do something procedural at the end and staple it to the back of something else at the end of the session.

But it means. I mean, there's a reason why we didn't dedicate a ton of time on it. Now, we had Ted Cruz on the show. We did talk about it. But, like, I don't think that there was ever a real thought on our end that this is going to happen. Right. Right.

And the thing is, and this is one of the reasons the SEC and the Big Ten still oppose it is it's still would allow players to sue, it would not grant the broad antitrust exemptions that the SEC Big Ten, well, actually all the leagues want, it wouldn't grant those because it's a bipartisan effort. It was written by and co-sponsored by Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats would not have sponsored something that would have really broad antitrust exemptions. So that's why it's just not going to, I just don't think it's going to work. I think it's also too complicated to to get the votes together because like one of the strongest voices against this, and this is a bill that, for the most part, Republicans support,

but one of the strongest voices against it is Tommy Tuberville, Republican senator from Alabama, former Auburn and Texas Tech and Cincinnati coach. And it's because the SEC doesn't support it. And Tuberville says, hey, no, do not vote for this. And it's like very recently told other Senate Republicans, do not vote for this. And so it's not even, it's more complicated than some of these other bills that they're dealing with because it's not really even on party lines. It's do you, do you have a mostly SEC Big 10 state or do you have a mostly ACC big 12 group of six state? Like that's the bigger divide than actual party lines.

So how should the fan feel? Like I'm a fan. The fans should feel like these people should solve their own problems like they always should have. stop whining to Congress, stop wasting money lobbying, and fix your own problems. And I think that will be clear. Because like using laws and stuff seems like it's just like duct taping an issue together. Well, and the other thing is like if the players can still sue over the salary cap and that sort of thing, then you didn't really change anything. So there was no point to it anyway.

And I think that's that's the other issue. So what happens next? There's one solution to this. Well, there's that. They're going to try something else first. And, you know, we've had people talk about a breakaway. Let's give people the one-minute speech on the breakaway. When people are talking about a breakaway, I think it's being presented in a much more fantastical,

crazy way than it would actually happen. When the SEC is talking about creating its own role. rules, they're not talking about not playing the college football playoff. They're not talking about getting out and breaking away from the NCAA. What they're talking about is establishing their own eligibility rules, transfer rules, and salary cap rules. And the reason I want to do that is because then if someone sues them over, say, their salary cap, they can say, hey, you do not have to participate in our deal. You can go play over with these other guys who have their own rules. And they have market power, by the way. So it's potentially workable. The reason it probably wouldn't

work is the SEC then has to be the cops because right now the NCAA is the cops. Does the SEC want to actually enforce its rules on its own members and would its members accept that enforcement? Greg Sankey didn't seem real optimistic about that when we talked to him about Indeson. But that's a potential other option. Sounds kind of messy to me. A little bit, a little bit. Listen, we're going to have stuff to talk about for a long time because these guys, they refuse to accept reality on reality's terms.

But that's your Senate update. That's what's happening right now. When John Thune says that, he's the one that controls what bills get to the floor and what bills don't. And if it doesn't make it by the recess, the midterm elections happen in November, then you're going to have a lame-up Congress. And, you know, obviously the party, majority party. could flip in both houses or not, we'll see.

But if it doesn't go to the floor by August 7th, it's probably not happening. So that just remember that. All right, time for, time for something more fun. Time for something way more fun. Oh, God. I forgot about this. I'm nervous. Oh, yeah.

It is another edition of the game that is sweeping the nation. Who am I? All right, Ari Wasserman. Okay. Let's hit it. Lose. About an all-time great college football player. Is that a clue?

No. It's an all-time great. I think if you know this person's story well enough, you can get it on clue number two. I think there's a certain fan base that's going to be screaming his name on clue number two. I'm terrified. Okay.

Number one, I was born in Minnesota. Okay. Number two, my older brother played three seasons in the NHL. Okay. So I don't know this person's story. Okay, good. I feel safe now. Okay.

Number three, my junior year of high school, I was a 240 pounds high end. Okay. Number four, rivals ranked me the number 275 overall recruit in the class of 2021. Okay. Number five, I was the number five recruit in the state of Minnesota. Okay. Number six, I made my first college start in the sixth game of my freshman season. Okay.

Number seven, the player who played my position for my team the previous year was a second round draft pick. The three players who played it before that were first round draft picks. Will you read that one again? The player who played my position for my team. the previous year was a second round draft pick. The three players who played it before that were first round draft picks. Okay. Am I going to snuck here?

No, you're going to get it. I was a unanimous first team All-America selection as a junior in 2023. Okay. Like my father, I was a first round draft pick in the NFL draft. Am I supposed to know this by now? Yeah. River got it on number seven. What number are we on?

You're on your last clue, buddy. This is the last one? Last one. Well, you've got one more to send, or I'm either I get it or I don't. I'm going to give you this clue and you better get it. Okay. Number 10, I currently play tackle for the Los Angeles Charters. Joe Walt.

There we go. There we go. Bonus. I appeared on Andy Staples on 3 on September 19th, 2000. 23. That was hard. That was a hard one. I had a hard time with that.

I intentionally left Notre Dame out of it because I felt like that would make it too easy. Because, and I think probably the Notre Dame fans started yelling at their speakers at number two. I didn't know that his brother played in the NHL. I had no idea. Yeah. And Joe played hockey growing up too. That's what the, the Will Black who, you know, Will Black is the sophomore at Notre Dame who is going to probably. going to a starting role this year.

