College Football Live - CFB Live - 7/29 - Mascot Mayhem

Episode Date: July 29, 2025

Our crew Zubin Mehenti, Sam Acho and Roddy Jones team up for another great College Football Live show. Conference discussions about the Big Ten and Big 12. Rece Davis takes a trip to Tempe, Arizona to sit and talk with Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham. Last but not least, who's your favorite mascot? Get your answer together and take a listen as the team gives their answers and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're flying Emirates business class, dining on a world-class menu at 40,000 feet, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates, fly better. Welcome to college football live. I'm Zuban Mahenty. Out of the tunnel in 25 days. Two old Big 12 rivals meet. Where else?

But in the Emerald Isle, more success for Oregon after Bo and Dylan Gabriel. Is it time for Dante Deshaun? in Eugene. And after last year's breakout season, what's next for Kenny Dillingham in Arizona State? And with that, we welcome you inside college football live with Sam Acho

and Roddy Jones. I'm Zubin Mahenti. I mentioned 25 days until Iowa State and Kansas State, but there's also some other week zero games on the docket to get you up to date on. Here are some of the games besides the big one over in Ireland.

Feast your eyes on the bottom of the screen. Such a unique. situation for Stanford. It's a one and done year for Frank Reich, as GM Andrew Luck has said in 2026, it's going to be a brand new head coach. So the Cardinal already with change in 25 and 26 before the season even gets going. That'll be a story to monitor along the way. But guys, that Iowa State, Kansas State game features a couple of great quarterbacks. And Roddy, I want to begin with you. the Big Ten of the SEC might control the future of college football and how it's played and how a champion is crowned. But the Big 12 has something that no other league in the country does.

And that is all about returning quarterback production. Yeah, they've got a ton of returning quarterback production. You look at the Big 12. And six of the seven leading passers last year when it comes to pass yards return in the Big 12. Now, we have to caveat that and say six of the seven return at the same school. because when you look at the SEC, they've got two returning of the top seven, the same school. ACC has two, Big Ten has one. And so the Big 12 has that quarterback, has that quarterback position covered.

And when you look at the returning production at that position, you look at a guy like Sawyer Robertson at Baylor, who had a phenomenal end to the season. As Baylor won its last six games in the regular season, I think he has an offense with guys around him. 10 returning starters coming back on that Baylor offense that could really power Baylor to capitalize on that momentum at the end of last year. He's got enough mobility to get outside the pocket, but the accuracy really stands out. And when he takes care of the football, that Baylor offense with its top two receivers coming back and its quarterback coming back should be really good in 2025. Yeah, what stays out to me is Iowa State and Rocco Beck. It's the experience.

He's going into his fourth year in the program. In 2023, he was a big 12 freshman of the year. and Iowa State and Matt Campbell's a team that just continually produces NFL talent. Look at two of the receivers last year, Jake Niggins and Jalen Noel, both drafted. And now you have that same consistency ahead coach, consistency at quarterback. And yes, there are some new transfers that have entered in the fray, but you still have an experienced quarterback like named Rocco Beck,

who not only is a son of a coach, his dad, Anthony Beck coached in the U.S.L, but his dad was a first-round pick in the NFL. So he understands what it's like to play in the bright life. So Rocco Beck is a guy that stands out to me when it comes to the experience of quarterback play in the Big 12. You know what really stands out to me with Rocco Beck? His overall toughness, he really embodies what Iowa State football is about. And there's obvious comparisons to Brock Purdy, another former Iowa State quarterback who went, was Mr. Irrelevant, went in the seventh round and has had a great NFL career so far. Barack Beck has more physical talents than does Brock Purdy.

So I think, now, look, look, they got to replace their top. two receivers, which is massive. But I think Rocco Beck could end up being a really good quarterback, not only at this level, but also in the NFL because of his poised and his toughness. You mentioned toughness. I just want to mention one thing about Rocco Beck, and that is to say that they tried to recruit over him. There was a big time prospect named JJ Cole, who was supposed to be the guy.

