College Football Live - CFB Live- 8/29- Live From Columbus, Ohio!

Episode Date: August 29, 2025

College Football is back in full swing! Join our crew Jen Lada, Pete Thamel, Steve Coughlin, and Desmond Howard live from Columbus, Ohio less than 24-hours before the highly anticipated matchup between No 1 ranked Texas and defending national champs No 3 ranked Ohio State! Get injury updates, game previews, and "Stanford" Steve's bets for the future. Your Week 1 guide to all things College Football! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're flying Emirates business class, sampling our range of vintage wines from the largest selection in the skies, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates, fly better. Every fall, something beautiful begins again. Colors return, bold, and strikes up. And just like that, it ignites is where stories unfold on 100 yards of open possibility. break. It premieres September 23rd on FX. You can stream it on Hulu and Ohio State's defense of their national championship begins right here in Columbus. There's that crowd. Nearly eight months after meeting Texas in the CFP semifinals, the shoe will be the site of the showdown on Saturday afternoon. And it will be again full of college football. Three matchups between top 10 teams. Oh boy. We've never had a slate like that for week one. Welcome in to college football live. We've got the gang all here. It's a reunion of sorts of family reunion. Desmond Howard, Stanford, Steve, Pete Thammell, the Authority, and I am Jen Laddock.

Guys, before we get too deep into it, I just want to get your quick thoughts on what you are most excited for this season. Des? Wow, where did we start? I mean, week one, we came out swinging. You talked about the matchups that we have, of course, the big one here, though. Texas versus Ohio State, Arch Manning. He's the starting quarterback at Texas. Now, not the backup coming in and spot duty in a couple of meaningless games. This is a big game. I can't wait to see how he performs tomorrow afternoon against this Buckeyes defense.

I just want to see how fan bases react because as we learned last year, you could have the worst possible loss on your schedule and resume and still win a national championship. Very true. So there's room for hope. Don't overreact.

There's plenty of season ahead of us. All right. So let's get to the top stories, of course. For that, we go to the authority, Pete Thammell. What should we be paying attention to week one? Well, in Clemson, LSU, Jen, there is a key suspension for the first half. LSU's starting safety. A.J. Halsey will not play in the first half against Clemson. We'll get into it more later, but it's a spicy little controversy with the headline being

LSU wasn't told until Wednesday that Halsey would be out for the first half. Some big quarterback news emerged last night, Jen. Sam Horn, who is the starter for Missouri. I'm sorry, he was going to play the second half for Missouri. He was kind of a co-starter. They were obviously played boat review in the first half. He got injured, and I was told today by a source that he's out indefinitely. As for Billy Edwards of Wisconsin, there's better news.

He had that non-contact knee injury. You see him hobbling right there. The worst fears have been eliminated. I was told he got an MRI, and it came back negative. He is week to week. We'll see if he's back for Bama and week three. And in this game here, there's a big update on Texas receiver Emmett Mosley. He is making the trip to Columbus, but he is expected to be limited.

and he likely won't play significant staffs. Look for Parker Livingstone, a red shirt, red shirt freshman with zero career catches to play a big role for the Longhorns. The theme of this whole season, Jen, is a lot of new faces and new places and new places and key roles. And Parker Livingstone epitomizes that. Texas, one of those teams, Ohio State, one of those teams that has to fill a lot of spots and we will get to see them on the field tomorrow afternoon.

So this week's road test is brought to you by Goodyear. Number one, Texas, taken on number three, Ohio State. tomorrow will be the fifth meeting all time between these two programs. The last coming nearly eight months ago in the semifinals, each team has two wins in the series so far. So, Des, we begin with you here. The Manning era, as you mentioned it, it is upon us. What are you expecting from that team tomorrow?

I tell you what, guys, everywhere I go, I have people asking me, is anybody else playing college football outside of Arch Manning? Like, you guys talk about him all the time. I mean, the hype is through the roof right now for this young man. I think the pressure is going to be on Steve Sarkesian, though. Steve Sarkisian is one of the best head coaches in the country, one of the best offensive minds in the country, too.

Now he's going to be challenged going up against his Buckeye's defense with a young quarterback who's never been in an atmosphere like this before. I believe he doesn't have the weapons he had a year ago, but they load up. They still have some talent, maybe inexperienced, unproven talent, but guys they have confidence in. want to see what the game plan is going to be. When I played, we had the first scripted plays like 12, probably 12 plays, and they were

scripted. I want to see what is going to be his game plan to try to ease his young, very talented quarterback whose people are starting to talk about him for the Heisman into this game. Yeah, and I think if Texas is going to have success, they have to slow down the Ohio State offense. Yeah. And that starts with a defense. Both these teams have a lot of the similarities in what they have to replace.