He grew up playing hockey as well. He's from Canada. Joe Alt from Minnesota, his dad was an NFL offensive tackle. But yeah, his older brother was a three, he played in parts of three seasons for three different NHL teams. Do you know what really threw me off?

Is that playing in the NHL, I wasn't thinking of big people. Yes. And that was also intentional. And that's why I mentioned that he was a 240 pound tight end as a junior in high school. I was trying to throw you off the scent. Yeah.

So number seven clue, and this is where I thought you'd get it. So the player who played left tackle before at Joe Alt at Notre Dame was Mike McGlinchie. He was the second. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was Liam Eichenberg. He was the second round draft pick. Mike McGlinchie was before Liam Eichenberg. He was a first rounder.

Ronnie Stanley before him, first rounder. Like, it was an incredible run. You never told me as a position. How did Rivergate? I know on purpose. Like I was thinking of a skill position player because usually hockey players are super like super athletic, right? I don't know. Maybe there are big goons.

I don't know enough about hockey. But I was thinking of like receiver or something. They are, I mean, there are big hockey players like Connor McDavid is a big, big guy, but not, not this big. Yeah. Well, that was good. I'm happy I didn't skunk, but I'm kind of embarrassed. No, you did fine. I probably made it harder than I needed to.

I probably should have. I'm not supposed to lose to River. Why not? River's a ball knower. I know, but. Look at that baby face on Joe Alt. Hey, it's obvious you've never seen that interview. Yeah, I just was not aware of his story.

We also talked hockey in his interview. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Yeah, that was before my time. Well, and also the dad thing I kept till the end, because that's another one. If you do know his story, it's pretty easy. There aren't a lot of father.

son first round picks. I think the bo's dad was a first round pick, I think. But there's, it's, it's not a big list. Yeah. They all make sense now, but in the moment, I had a hard time. But anyway, well, that's the other thing is this. And I always worry about this when I'm the one answering. Like, if you get a brain lock, like, you gave me a question last time that put me in total brain lock, because I got the Ed Reed one on like question not or clue number nine. And so it is hard. I was thinking of skill position players and all time greats.

And then I was trying to think who's from Minnesota. I didn't remember. I just wasn't thinking Joel. And Joel is an all time great college player. We don't know if he's going to be an all time great NFL player. He's only been to leave for a couple of years. So. Yeah.

But yeah, that was fun. All right. We have to answer some questions, Ari. But first, these words from Zen AI. I want to talk to about Zen. A. ZEN AI is the home of vibecasting, a new way to capture and share conversations. In the same way vibe coding apps like Lovable and Claude co-work made it possible for just about anyone, regardless of coding skills to build their big ideas. Zen AI helps anyone to turn a conversation into something worth sharing, a podcast, a reel, a TikTok, no production skills required.

At the heart of it, Zen AI is an AI producer. The producer handles the edit from audio cleanup to the creation of share ready clips. You collaborate with your AI producer conversationally, make audio. and video edits just by chatting in plain English. So basically, ZNAAI is paying new Vivecasters to create their first Vibcast. You create a sportscast about your favorite team, and with Vivecasting, you get paid to do it. So here's how you do it.

Zen AI is an invite-only beta right now. So you join the waitlist today, and you get a chance at early access. So you go to zen.aI, that's zen.aI, to sign up, or you can head to our show notes for the direct link. That's zen.a.i, zen.a.i. All right, all right.

It is time for dear Andy DeRari. And the people were listening to our show when we were talking about Nick Saban's idea for everybody playing power conference games and what essentially would amount to a 68 team super league. And we liked it, but we wanted some additions to it. Like we wanted promotion and relegation. We thought that would make it

perfect. But we asked the folks, like, could you live with this if this is what was handed to as a Super League? Or would you be furious that the group of six teams were being cast aside? So here's what Nick Saban said on the SEC Network the other day. Yeah, and if you make the SEC championship game, obviously that's a 10th SEC game and then you have your eyes on the college football playoff. Nick, you've been a proponent of moving to a nine SEC game schedule for a while. What have your conversation's been like about how things might change this year? Well, I've been a proponent for 10 years, so it only took us 10 years to get to this. You know, first of all, players love to play in competitive games, number one. Second, fans love to see competitive games.

That's number two. And I also think that it's important that you give even a better opportunity to prove that you're the best team that you belong in the SEC championship game. So I actually think we should play 12 games against Power 5. That's it. Preach. Because it's a business. And people want to see those games. TB wants to have that kind of inventory to show those games.

So I think that's really, really important. And I'm glad that we've gone to a nine-game schedule. I think it'll be more interesting for the players and the fan. All right. So here are the questions. By the way, y'all send us a lot of spreadsheets. A lot of you made spreadsheets. I can't say I read most of them.

I was spoiled last week because we had the spreadsheet with the worst, the toughest three game stretches. That was a hell of spreadsheet. Color coded. It was beautiful. I think that I want to say this before you get into the questions. Some weeks we get a ton and a lot of you put a lot of effort into it and I really appreciate it. But if we were able to read all of them, it would take a very long time. So if we didn't get to yours, sorry.

Don't be discouraged. if we didn't get to yours because we really are trying to make a good faith attempt to listen and hear like when people email me i do my best even if i don't respond sometimes to just like read everything um and we're not ignoring you so please don't take it because there are a lot of people who put a lot of thought into these responses so i yeah i want to make sure we you know we did read them and uh and we want to do right by you so all of the spreadsheets that were attached but because i want people on the show to have a voice too so yeah um Um, yes.