And Rocco Beck said, I ain't letting you beat me out. There's something to that that you guys have played with guys that are just, they will not relent. And he's one of those guys. So give me a couple of under the radar guys. Sam, let's start with you because this conference is flushed. There's some ball face names, but there's some other names that are ready to surprise or perhaps reemerge. Well, one of the names is Noah Fafita at Arizona, the Wildcats. Noah Fafita has a new offensive coordinator, and yes, he had a down year last year.

But Seth Dage is his new offensive coordinator who was at Marshall last year. They were top 20 in rushing offense and top 40 really overall. Fafita is extremely talented. He's part of the reason why you saw Tedaroa McMillan go top 10 in the NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers. There's a sense of confidence, poised, talent. No, he's not the biggest human being, but he has a sense of confidence and he's bigger than what he measures on the charts. Yeah, it's funny because both of our under the radar guys are relative household names in college football. Sam going with Noah Fafita.

I'm going to go with Jalen Daniel. Another guy who had a subpar season a year ago, a bit of a regression, but a lot of a lot. but a lot of that had to do with injury. It was hurt in the preseason. Lance Lippold talked about the fact that they didn't practice him a lot in camp. And so weeks one through three ended up being his first three weeks of camp almost. Turn the ball over a ton wasn't great in crucial situations. But as the season went on and he got more comfortable, it got better.

I think he could get back to where he was a couple of years ago when he was one of the most dynamic players in all of college football with his arm and his legs. Look, they have a ton of reporting. replacement to do on the offensive side of the football does Kansas. But when you have Jalen Daniels, it's a great starting block for an offense that could be high power. But when you have a healthy Jailen Daniels, part of the reason that Kansas got off to such a slow start last year is to your point. Jalen Daniels didn't really practice in the offseason with dealing with injury. And then go back to a couple years ago, Jailen Daniels, this Kansas team, there were 5 and 0, maybe even 6 and 0.

Then there was an injury. And so when Jalen Daniels is healthy, this Kansas team can be dangerous. But if he's either not healthy or rusty because of missed time, he's such a huge focal point of the offense that everything else and everyone else falters. Yeah, I would mention that he did the nearly impossible Jail and Daniels. He brought game day to Lawrence a couple years ago. It says a lot. Let's stick to quarterback play.

And in the Big Ten, fall camp begins Wednesday for the Oregon Ducks. And they are chomping at the bit because remember, they were 13 and O. They were the only undefeated team in major college football in the regular season, but you could tell they got the top overall seed and they looked very rusty in the Rose Bowl losing to eventual national champion Ohio State. Top of the program, we mentioned Dante Moore is in. They were great for a couple years with Bo Nix. Dylan Gabriel was awesome.

We'll see if Dante Moore, who's back again in Eugene, can continue the upward surge and a talent across the board, including Mateo Uyungalalai, who is back for the Ducks as well. Here's head coach Dan Lannning on the things he values the most. You know, competition, anxiety, right? And then lack of confidence. That's where people fail. So our goal within fall camp is how can we create the same anxiety you'd have on game day? And how can we build confidence in what guys do well?

It's about having belief in players that the next play is the most important play. And our guys, you know, when they get their fuel from internally, intrinsically rather than externally, I think that's when they perform their best. So that's really the goal this fall. The quarterback room is always going to be competing. It's how we are as a quarterback group. You know, we're always going to be teaching each other, helping each other out and making sure that we all improve, you know, every day.

But I guess I'm excited. Of course, I have many things for myself to work on and make sure I get better at. And I guess I'm excited to see what happens within this next upcoming month and get ready for the season. So it said there on the graphic Sam that he was entering his second season at Oregon, Dante Moore. But really he's entering his second go-around committed there out of high school, bailed, went to UCLA, struggled at UCLA, came back to Oregon, sat, learned, waited. This is one of the unique paths we've seen in college football in this sort of, what can you do for me now, NIL era.