You know, guys on the defensive line, guys on the offensive line. So the Texas defense, one catch, three yards, Jeremiah Smith last year. Can they do that again with limited personnel in this building that remains to be seen? And P. What about the defense for Ohio State? Well, Jen, if you think the only famous number two pencil that will factor in tomorrow will be that of our friend, Coach Corso, I would tell you not so fast, my friend, because Matt Patricia, the defensive coordinator for Ohio State, brings an entire new scheme. And how Texas adjust to that, as Des said with Sark, is going to loom large over. this game. He's going to bring a very different system than Jim Knowles ran. There's a lot of new faces there, but the returning faces are among the best faces in the country. We talk about Sunny Styles. When you talk about Caleb Downs, the buzz at Ohio State practice when I was over there yesterday was about Arvel Reese, another linebacker who people think in this scheme with a little more freedom is going to put up big numbers. He's one of those big sort of downhill mauling linebackers. We remember from the Parcell's Belichick type defenses. So it'd be interesting to see if Arch uses his feet, if those guys can slow him down. I'm glad he talked about the defense for the Buckeyes,

because anytime you have a new coordinator, sometimes it just takes a while to get used to the lingo, the expectations, and just some sort of continuity defensively. I tell you, well, if those guys, I mean, listen, they have Caleb Downs, right? Best safety in college football. No doubt. But if there's, like, one miscommunication,

that ball's flying way over their head. So it's going to be really something interesting to watch how that secondary in the back end, how they approach this game tomorrow, because they have to stay on the same page. at all times. I think you could make the argument that Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs are not just the two best players in the big 10, but two of the best players in the country. And obviously for the hometown bucket, I heard it back there. That's right. We've got dozens of fans back here. Dozens of them.

Let's get to LSU, another big matchup taking place this weekend. Tomorrow night, number four, Clemson host number nine LSU. That's at 730 Eastern on ABC. LSU has won three of four in the series history. But this will be the first regular season meeting between the two programs. The last one, 2020 CFP National Championship game, LSU beat Clemson, 42 to 25. LSU has lost five straight opener since winning the national championship in 2019. Pete, you touched on it earlier. There are updates with this LSU team. What is the latest?

Sure. So, AJ Halsey's suspension, which you mentioned up at the top of the show, is a really, really compelling scenario. So I'm going to walk through the timeline of how this happened and why it surprised LSU. So November of last year, BYU plays Houston, where A.J. Halsey played last year. and a season-ending game that nobody watched or remembered. A.J. Halsey gets thrown out with about two and a half minutes to go. It's initially ruled on sportsmen-like, which Jen would mean you just get thrown out of the game.

It was ruled after the game by officials to be fighting, which causes the first half suspension. The Big 12 emailed Houston in December with the clarification and the suspension. Now, A.J. Halsey claims this was never communicated to him by the Houston staff. He transfers in May and doesn't know of this suspension that's supposed to. supposed to travel with him. Well, it emerged this week, the call for some clarity. Hey, is AJ Hall say eligible? And they went to the NCAA and they said, by the letter of the law, he has to be suspended

and there's no appeal process. So there is a lot of Spider-Man Giffing going around on whose fault this all is. And, yeah, let's just say there's going to be some spicy feelings on the LSU sideline about how this happened, both from the NCAA side and where it emerged from. Never a dull moment in college football does. Coach Kelly, bro, I'm heated. Yeah. I'm heated.

There's no excuse for that. He should have known this. I tell you what, I've been doing my research on LSU and their defense. And AJ is a guy who they got out of the portal. And they probably got about

three or four more defensive backs out of the portal too. This defense, they're going to be tested in that secondary. So that's huge news coming from Pete because they're going to need all the help they can get in the secondary.

You're looking at this clips in the offense, man, who's going to throw the ball around the yard and the LSU defense that last year they wanted to be aggressive, but they did not have. have the personnel to act it out. Now they win the portal, got guys like AJ. I can't wait to see this matchup tomorrow.

Stamster, Steve. It's a tough matchup for LSU going on the road because I believe Clemson has everything you want in a title contender. And this day and age of the transfer portal, they have the most returning production in the country. 80%. And that defensive line is real. You look at every mock draft.

They already have the defense Parker and Woods in the top five of NFL drafts. So for this LSU team, you mentioned the moves they made defensively, Des. They got to replace four stars on the offensive line. Going into that, that Death Valley is a tough chore. I expect big things from Clemson. Well, I really think it's funny how the narrative on Davo has changed. It was he's not going to the portal.

He's falling behind for years and years. And now it's, oh, wait, they have all this continuity. And now Davo is a genius for keeping everybody together, letting guys grow up in the system. The one place, Steve, I think there's some questions for Clemson, is it tailback. They're going to play Adam Randall, who's converted wide receiver. Dabo has a proclivity to not play young players right away. So it would be an interesting test with Gideon.

