College Football Live - CFB LIVE - 9/11 - Battle of the Bets

Episode Date: September 11, 2025

Join our crew Zubin Mehenti, Sam Acho, EJ Manuel and Joe Fortenbaugh for another episode of College Football Live. As week 3 kicks off, the guys preview big matchups to watch for. 6 Georgia travels to Knoxville to take on 15 Tennessee. 16 Texas A&M visits South Bend for the first time in 25 years to face 8 Notre Dame and the battle of Florida begins as 18 South Florida face 5 Miami. Joe gives us his picks and a few under the radar matchups to follow as well. Don't miss out on CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Giving Tuesday, Cam H is counting on your support. Together, we can forge a better path for mental health by creating a future where Canadians can get the help they need when they need it, no matter who or where they are. From November 25th to December 2nd, your donation will be doubled. That means every dollar goes twice as far to help build a future where no one's seeking help is left behind. Donate today at camh.ca slash giving Tuesday. Live is presented by Dr. Pepper.

When this fan base is fired up on a Saturday night for football and best. Seems appropriate enough to mention we're on the road to week three. Welcome inside college football live. E.J. Manuel, Sam, Acho. I'm Zubim Mahendi. Let's get right to it. Huge Saturday on tap.

It's time for our weekend lineup brought to you by Wendy's. What a seven days it could be for USF. If they could knock off Florida and Miami in a span of seven days and do so both on the road. That's what's in front of the Bulls as they're on the verge of one of their greatest seasons in school history. Texas A&M and Notre Dame played in the opener last year, but that was when Connor Wegman was firmly in charge. Now it's that guy's team. Marcel Reed's team.

We're ready to go Saturday night in South Bend. Georgia, Tennessee is the big one. The Bulldogs have already taken off for Rocky Top, but our Holly Rose stayed behind to file this reports. Checking in from Bulldogs practice here in Athens, Georgia. It's a big game on the road to start the SEC season for Kirby Smart and his team. He has talked about just how young this group is. 54% of the Bulldogs are freshmen and sophomores, so they will get baptized by Orange Fire in Neeland Stadium on Saturday.

But Coach Smart was really trying to foster a culture of leadership at practice on Wednesday. He kept yelling, where are my leaders at? Where are my leaders at? Every great team we've ever had here has great leadership, push each other. That was a theme throughout the entire practice of who will be the young players that step up in this environment. Two other things that really caught my eye. They are putting some pressure on Gunner Stockton to be more aggressive downfield. In the first two games, no downfield shots from the quarterback. He has operated mostly on the perimeter.

But I can tell this Georgia wide receiving crew is greatly improved from last year. They have got depth and speed. Zachariah Branch, number one, stands out to me. The USC transfer is lightning in a bottle, and he looked fantastic at practice on Wednesday. But they've got depth and youth everywhere, great size and skill. Question, can Gunterstock to now get them the ball and learn to trust the pocket and operate well in a very hostile environment in Knoxville? Holly, thanks, Zach Branch will be the key, and we should mention that Kirby Smart all offseason longs at fire, passion, energy. That's what I want to see from this group. First two games, opposition, Sam,

has been underwhelming with Marshall and Austin P. A lot of people don't think the offense is particularly explosive and you're honing in on one particular area of the offense that's causing you some concern. It's the offensive line. You talk about Gunner Stockton and his idea of being more explosive down the field. It's hard to do that when you're getting pressured and you're getting hit constantly. We saw this last week versus Austin Pee. Mind you, it's Austin P. It's not a huge big time opponent, but Gunner Stockton was running for his life at times. The offensive line, they struggled, not just with protecting him, but also the offense struggled with protecting the football. There was two fumbles in this game versus lesser opponents.

So for me, now you're playing Tennessee, offensive line struggle. The balls on the ground could be a recipe for disaster. And I would like to see Gunn Stockton take some more shots down the field. As I'm watching the tape from his past two games, a lot of checkdowns, a lot of bubble screens. And look, I'm not against the bubble screens. I used to like it myself when I was playing. But I think against this Tennessee defense, you're going to have to stretch them. You're going to have to make them play from sideline to sideline and not just hit the bubble screens.

bubble screens. That's going to be big key here for Guntherstock. Let's talk about the other quarterback here, Joey Aguilar. He's getting a ton of praise for the way he came in. And let's remember he missed spring ball. He came in brand new. The other guy in the Nico swap, not getting a ton of attention. What have you seen from him? Yeah, I've seen a lot of confidence, a lot of moxie, but I've also seen a lot of guys around Joey Aguilar. You look at Starr Thomas, who's a Duke transfer. You look at Braley Staley, a receiver that's coming over, Chris Brousel, a returning player as well. So I think the big question that I have about Tennessee, though. It's not necessarily to do with Joey Aguilar. It's more so to do with

the offensive line. Can they create this push like they did against Syracuse against Georgia's defensive line? Now, right here, the left guard and left tackle do a great job of washing that thing down and the center and the right guard. They pill around and they latch on to their defenders as well. Look, Star Thomas has run this thing, a ton of green grass. He doesn't get touched until 10 yards down in the field. And then again, the Duke transfer. He makes another guy missed and gets an extra 10 yards. This is a 21-yard game off of a play where he didn't get tough for 10 yards down the field. So I think that's going to be the big key against Georgia's front seven.

Can they get that push up front offensive line? You're talking about the front seven, but I also got to think about the back end, the back four DBs because Joy Arler has pushed the ball down field, but he does put the ball in harm's way. And that's one thing that I still have concerns about. The ball oftentimes is hung up in the air for a long time and better defenders have an opportunity not just to knock it down, but to intercept. Take me inside Georgia fans' minds.