Anyway. All right. Let us start with Dylan. Hi, Andy and Ari. Here's my pitch for a super league with relegation and promotion. You take the 72 power four schools in your, in your initial year. Now there's actually only 68, but we'll, we'll keep going. Add the eight best group of six teams from the prior year based on poll rankings or whatever

other statistical analysis metric, whether SP Plus, something like that. The schools with the four best records of the group of six teams in the super league stay in the super league. The bottom four teams are relegated back to their respective conferences in the group of six each year. Additionally, the top four schools in the group of six are promoted to the Super League each year. However, to determine the top four teams, the group of six would have to have, would also have their own playoff championship. You could also add an incentive to the top four group of six schools playoffs each year

with a champion runner-up and semifinalists receiving a tiered amount of NIL money to spend on their roster for next season when entering the Super League. These could potentially be paid for by corporate sponsorships. With this idea, you would have 80 teams in the Super League. Additionally, the Super League would have a 16-team playoff. Please discuss or shoot holes in the idea. Now, like I said, when we were talking about this the other day, I don't think people who run American sports are prepared to handle promotion and relegation

because they like to know what their budgets are. As one person wrote in, wouldn't there be mass layoffs at a school if it got relegated? and the answer is possibly yes. I mean, when that happens in English soccer, it does cause significant belt tightening at the team that goes down. So these are all issues that you have to work through.

I love the idea of having a pool of money for the group of six teams that are moving into the Power League, so maybe they can go get like a special quarterback that year. And look, attaching it to corporate sponsorship, like you really could probably do that. Like you, you turn that into a big ad deal where, you know, Allstate has the, the field goal nets. Like, Allstate could sponsor the teams that are moving up. Like, they're in good hands with us, you know, something like that.

Yeah, yeah. So here's the thing that I think would be interesting. And the thing that I think is the hardest thing of this is that in promotion and relegation, this isn't the same year. So if a team like Boise State or a team like Memphis or somebody puts together a team that's actually maybe one would have been in the top 10% of good teams in the power conferences, even if they accomplish that in a given season, the challenge that the group of six is having right now is making those teams consistent year over year. If there's a bunch of money that gets pumped in, let's say you had that good season, you get a nice chunk of money. pumped in, you may be able to keep your best players or you may be able to go get somebody

else to go along with your best players. Yeah, so if you lose your best player, though, in this scenario, or don't, let's just say this, Memphis goes undefeated and wins the G6 championship. And they're running back is like Ashton Genty level

talent. Yeah. We've already seen Ashton Genty stay. So it's not above the reality, but like if Ohio State calls and says, we'll give you $1.8 and to come play running back for us. Like, it's just going to be difficult. And I wanted to read the stat before you continue, Andy.

I thought you were getting there. Yep. Brett McMurphy posted this today, our Brett McMurphy. 78% of the Americans' first and second team, all conference players from last season, transfer to Power 4 schools this offseason, which is funny because right when we expanded the CFP to finally include the G6,

the system change and cripple their ability to develop and maintain rosters necessary to advance in the playoff. So, like, we would, I think in the system, they'd have a chance. But then you'd also have people wondering why does a team that just got promoted have special treatment over, like, a team that's in the Super League that doesn't have that money. Like, it would be, it would be, well, no, the answer to that would be they were in the Super League. They already had more money. They already had a bunch of money. This is, this is just giving somebody a leg up.

And I got to tell you, it would create so much drama at the bottom. Like, those games in November would be bananas. bananas when somebody's trying to stay in and when somebody's trying to move up, it would be fantastic to watch. But again, they're not. I don't know if this is realistic, but this is what I was thinking about when I was reading the emails. And I don't know if this is financially viable. Wouldn't it be possible for the power conferences each to enter an agreement with the G6 leagues where they are partners in some regard where the relegation and the promoters?

and the promotion happens within those two conferences. So like you said, Sunbelt, SEC, Mac, Big Ten, or whatever, however you would want to set it up. And there was a financial agreement that allowed teams to get relegated and promoted while also not impacting the livelihoods of the staffers that work at those places. Like, I don't know. I mean, that's a really nice pie in the sky notion. I just don't think that's practical.

It might be pie in the sky. But I'm just trying to think, like, how is a way that we can separate the two while also keeping them together without having to keep pretending that i i would love it if they would take this seriously i just i just don't think they ever will because i think most american sports executives and i include athletic directors at college programs in this they want to know what their budget is going to be they want you know they they want stability they don't want baked in they don't want instability baked into the system what was the one thing that was consistent um from the emails that you got now some of people just sent them to me and some people

send them to just you and some send them to both of us. Promotion and relegation. A lot of people would like that, but I think a lot of it too is like, I got a lot of Boise State fans. Yes. And it's like there are certain programs in the G6 that I think that could be or should be maybe promoted into this system. And if this number isn't 72 and the number is actually 80, where you take the traditionally most consistent G6 teams and promote them into that league

and expand the conferences even more, I would be open to that. Because like Boise being left out seems bad. Tulane being left out. This is why when we had Spencer Danielson on the show, Boise State's coach, and we asked him, would you be in favor of a group of five back then? It was group of five.