He's one of the top running back recruits in the country. How early will they go to him Saturday if they're not getting production from that tailback position? Yeah, we have to see if it's going to work out, right? It's one thing for all the analysts and everyone else on TV talking about how this is going to be Clemson's year, but they still got to go out there with these games. So, yeah, you know, don't put the horse in front. I mean, the carriage in front of the horse too fast. And Clemson went 0 and 3 against.

SEC opponents last season. I do love the addition of Tom Allen, though. I think him and Davo are like two Trees and a pod. And I think that will be a very good fit for the Clemson Tigers. Another top 10 showdown. Notre Dame heading to Miami to face the canes. We're going to break down the X factors

on both sides of the ball in that matchup. After this on college football live. Snap up Ancestry DNA's lowest price ever in our incredible cyber sale with 50% off ancestry DNA kits. It's the perfect time to help a loved one unwrap the past.

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and Sunday on ESPN, two more games, another prime time top 10 matchup. This one between Notre Dame and Miami. Every game, of course, is available on the all-new ESPN app. So this will be the sixth time that those two teams, Notre Dame and Miami, are meeting with both ranked in the top 10 AP poll. Notre Dame has lost six straight road games at Miami. I don't know, maybe it's the climate, Des. You're going to have to weigh in on that one for it.

But this will be Miami's first time hosting a ranked team in their home opener since 2011. Pete, we'll start with you on this one. What are you watching for in this matchup? So forget all the Heisman history in this matchup. Forget all the great skill players. I'm going right to the trenches. The offensive lines are where this game is going to be won, and both Notre Dame and Miami have high, high-end units.

Miami is Francis Maui Noah. He's one of the best tackle prospects in the country. and what Notre Dame has done from Brian Kelly to Marcus Freeman has consistently produced lines that forge the identity of that team. I don't feel like this Notre Dame line yet, and Steve could disagree with me, studies line play more than me, has a thumper definite first round pick. Remember, in Brian Kelly's era there, every left tackle was picked in the first round on the top 16 until 2021. So it was a literal left tackle factory for a while. We'll see if Anthony Knapp can become that guy, and we'll see how this Notre Dame line gels.

They lost some veteran guys to the portal. you know when your backups are going to start elsewhere, you have really good depth there. But I think the trenches, and who forms the identity there is where the tone for this game is set. Does your X Factor for the Irish? I'll tell you, I like the fact that Pete talked about the trenches. I think the battle in the trench is going to be very important,

especially when you're looking at Notre Dame. They're starting CJ Car. This will be his biggest start, first start on the road, at Hard Rock Stadium, and Miami is going to be ready for him. So what do you do when you start a young quarterback? You rely heavily, very, very, very. very heavily on your running game. Jeremiah Love is one of most electric running backs

in all of college football. Over 1100 yards on the ground, 17 touchdowns last season. Look him just leaping over guys, average seven yards per carry. So you know, they're gonna lean on Jeremiah Love, very, very heavy going into this game against the Keynes and why not? He's one of the best running backs from the country.

I look at this guy as to me in the lead right now, That's why I'm going to the season for the Dope Walker Award. He's the favorite. I'm with you. Feel free to confirm or negate what this guy said over here about the offensive line play. But what is the X Factor? I agree with him. Perfect.

What is the X Factor for the Hurricanes? I don't want to know who's catching the ball. You know, between the NFL draft and the transfer portal, they lost their top six pass catchers. So Carson Beck comes in a new situation. Carson Beck and Miami are also the only team in the top 10 that has plugging in and playing a starting quarterback. Every other quarterback in the top 10 has been on campus for a whole year.

So who is catching the ball for Miami against, which was the number one past defense last year. It might be a defense that I think is deeper this year. I'll tell you what, Miami, I've been to a couple of their practices. And Carson Beck, you know, he's looking pretty good. You know, they kind of limit his throws. He's like on a pitch count, but he looks pretty good, but they do have a lot of confidence in their wideouts.

These guys are making plays and practice. I want to see if they can keep it up and do it against the, the Notre Dame secondary when it really counts. But those guys, yeah, they've been making some catches. You know you're getting man coverage against Notre Dame, too. And that's what you want as a wide receiver. Absolutely. 100%.

Yeah, so. But to your point, you mentioned the pass rush. This is a very deep unit for Notre Dame, not sleep on them. They've got six guys that they rotate. Could be the deepest unit there in the country. And they're going to be getting after. That's right. Guarantee it.

Steve, lots more teams kicking off their season this weekend. Give us your week one gambling guide. We're actually going to go big picture, Jen, and just give us some futures for the people. Lock it in the pick. I want to go to the Big 12. I'm expecting monster things out of Salt Lake City in the University of Utah this year.

They bring in a new quarterback in Devin Dampere, along with his offensive coordinator, but they might have the best offensive line. Utah has been down the last couple of years due to bad quarterback play, and we knew the injury history with Cam Rising. So I like Utah at that price of plus 600 to win the Big 12th championship.