He's a real throwback. He is, and I think two things stand out. Number one, it's how people recruit. So when a coach is recruiting, they don't accept no. Put it that way. If a player decides to go to a different school, that coach is still going to reach out and still keep that relationship because they know that players can transfer. That's part one.

Part two, the fact that Dante Moore got a chance to sit last year and learn in this offense under offensive coordinator, Will Stein, learn from guys like Bo Nix. You saw the experience, you saw the success that Bo Nix and that even going back to some of the other quarterbacks have had, Dylan Gabriel, excuse me, you saw the success that they've had these last two years. That's what I'm excited to see transition for Dante Moore. He struggled at UCLA as a freshman, but coming in last year in Oregon, learning from Will Stein, learning from some of the veterans, I think we'll give him a leg up in this quarterback

battle and in the season. I do too. And look, Dante Moore took almost the opposite approach of what happened mostly in when you pointed this out in our pre-production meeting, most guys, if they don't play, they transfer. Well, Dante Moore played at UCLA, and he saw the supporting cast around him through nine interceptions that season had some struggles. And Chip Kelly leaves to go be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

and he says, you know what, that playing experience wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I'm going to go sit and learn behind Dylan Gabriel. And so I absolutely think he'll come out more mature because of it. He went through some struggles. And I tend to like quarterbacks that have been through some things that have gone through some adversity and come out on the other side better because when you've gone through the ups and downs of being a starting quarterback in any major conference, that's when the little things don't bother you as much.

One bad play doesn't turn into two, doesn't turn to three. So I'm really excited to see how Dante Moore has not only adjusted his mentality, but also his physical traits to this Oregon offense. Sam, last thing here on Oregon. And Roddy jump in here, of course, as well. But Sam, a lot of people kind of put the moniker of so close, so close, have been able to get over the top on another Big Ten school, Penn State. But there's a lot of people in Eugene, Oregon,

that feel the same way about the Ducks. What is it going to take for them to take that last step and win that first title? Yeah, I think it's more than just the talent because Oregon is extremely talented. We saw what they did against Ohio State. I believe it was last season. But when the playoffs come around, they weren't able to finish. And so you have to be able to win when you're expected to win, but also win the games where the other team knows exactly what you're going to do. You have to be able to out-tuff them, out-physical them, and out-scheme them.

And so Oregon, from a talent perspective, it's always going to be at the top. But that's to come to the mentality of, hey, when it matters the most, can I get it done? And that's come college football playoff time. see what happens. Last year, 13 and 0. Again, the only undefeated team in the regular season didn't mean a thing. They lost their first playoff game. On the way here on college football live, Competitionville. It's not just a moniker. It's a real thing, as Reese Davis found out on his trip to Tempe. We'll take you there after the break. At Desjardin, we speak business. We speak startup funding and comprehensive game plans. We've matched.

made to measure growth and expansion advice, and we can talk your ear off about transferring your business when the time comes. Because at Desjardin Business, we speak the same language you do, business. So join the more than 400,000 Canadian entrepreneurs who already count on us, and contact Desjardin today. We'd love to talk, business. You know, Kenny Dillingham grew up in the Valley of the Sun. He attended his first Arizona State game when he was just six years old.

and last year, ASU came within one defensive stop of making the college football playoff national semifinals. As we creep closer to the season, Arise Davis is traveling around the country, talking to the top coaches in the land. And based on what I just said, you know he had to make a stop to see Dillingham out in the desert. Kenny, outside, this says it's the Players Lounge,

but you've got a better name for this whole area. It's Competitionville. Everything's about competition. So we got golf simulator, ping pong tables, video games, pool tables, I mean, anything that you can compete in. Why do you like that? Why is that important for building a team? Because winning and losing matters. You better get used to winning.