Now it's group six. Playoff, he said, absolutely not. We want to go to the playoff. But until one of those teams actually is good enough to compete in the playoff, it seems like a pointless activity. And Boise State a few years ago was as good as of a team as you possibly could have had

in this modern era. Now, maybe the Boise State teams from the, the Fiesta Boy you covered were much better. But back then, they didn't lose 78% of their conferences, all conference players for the Power 5 in a given year. So, like, that's the thing that's most complicated about it. But I also would be in favor of expanding or exploring the expansion of the current power leagues to include the G6 teams, which I think there's probably five or six,

that care about football as much as the powers. Because I think you can make the case that Boise has been a more functional and more bought in football program than half of the teams that happened to be in the power leagues because they were there by happenstance. Is Boise State a more serious program in football than Maryland? Could you have a system where every power conference had 20? That's what I'm saying, yeah. So four 20 team leagues and just figure it out.

Now some people might get their feelings hurt. Like you're going to be selecting from the G6 who you think is worthy of filling out those conferences. But I just don't know from an economic standpoint if smaller universities that happen to be in the G6 have the financial viability, even with agreements with power conferences to sustain a football program and to pay the players. Also, you can't tell you can't make power conferences take somebody. Now, I think what would happen is the SEC and the Big 10 would take what they want from the ACC and the Big 12. And then, those two would get everything else.

It's very hard to disparage. This is our term. We'll start aim into a conference, which, by the way, you're probably never going to be able to do unless you have like a true Super League. Yeah, I don't want to disparage anybody. But it feels like Boise State, if in the Big Ten,

would allocate their money better and be a better program than some of the teams at the bottom of the Big Ten. I would agree with that, because they've spent their money more wisely all along. And it feels to me that like Boise State cares more about success. successful football than a few teams in power conferences.

And I do think that it does kind of suck that certain teams get to go to the party because they happen to be at the right place at the right time. It's like they're in the high school hallway and the invite to the cool party after prom happened because you happen to be at your locker when you overheard somebody saying. We're looking at you. They felt back. Yeah. Yeah.

So it's like there are teams in these conferences that are like, why, you know, why are you here? And there are teams in the G6 that are like, you should be here. And like, I appreciate that. That said, like, I don't know if I have to continue to pretend that Ball State is playing the same game as Bama. Like, it's just, it's not the same game. All right. And I've always felt that way.

Let's go with one from Joe. This was sent directly to you already. You did not send it to me. Hey, Ari, love your thoughts on the 68 slash 70 team league. I've got a great solution to the inclusion of the G5. Let's lock in the 70s as you suggested. I also love the relegation concept, though. As you mentioned, it hasn't really been tested in the U.S.

My idea brings this in a way that would be easy to set. sell as a TV execs, but is also cool for fans. Let's say add five G6 slots. These five slots will be reserved for the best G6 programs. Having the five best G6 teams rotating through the 70 doesn't really dilute schedules very much. In fact, it may strengthen them. Imagine the Houston of 2021 or Tulane or FAU or Cincinnati a few years ago. They would have been among the top three quarters of power four teams.

The relegation portion works like this. The five slots are awarded with five-year contracts to play up. However, the contracts are staggered so that only one contract comes up per year. So if you don't perform over those five years, it's back to the G6. The five-year contract allows G6 teams to build up a program worthy of P4 by having locked in exposure for their peak five-year period. With sustained success, perhaps they could be extended further with maybe a 10-year extension or a temporary promotion as an independent for another five years.

So it would be amazing to watch as these G5 teams to be battling for a revolving spot every year with the potential of earning an extension if they meet attendance, and maybe something like if they stay in the top percent, they have established themselves as P4 worthy. They can recruit and fundraise with the security five-year contracts and an increased share of P4 funds, though, not a full share. So now I think the way this would work for Joe, I think you'd have to do like 76 because nobody,

he doesn't have any relegation here. He's just your G6 team. We're going to play you in the schedules of these guys. and then you might have to get kicked back if you don't perform. Well, the thing that also stands out to me about that is that why doesn't Rutgers have to play by the same circumstance? That's right. So what Joe is saying, and I appreciate Joe's idea, because what Joe is saying is he's trying to take away the thing that would make them say no to this. And the thing that would make them say no to this is not promotion, it is relegation.

But I think his numbers are off. You'd have to be, I'd say 76. six would probably be your number. So six of those schools. And instead of five, you know, you could do six year deals and have them one expire per year. And so one team's getting kicked back down and one and somebody's getting pulled up every year. Yeah. Yeah.

It's, it's a thought. That's an interesting thought because it does provide opportunity. What's difficult about it, Andy, is that you are trying, or I or we in this discussion, paint the G6 with a broad brush when there's a highly diverse profile of team in the G6. Yeah. And there's a highly diverse profile of team in the powers. And I think that what we're all trying to hope for is a system where everybody who's playing in a game conceivably has a chance to win. Now, that's not always going to be realistic. When Rutgers goes on the road to Ohio State, they're not.

going to win. So you still get those amongst power four matchups. But Rutgers isn't as athletically inferior or dominant, dominated in those games as they would if like FAU were playing there. You know, I mean, I covered games at Ohio State that felt like a safety issue. And it's, you know, it's not entertaining. So while there are people who tweeted me and say there are blowouts amongst power, there are. There are blowouts in a lot of sports. There's Blouds in the NBA. But there are certain levels to this where if you play a game a thousand times, the result would be a win for the power team a thousand times.

And like there's no point in playing those games, period. Right. And I asked you this off air yesterday and I'll ask it on because I actually have a moral thought about this. Because the number one argument that you get from people who are precious about the G6, and I appreciate those people. And they love football and they want them to be part of it. I get where you're coming from. but why is it the SEC's responsibility

to subsidize the Sun Belt's budgets? That's the question. It's like, why is it the Big Ten's responsibility to make sure that the Mac can fulfill their their... If you want to be big time in football, be big time in football. Raise your own money, figure it out. Yeah, and where else does that work that way?