Love the schedule, love the personnel. Next one, the Pitt Panthers. Someone on the college game day desk picked this team to make the playoff. I'm not going that far. I'm just looking at the regular season wins of six and a half and you're getting plus 120.

As Coach Saban pointed out, one of his former quarterback's Eli Holstein in charge of there, Desmond Reed, is a playmaker at running back. I really like the pit panthers this year to go over six and a half wins. And then finally, I hate to say it, but I'm going to go Penn State to win the Big Ten at the price. That's the price.

It's not about the personnel. They're not the favorite. Ohio State is the favorite right now according to a bunch of books. But I look at Penn State. If not now, when? It means buying into Drew Aller. Obviously, he's gotten the chance to grow every year. He's got a time shut up or put up.

Put up or shut up, as they think. Shut up or put up or shut up or shut. know what I mean for Drew Aller and Penn State. All right, some quick picks for tonight's games. We begin with Auburn at Baylor. Steve, I'll start with you. I'm going to go with the home team here. This is an exciting game.

We know Auburn has struggled. Hugh Freeze has recruited well. They got a new quarterback in. I just look at Baylor as a formidable opponent. At home in Waco Friday, going to be steamy. Soya Robertson is fantastic at quarterback. Give me the home team plus the points. Well, you talked about the quarterback.

I'm talking about Jackson Arnold for Auburn. I got to give him some type of credit. He's a five-star. Didn't work out in Norman. Change of scenery. Great receiving court at Auburn. People aren't talking about those guys. Like Cam Coleman, they brought in Eric Singleton,

Junior. So I think I'm going to go with the Auburn Tigers. All right. Other game, Colorado at Georgia Tech. I'm going to go with Georgia Tech. Again, the third year in a row. I need to see Colorado before I want to make any of the roster. The roster interchange and now they obviously had successful season with

Chador, new quarterback, a lot of new face. is there. Georgia Tech. I loved when we were there in Ireland last year. The game plan they had for a season opener, I expected to be buttoned up in a tough environment. Give me Georgia Tech my support. I agree with you. I'm going Georgia Tech. This doesn't know what I'm going to get from, you know, Colorado at this point. Lost too much of

Travis Hunter and the Sanders brothers. And then you look at what Georgia Tech is doing. They were very impressive. They were like, what did they take them in Georgia in the five overtimes last year and still could have won that game. So I like what they're doing. I'm going with Georgia Tech. A program that is certainly on the rise in Georgia Tech. Coming up on college

football live. Maybe you've heard an unforgettable legacy for Coach Corso. We're going to talk about the impact he's had on all of us looking back at his journey here on College Game Day and ESPN. Stick around for that. It's week three of Canadian tires early Black Friday sale. These prices won't go lower this year. Maybe too long. Freezing. Save up to 50% November 20th to 27. Conditions apply, details online. AM Eastern on ESPN and the all-new app. We celebrate Coach Corso's final college game day right here in Columbus, Ohio, the site of number one Texas and number three Ohio State, and the first place he ever put on the mascot head to make a pick. Let's take a look at some of the best moments from Coach Corsos' 38 years on College Game Day.

Lee Corson. It's ugly. Not tonight, sweetheart. Give me that head. Pete, what has Coach Corso meant to you in college football? I think when the definitive history of college football is written, no singular person did more to popularize the game. And for me, having getting to work with him for four years now, he did it with kindness, he did it with grace,

and just an indomitable spirit that was infectious to our whole group. So I'm grateful for the opportunity. No one has risen to the occasion more when the lights are on. And he's got one chance. I can't wait to see what he brings to the table. No one has responded under these circumstances more than him. I can't wait. I agree with you 100%.

And I've been so blessed to be with him for 20 plus years and he's taught me so much. on the set and off the set. He's such a generous, nice man, but very, very principled man, too. And this is going to be great tomorrow. I cannot wait.

I'm just, I feel blessed that we can honor him the way he deserves to be honored tomorrow. It's so appropriate that his nickname is the sunshine scooter because being around him guys felt like sunshine, right? We got the sunshine that is on our backs right now. It's warm, it's inviting, it's welcoming. That's how I have always felt being around Coach Corso. When I joined the show 10 years ago,

He never looked at me like, what are you doing here? You don't look like everybody else on the show. What are you doing here? He knew that I could hang and he was so encouraging of me. And that's why I'm so happy that we will all be a part of this big celebration. And that's what it is. A celebration of an incredible legacy year, nearly four decades in the making, here tomorrow morning on college game day.

For Desmond, for Stanford Steve, for Pete Thammell and all the castes through who are behind the camera. I'm Jen Lattah. Thanks for hanging out with us on College Football Live. Have a great one, everybody. It's going to be a great weekend of college football.