It better piss you off to lose. Everybody's a little competitive. That's the first thing people say about you, man. He's got to win at everything. I was the youngest of four. And my older brothers, you know, 12, 13 years old of me. I had to like survive in competition. And all we did was sports growing up.

So it was like, compete. compete, compete. That's how I was wired. I think understanding matchups is the key to football. It's the key to every sport. It's understanding strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. So like when I play pool, I'm not very good at pool. So I will literally, when I play somebody better than me,

you can ask my dad, because we grew up playing pool, I will literally put all of my balls not in the pocket. So he gets to the eight ball, because he's not very good either. He eventually scratches because he, because he physically can't make a ball in because I have shielded the entire eight ball with his balls around it. Because I know I'm gonna struggle to win.

And he says it's cowardly to play like that, right? But I just wanna win. What's the difference in recruiting nowadays? You can sign whoever you wanna sign. If you don't retain them, it doesn't matter. So it's all about the development. Everything about it is development, so it's about retention. It's about getting kids who wanna be there.

And if that means your recruiting classes, a little lower than it could be. It is what it is because it's all about the retention piece of your program. I see you putting that spin on there. He tried to smoke that one. He tried to smoke it. Are your skill level Heisman?

Heisman. No, I'm varsity, man. You can go. No, you can make it harder for you. Levitt looks. Fires for the engine. It's intercepted. Hook up horns.

They're heading. home to Texas to play in the... I'm giving you a rematch here. I'll be Texas. Oh, thanks. What did you playing in that game last year in the playoff game do for your program? I think it showed the country that we can belong, that with the right guys, we belonged there. And I think that was something that not everybody believed.

Oh, CJ fight. You losing? It's tied right now, CJ. Who are you rooting for? You're from Texas. Let's be real here. Let's be real. That's all of you.

You're from East Texas though, which means that this was A&M, you may be written for him. Not, not anymore. Oh my God, good snap. I'm coming after you. That was pretty awesome. Kenny, congratulations on everything. And next time somebody's getting rematch against you and you guys advance in the play. How about that?

Sounds good. I appreciate. Thank you. Appreciate you. I'm in the video game. How could I be struggling? I'm in the game. Arizona State's schedule will open at home against the lumberjacks.

Pretty decent, non-conslate. But as usual, it's going to be a fight to the finish in the parody-filled Big 12. All right, fellas, let's talk about it here. Kenny Dillingham is one of the most fascinating coaches in the sport, largely due to his age. And Reese was down in Tempe, and Sam, not too long ago, so were you. You got some insight out of that. I did. I got a chance to talk to Duran Reynolds,

who the defensive line coach for ASU. And I asked him, hey, what is it with Kenny Dillingham? How does he do such a great job of coaching? And he talks about how his youth is actually his benefit. He gets a chance to connect with some of the players in this younger generation. Now, it can be a positive, right? Players ride his high, his emotion. But it also can be a downfall if you get too emotional if you're an 18 or 19-year-old.

And so one great thing about Kenny Dillingham is not just him, but also the staff around him. He has a staff of young and also older coaches who can help calm him down if he gets too amped. And so Kenny DeLayam does a phenomenal job of connecting with younger players who at this day and age, they want coaches who understand them and who can relate. He is just the right coach for the right time.

And you mentioned the staff, Sam. Marcus Oroyo has been a head coach, the offensive coordinator. He's been a head coach at UNLV and really built the foundation for UNLV's success currently by doing the job that he did. You look on the other side. Brian Ward has done an excellent job of that defense, been a number of different places.