There aren't a lot of subsidizing things out of the kindness of our hearts going around in the world anymore. So, you know, it just, I understand the problematic nature of cutting off the G6 from Power 4 scheduling because I understand the financial ramifications of that. But I also don't understand why the G6, because it's a football team, they don't have to be the same. Well, I got an email from somebody saying, from somebody saying, well, won't this kill the programs at those schools?

It won't kill the, like Division 3 exists, guys. Division 3 schools have football programs. They don't need to go play at Ohio State and make $1.8 million to play there to have. have a program. Mount Union has a program because Mount Union would like to have a football team. And let's just say the quiet part out loud is $1.8 million to play at Ohio State, a good investment of money for Ohio State to bring in a team that has no chance to win and creates a crappy environment. You know how many games I covered where, you know, during my 10 years there that were just like, why am I even here right now? Like, this isn't even an event. Like, this is

like money grant. And like, I think fans are wising up to it, especially in a world now where it's expensive to do shit. It's expensive. Like, you want to do anything. If you want to do anything, to go to a concert's $1,000 now. People don't want to spend $1,000 to go watch your team win 66 to nothing anymore. Like the jig's up. They want to be entertained. Yeah, so it is not their responsibility. And also, those programs would not cease to exist if they didn't get to play those games.

It's almost like you're saying that they have a right to get funded into playing at the highest level. And I don't agree with that. Financially. One more from Mark. Number one for Mark. College football doesn't need conferences. They are stupid now. Football is not like other sports.

Get rid of conference football. They are so unwieldy and cannot even determine a proper champion. Separate football permanently from all other college sports. Then, this is number two, the way to make relegation work for G6 teams on a two-year cycle to be part of a group of football teams with access to the P4 level, TV, playoffs, etc. G6 has relegation promotion, access to the big boys. again, I'm with you on that, Mark. I don't think it'll ever happen.

I want to talk about Mark's number one because I think Mark is onto something. I think Mark is correct. And I realize that the conference tribalism is such a huge part of the sport, and everybody loves it. We just got done at SEC Media Days. Next week is Big Ten Media Days,

and you're going to be sniping each other across the bow. But it is stupid when you have 16 to 18 team conferences, and you can't actually determine a proper time. champion and everybody doesn't play everybody. It is stupid. He's right. Oh, yeah. I hate, I like conferences.

I like when they make sense. Right. Like, if you could just automatically recreate the PAC 12 and make it a power, power six again, I think that like everything would be easier. Or let's go back to when I was in high school and the SEC had 10 teams and the Southwest conference existed and the PAC 10 existed. and the Big Ten had 11 teams and the ACC had nine teams. But they were all regional and it made sense.

Yeah. The Big 12 had put the Southwest Cup. Yeah. I'm with you. I think that like 10 conferences of 10 teams would be better than six or whatever of whatever it is. So, yeah, all problems in college football can be traced back to greed and the nonsensical way that the conferences have expanded. Yes.

Yeah. No, I appreciate Mark putting it the way he did. College football doesn't need conferences. They are stupid now. That is the best sentence or two sentences. You didn't need a long dash. You could have put a period there, but I'll take it. That's how you get to your point.

Like, he's right. As much as I enjoy the sniping between the conferences, the flavor of the conversation. conference has been lost. Like, what made them interesting was PAC 12 after dark, making fun of the PAC 12 refs and stuff like that. Like, that doesn't exist anymore.

The SEC, the Big Ten, they're not monoliths. Like, the Big Ten has Ohio State and Michigan and the traditional ones, but they've also got Oregon and USC. That doesn't feel like the Big Ten. And we don't

connect them as Big Ten teams yet. Yeah. I wish the I mean, I'm still sad that PAC 12. Go read Chuck Culpepper's column in the Washington Post from the last Pac-12 championship game. It makes me cry to this day. I don't want to live in a world that doesn't exist, but we do. So, you know, it also would be kind of cool if you reorganize the conferences to put

some of those G6 teams in that we just were talking about into those conferences. Like if Boise State played in the SEC, it would be everything that they earned would be of merit. You know what I mean? I love that as we're talking about this, producer river is just going through If you're watching on YouTube, in the middle between Ari and I, you have an image of the league and then the logos of all the teams in the league. And we're on the ACC right here.

And there's Cal and there's Stanford in the Atlantic Coast Conference. And they are right next to the Pacific Ocean. You know, next off season or maybe this off season, I don't know if we have time, but we should just draft conferences. I'll be the commissioner and I'll be a commissioner of the Big Ten. the Big 12 in the PAC 12, and you can be the commissioner of the SEC, and we'll get River up here,

and we'll just like draft teams that make most sense for region. How many slots do we get? Like, what is a reasonable conference? Like, what would you like? I think we should make seven conferences of 12. What about 10? What about 10 because you can play a nine-game schedule, nine-game conference schedule,

and it's a true round rob. True. We can do- You never have to worry about not playing everybody in the league. If you, me and River, all got conferences and we made up a few new ones. And we all got 10 spots to fill. We would solve college football in that show.

All right. So sometime this month we're going to do this. We're going to have the conference draft. We're doing it. Now, we should come up with some guidelines too of like if you are the PAC 12, you can't draft a team in the South. Right. Right.

You have to make your league. Oh, how about we just make a rule? I don't know if we can do this. We'll have to figure it out. You have to make your league geographic. contiguous. Exactly. But if you're in the PAC 12,

you could draft Boise. You could. You could. Because presumably you'd have Oregon and Washington and they touch Idaho. And if you make up a conference that's in the South somewhere,

that's not the SEC, you can go draft Memphis. You can take Hawaii, by the way. You're all allowed to take Hawaii. Yeah. I mean, I think that Hawaii needs to be in the system in general just for the chasers at midnight who need to get their money back.

Like, we need to have Hawaii football is a huge element to college football and the real ones know that. Exactly. But like honestly, if you had eight conferences that had 10 teams in it and that 80's a big number,

you could help the G6 teams that, you know, are the people who are writing in these emails. Because if I were a Boise State fan, I would cringe at the notion of GP4 playing P4 only, that sucks for them. And they care a lot about football. You could also have your AFC and NFC situation. If you did eight,

you could have four and four and four and four and then they play divisions yeah but instead of like an east and a wet like a fc and nFC are good because they don't like they're not geographically split i think if you geographically split you'd have to do it across a line of latitude like you do it across the mason dix line we'll call it we'll call it the dougla mary line you know uh and as river funny pointed funnily point in a funny way pointed out i said you could draft boise into the pack 12 if you want. He's like, Boise's in the Pact 12. Actually, yeah, River. Put that graphic down.

Ari, name the new Pact 12. Quick. I can't do it. The new Pact 12's got Boise. Fresno State. Yep. The second word in Boise State and Fresno State, remember that. This is your key.

You have like Oregon State and you have Washington State. I'm just joking. Okay, good, good. You're getting there. You're getting there. Did I say Fresno State? You did. Texas State.

There's another. There's another. Yep. Utah State. And there's one that I always forget. Well, this is the other one doesn't have state in it. And it doesn't have football team. Gonzaga.

Does that count? Yeah, they can't, but they just don't play football. So who did I forget? No, you got it. them all. Oh, Colorado State. Sorry, Colorado State. Yeah, all the, basically everybody with a state in their name from the Mountain West, from the old Mountain West, left and went to the Pack 12. Yeah. Then they also picked up Texas State, which had been in the Sunbelt. And then the Mountain West,

now needing a team that had state in its name, got North Dakota State. They also still kept San Jose State. It's electric. Hey, don't forget Northern Illinois. That's right. Northern Illinois is in the Mountain West now, everybody. But actually, let's just schedule a segment. Dude, let's just schedule a segment for August,

where we just go over the conferences again. That can be a Friday show soon. Is Northern Illinois the only team in the Mountain West that has no mountains? Yeah. Yeah. And the furthest east for sure. Actually, North Dakota State. I don't.

Are there mountains? North Dakota? Well, they have mountains. Yeah, they got mountains. They got mountains in Dakota. I've never been to North Dakota. Yeah. Yeah, Northern Illinois, not famous for its mountains.

Also, let's not forget, you know who the Mac added, right? No. Sacramento State. Oh, yeah. There's no mountains in Sacramento. Mid-American, I think, Sacramento. Yeah, it's nonsense. At the very least, could we just, like, rebrand them, like, and make them make sense?

I don't know. I guess the charm of it is that it doesn't make any sense, but it is... Listen, as Mark said, college football doesn't need conferences. They are stupid now. Yeah. Truer words never spoken. I got invited the Pac-12 Media Day, and I probably should have gone because then I would have known who was in it. Maybe.

I don't know. It took me a long time to remember who was in the ACC Coastal. Yeah. That took years. I still don't even think I remember like the divisions. In the ACC? I didn't even remember. Like, I remember the Big Ten ones, but I don't even know, like, if you quiz me right now, like, who was in the SEC West East?

The leaders and legends were very confusing. Leaders and Legends, people were like, well, in one of them, you got the M's and the Ns. It's like, okay, they're not helping me there. Andy, I'm afraid to admit this, but I don't even know if I could go back and get the SEC East and West correct. Right. Oh, sure you could. Let's do it. I can't.

Give me the east. I can't, I don't know. Yeah, the SEC East. Come on, I don't remember. It's only been two years. I really don't remember. I'm telling you, I don't remember. Okay, I'll give you a hint.

The town I live in has a team that was in the SEC East. Okay, Florida. Boom, got it. Who else? Tennessee. Yes. Georgia. Five more.

Yes. South Carolina. Yes. I'm trying to think geographically here. Who am I forgetting? That's geographically east. Well, one of them is definitely not. Was Kentucky in the east?

Yes. Okay. Two more. Two more. There's another school in Tennessee. Vanderbilt. There you go. And then the one that didn't make any sense because it was one they added.

Arkansas. Is that West? That's a West team. Okay. Arkansas, well, you said it didn't make any sense and they added them. The team missing is basically as west as Arkansas, not quite as far west. Missouri. Yes.

There you go. Okay. Got it. And also Vanderbilt is west of Auburn, but, you know. Yeah, it made no sense, which is why it, like, it never made any sense. Like, is LSU, like LSU is west of Lexington? Yes, right? Very much so.

Yeah. For those who don't know, Ari's not great at geography either. I'm bad at geography and I'm bad at remembering things. It's a bad combination. Yeah. Especially when you're trying to drive somewhere. You know what, buddy? The time zone thing, when you flew into Pensacola to go to Tallahassee,

watching you do the time zone math on that was. I was blown away in Pensacola when I thought I was in the eastern time zone. I was blown away. You know what the problem is? And I think there's probably a lot of people like me, Andy, where as I was beginning to learn how to drive, that's when GPS was invented. So I so much sense.

I never, never needed it. I never had to look at a map or print out. Yeah. You know, like, I think like right as I was beginning to drive was right in the era of printing out directions off MapQuest. Yep.