And they have a much different temperament than does Kenny Dillingham. They are much more even keel. And so the waves of the head coach is sort of countered by the even keel nature of his two coordinators who are phenomenal. Roddy, to you, it seems like everybody in this league

is always focused on the quarterbacks as we were earlier on the show. But Arizona State lost a lot of production. intangibly and tangibly because the heart and soul of their team is now playing for the New York Giants. I would challenge anyone to find a bigger loss that is a non-quarterback

than Cam Scadaboo is for Arizona State. And look, it's not just what he did on the field with his over 1,500 rush yards and over 500 receiving yards. It was the timeliness of those plays. It was the fact that he was the absolute heart and soul. And look, we came up with a term for throwing up and then returning back to the field and going and performing. It's called pulling a scataboo for a reason. So it's a massive loss

for Arizona State. And even though they've got a lot of guys coming back, that's a big hole to fill. But I do want to talk about some of the guys coming back. Going back to that defensive line, you saw that one of the guys in your screen, CJ Fight, number 99 defensive linemen. There are so many teams that wanted CJ fight to transfer out. Really a lot of the defensive line, but nearly all of them stayed. And so you have a confident bunch on the defensive side of the ball to go along with your quarterback who's still there, receiver who's still there, and coaching staff who's still intact.

And so, yes, Cam Scadaboo is going to be hard to replace, but they brought in transfer Kanye Udo from Army, who's a talented back. So they're going to see if they can replace some of that similar scataboo-ness, if you will, with Kanye Udo. That's good stuff. Sam using it as a verb and an adjective. Somebody patented real quick. Good stuff, fellas.

He is something else. He really was fun to watch. Just a reminder, Reese's tour rolls on. So so far, we've seen Kenny Dillingham. And of course, we've seen Sark. And now Reese sits down a two-for-one with Davos Sweeney in the upstate of South Carolina. And of course, Bill Belichick at North Carolina. On the way.

before the preseason poll comes out, the mascot rankings are out. How well are the guys well versed in mascots? We'll put them on the spot after this. Black Friday is here at IKEA and the clock is ticking on savings you won't want to miss. Join IKEA family for free today and unlock deals on everything from holiday must-havs

to cozy at-home essentials, all the little and big things you need to make this season shine. But don't wait, like leftovers. at midnight, our Black Friday offers won't last. Shop now at IKEA.ca.ca slash Black Friday. IKEA, bring home to life. Just a reminder, Saturday, 1 Eastern, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Shrine Ceremony.

Football Immortals, including our old colleague, Eric Allen. Congratulations to EA moment of a lifetime on Saturday. Our current colleague, Ryan McGee, has the list of best mascots up. You can find it online. So we're going to throw some of the most famous ones up here and get the fellow's quick reaction. You see this mascot.

You give me your first thoughts. Sam will start with you. We should mention Sam went to the University of Texas and is looking at this from A&F. Disgust, get it off. I think the name is Rebel. The colors I don't like, please change the screen. The color, no, it's not.

No, get off the screen, dude. Chill out. Well, let's keep it in the K9 family. Now, Roddy, Olga is short for what? Now, that's an ugly dog. Ugly. Ugly. I know people love bulldogs.

That I ain't a lot. It's more ugly than Revely. All right. Let's go from K9 to Avian. This, of course, is the appropriately named puddles at the University of Oregon, Sam. A swag, swag. Not only the push-ups, but I've seen this duck on oceans, like in boats, like in boats, like boat parties.

Like, I got a lot of love for the duck. I don't know the duck's name, but I got a little love for a duck. Puddles, puddles. Roddy, people are still trying to figure out what. Western Kentucky's mascot actually is. Is this a Muppet? Like, is it a Muppet? Is it an MEPA?

What is this thing? Confusion is what comes to buy. You know, the Georgia... It's an emoji. Yeah, the Georgia Tech mascot. This is the lame. It doesn't fly. You could see the legs.

I got stung by one of these two days ago. So zero, no. Zero. Everybody loves Buzz, Otto. Roll reversal, Roddy. You get Fivo for Sam. Let's go. Go.

I'm not going on. I'm not going to laugh. I'm not going to mess with. Bevo's pretty cool. Great stuff. Those horns are big. I'm out. I'm out on Bebo.

Yeah, pretty cool. Tomorrow, speaking of pretty cool. Belichick and Dab will be here. We'll see you then.