And then by the time I had my, like my second car had a navigation system in it. it. Right. So like I would just type in the address and follow it. So I never really paid attention to like what streets I was on or like I've lived in Dallas and there are places that we go to all the time. I can't get to by myself. Because I like listen. I just like left right here, left right here. That's how I am. And I've driven across country. The old people. We easers can, can get around on our own. You know what I will say. And I actually frequently think about this as somebody who uses Uber eats more than I should. How much of a freaking. nightmare it must have been to be a domino's driver in 1996 like think about that you have like 10 because that was back when you had to get it there in 30 minutes or less like so what did you do you opened up a map and like you hauled ass no you remembered how things worked no your early days as a domino's driver probably sucked because you you got lost a lot but somebody is like i live on three one six thornberry what like well remember it's in a limited geographical area

So you know it's going to be within like five miles of the shop. But like sometimes I think about like our road trips. And it's just like you had to really pay attention. If you and I are driving from from Dallas to Baton Rouge, like you have to be on it, man. Like you're like everywhere you go. I don't know. I mean there are interstates. Yeah.

I mean just like delivery driver. Okay, maybe it was easy. I don't know. But like I was just trying to think like if you're a person. who isn't a delivery driver, and you had to go to nine different places that you're unfamiliar with, how much of a pain in the ass that would be?

I mean, wouldn't you, like, for Dallas to Baton Rouge, you'd just take 45 to Houston and then take I-10 to Baton Rouge. Like, it's not that complicated. Yeah, I mean, I guess. I knew a guy in college who you could name two cities and he could always tell you what interstates you would need to take, to get between them.

You know what else I'm horrible at? It was a gift. Speaking of 90s stuff, if you were meeting somebody somewhere before the cell phone and something happened by tire or you're running late or whatever there was no ability to communicate with that person like when you think about like meetings and how much things change and stuff like how did people coordinate their lives when they couldn't communicate with the other person that they're relying on they managed they did maybe it was a more beautiful time but like all this technology that we have

where do you turn where do you go all these things like I am assisted with a device at all turns. What time is my wife coming home? I text her. Like, when is my mother-in-law coming over to babysat tonight? We're going to dinner. What happens if she gets caught up at work or, you know, trips and falls and twists and angle?

It's like we went to Disney World when I was a kid. If you get lost, we meet at City Hall on Main Street USA. Like, just go to City Hall and wait. Somebody's going to show up. Yeah. One more question, Ari. This is from Mitchell. Guys, your conversation about Gunterstock and his truck this week sparked the thought.

This summer, while loading lumber at Home Depot, my wife spotted a really nice truck next to us. This is a Matt Black, Silverado, 1,500 Black Widow. I look over, and it's none other than Brent Key also loading lumber into said truck, which poses the question outside of Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkeesian, and Lincoln Riley. What college coaches could get away without driving a truck of some sort? as well as how many could drop by Home Depot and May for building supplies. Thanks for all that you do.

Well, so, okay, one, Brent Key, getting his own lumber at Home Depot, tracks completely. Brick Key probably owns 17 buckets, at least. And the Black Widow, if you don't know what a Black Widow is, it's actually the same company that did my truck. I have a Rocky Ridge. He has a Black Widow,

They'll do all manner of customization on either a Chevy Silverado or a RAM or... Oh, this is sick. I want one. So he's got the upgraded paint. Like, that sounds pretty awesome. That sounds pretty amazing. So, all right. I love that he just rules out Lane Kiff and Sark and Lincoln Riley as guys that would go,

that would either drive a truck or go to Home Depot and get their own lumber. So which college coaches could get away without driving a truck? Yeah, that's true. I would think more of them are actual natural truck guys than not. Okay. But like, okay, who would you most picture on a Saturday morning? Because these guys don't have, they really don't have days off. Let's say they did.

On a Saturday morning, like going to home deep, like doing what Brent Key was doing, going to Home Depot, loading up some lumber. Pete Golding, for sure. John Sumrall, for sure. Okay, so we're talking like, there's two types of, there's the Andy category and the R.E. category. Are we trying to list people in the Andy category? I don't, I think these are more manly men than me.

Like Brett Beelma grew up on a farm. Brett Beelma, Brett Beelma knows what to get at home. Like, I could not picture Eli Drinkwitz doing that. Okay. He's from Arkansas, though. Okay, so maybe he can. I don't know. This is hard.

Yeah. See, that's dead. That's the tricky part. Ryan Silverfield does not have a truck, does he? I bet he does. He has an Arkansas now. But he's lived, it's interesting, he's lived in big cities most of his life.

So I don't know, he may not. Because he remember he was in the NFL for a while. Yeah. So trying to think of like which, like Pete Golding would probably show up to Home Depot with dip in his mouth. I remember when Will Mustchamp got the Florida job, he had an old truck that he drove.

And they're like, coach, we have a deal with this Mercedes dealership. You have to drive this, this Mercedes sedan. And he's like, I remember when Urban Meyer, like Urban Meyer isn't a handy man. He's not a truck guy. He drove an Audi A7. Definitely not a truck guy. I remember he had an A7 when we were in, when I was covering them. Signity a truck guy?

No. Okay. Maybe. Matt Ruhl, not sure he's a truck guy either. He's only more of an SUV guy. Yeah. I'm trying to think, like, you know who's not, is Fran Brown a truck guy? Fran Brown might be a Brent Key type truck guy.

I could see that. Yeah, I mean, like now being a truck guy. But Frank Brown's in Jersey. So Fran Brown is interesting, too. He's from Jersey played at Western Carolina. So he's experienced like all different manner. I mean, it's also really funny because like for the most part, a large portion of coaches end up in geographical areas where trucks seem more necessary.

There aren't a lot of like coaches in the, New York City, you know? And I remember, like, you know, going, when I visit Austin, like, if you walk through the assistant coaches parking lot, they've all got really cool pickup trucks. All right, Andy, let's just play the game. I'll ask you, you answer, truck eye or not. Ready? Yeah.

Kurt Signetti, truck eye or not? I'm thinking luxury sedan. Yep. Kirby smart, truck eye or not? Yes. Definitely. Right. South Georgia guy, truck guy.

Ryan Day's tricky because I feel like Ryan Day knows his way around a Home Depot. Like I think he'd be fine. You put him in Home Depot. He's probably got some thoughts. Okay. Here's a tricky one. We're going to see Ryan Day soon. We have to ask him this.

Should we just ask everybody truck guy or not? Like, we should ask every coach what they drive just because it's interesting. I am very interested in what people drive. I think that what people drive tells you a lot about who they are. Yeah. Maybe it's right. Ryan Day comes off as again, the most normal guy in the least normal. job.

I think that we need to normalize not doing truck things, though, too. It's normal to not do truck things, too. I'm not even just talking about the truck. I'm talking about knowing, like, I think he probably knows how to change out a light fixture. Yeah. We'll ask him in a few weeks. All right, ready?

Here's a tricky one. Marcus Freeman. Ooh, huge family. So if nothing else, giant SUV. Like, definitely like a suburban or an expedition or probably an escrow. or a navigator or something. But giant SUV at the very least because he has a massive family. You want another tricky one?

Luke Fickle, also massive family. Also, giant SUV. Yeah, he's a truck guy, I think. What about Dan Lanning? Truck guy. Truck guy, okay. Steve Sarkisian has to be a truck guy. He lives in Austin, right?

I think you have to be if you're the Texas coach. I think that that's the deal you get, but I'm not sure that would be his preference. Here's one who's definitively not a truck guy to me. Lane Kiffin. Definitely not. Okay. We found one that's definitively not. What about Mike Elko?

Truck guy? Yes. Though not like not Southern. But there are truck guys in the north too. Like you see him driving around. Kyle Whittingham, not a truck guy. Motorcycle guy. He's motorcycle guy.

Yeah. And I don't think that truck guy and motorcycle guy are the same guy. Not mutually exclusive. Yeah, yeah. Mario Cristobal, not a truck guy. No, it's hard in Miami. The parking spots are pretty small. The lanes are pretty narrow.

Yeah. Also, you can be tough, but not good at tools. Like, there aren't the same thing. Heland DeBoer. I can do this all day. He's from South Dakota. Like, he's got to be a truck guy. Yeah.

I'm trying to think of some funny. A typo truck guy also, I would think. Proofy. you can probably tell us. What does he drive? I think he drives a suburban. I'm not for sure, though. Okay, giant SUV guy.

Yeah, I know. Okay. How about some funny ones now? Are you ready? Yeah. Mike Norvel. From suburban Dallas. I don't think he's a truck guy.

Yeah. What about Bill Belichick? Not a truck guy. Not a truck guy. Dion Sanders, producer River asked. So he loves to fish. Dian Sanders strikes me as like souped up and like

rimmed out truck guy Like I've got a truck So like yeah like my truck Yeah like I've got a truck But I don't I don't also have But he could have like a souped up truck And sports car or luxury car A lot of people

You also have to remember too A lot of people in the wealth area that we're describing Also have like a truck and a sports car They have all of them So yeah But Dion for like Like, Dion loves to fish for practical purposes as a fisherman,

you're going to want to have the bed of the truck, not put stuff in the back of the car. I'm going to give you one that is in the state of Texas, but might not be a truck guy. Dave Oranda. Oh. Because Waco's a truck town. No doubt.

But he's not a truck guy, is he? He's from Northern California, right? Yeah, I don't think that he is. I don't know. Oh, here's one we know the answer to. Well, it's not his daily driver, so I don't know what his daily driver is, but Sonny Dykes. Purple, classic restored Bronco. He's not a truck guy.

Yeah. Joy McGuire, truck guy, right? Truck guy, 100%. Here's kind of a tricky one. That's the biggest no-brainer of them all. No, let's end on one more because this one's tricky. Okay. Rich Rod.

Oh. big SUV. Big SUV in West Virginia. That's what I'm thinking. People probably shut this podcast off 10 minutes ago. It's an hour and 17 minutes. What do you people want from us? Thank you, Mitchell, for that question.

I appreciate it, Alan. But no, we have to start asking. Like, the next time we have a coach on, we'll ask. Because a lot of these coaches have deals with dealerships, too, don't they? Like most coaches like older. We may have to be a little careful with some of them because it might be like a Will Must champ, but Florida situation where it wasn't what he wanted to be driving,

but it's what he contractually was obligated to drive. Yeah. But I'm a big car guy. I like him. Love it. Guys, we will see you Monday. We got some fun stuff next week. Big 10 meaty days happening next week.

I am doing a deep dive into some 2026 schedules that at least per preliminarily, looks a lot of fun, and we may need to dedicate a show to it. So we might be doing that next week, too. We're going to have fun. And who knows, maybe there'll be more news out of the halls of Congress. Maybe it will be more news out of who knows where. But yeah, Big Ten Media Days next week. That'll be the headline.

We'll talk to you then.