They're saying, look, we played Marshall and Austin P. We shouldn't be playing uninspired football. The other side of the coin is we're going. not showing anything. This is a big week three game. You've played in a lot of big time matchups. How do you see that? Well, you know what? That edge that you might have created by having somewhat of a close game against Austin P. Like normally you would think, hey, Georgia's top five team, they should beat them by 40 or 50 points. I don't buy that. I think if you win the game, there's a lot of corrections that you can have in the tape on Monday. And again, we don't have

preseason in college football. So sometimes they're all going to be the things where you got to kind of iron out the wrinkles a little bit before you play a big opponent like Tennessee. Yeah, well, VALS fans could tell you that it's been complete and total domination on the part of Kirby Smart against them. In fact, the last time UT beat Georgia was on a Hail Mary in 2016, but against all the dog's rivals, Georgia's been the top dog against Florida dominating, against Georgia Tech dominating and against Tennessee dominating. So we will see what happens.

That'll be Saturday afternoon. This one will be Saturday night in South Bend, Notre Dame getting set to take on Texas A&M. Again, both teams look a little bit different. Notre Dame doesn't have a ton of experience at the quarterback position, which they had, of course, the last year and the last two years. and Texas A&M themselves is now going to Marcel Reed full time. So, Sam, this is interesting because Mike Elko, Texas A&M's head coach, is a defensive guy. You must love that.

Other than he went to A&M, he's a defensive guy, and you're going to take us inside the Aggies pass rush. I will, and they did a phenomenal job last week, had six sacks, but there could be some problems that happens when you turn on the tape with this Texas A&M pass rush. Let's turn on the tape and watch the film. I'll watch out to count with me. Let count the defenders in the box. One, two, three, four, five. We'll count him at six. How many guys on offense are able to block?

Five offensive linemen, one, two, three, four, five, and then you got your tight end, six. So that means that this running back is going to be man-to-man on this linebacker if he decides a blitz. And I'm telling you right now, he will decide to blitz. But don't just keep your eye on that. Keep your eye on two things. Number one, you're going to see this blitz. I'm going to let you know what happens. But also, if I could back up for one second, I also want you to keep an eye on what happens before the blitz.

So this linebacker backs up and brushes. Lineman, boom, one-on-one. you get a quick pressure, sack fumble. That's a big time play. But what will Notre Dame see in this? Notre Dame will see, okay, let's see in a different game. Okay, different game, right, earlier in the season, right? Let's count them again.

One, two, three, four, five, six, right? Had a seventh if you want them. You have your five offensive linemen. But E.J, I'm going to ask you a question, right? With these five offensive linemen, if you're a UTSA, if you see this seven up front, what would you try to do in a third and ten situation? Yeah, I try to solid protection here. Solid protection.

That's one idea. Another idea is to run. Run the ball. Let's call it down, down, down and around. Go down this way. It's actually boom. Turn that opposite. We'll go down.

We'll go down. We'll bring these guys around on a third and ten. Let's see if it works. UTSA, see something. Third and ten, all I see is green grass. Not just a 10-yard game. There's 10 right there. Give me 21 yards on that down, down around.

So for me, if I'm Notre Dame, I'm seeing that seven up, all that pressure. Everyone rushing, I may try to block it up, or I may try to run the ball and gash them on offense. That's a great point that you made on that second play, because when you have a lot of blitzers, you end up gashing them, whether it's quarterback draw, or a quarterback lead or a gap scheme run like there that you have. But one thing I did notice from C.J. Carl was his poise in that game against Miami.

And you're going to have some pressures from Texas A&M. They're going to make plays. But I think for him, just continue to keep the ball in your possession. You're at home. It's not going to be loud when you're out there on offense. Don't put the ball in harm's way like you talked about earlier, too. So it should be a good matchup. And certainly Texan NM got a lot of pieces around them.

I want to talk about A&M's quarterback, and that is Marcel Reed. He didn't really take over full time until about. late October last year. He and Wegman went back and forth, ton of injury concerns, but his health is continuing to be an issue, and that's a key issue in this game. I went back and watched Coach Elko's post-practice presser. He did say that Marcel Reed will be available and be good to go for this game. So that's a positive. But I'm more so focused on Casey Concepcion, the receiver that came over from NC State, and that's going to be Marcel Reed's favorite target in this ballgame guys. He's a player that can play in the slot.

And if you watch Miami's offense against Notre Dame, they use Malacotoni a lot from the slot. Also put Malacow Tony on the outside. We can run post. Casey Concepcion can do all of that own. By the way, he's played three years in college football. So this is going to be a dynamite matchup here for Texan NM in their favor. And it's not just the as a slot receiver. Also in special teams, that last play we just saw was a punt return touchdown. The first punt of the first game of the first game does come down to special teams. Casey Concepcion is a game changer. He is really something at NC State who will see tonight over on ESPN when they take on Wake Forest more on that in just a little bit. But first let's take a look at our Dr. Pepper

Championship Drive game of the week. preview. It's Ole Miss and Arkansas. Seems like both of these teams are kind of heading in opposite directions. However, over the last 10 meetings for what it's worth, it's actually five apiece. On the way here on college football live, digging in deeper to the game that everybody's talking about. The Battle of Florida and whether USF can do it again. And on cue, Joe, look uncomfortable. College Football Live is presented by ice cold Dr. Pepper.

College football, it's a pepper thing. When you fly in Emirates business class and you're picked up by your private, luxury, chauffeur-driven car, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly, Emirates, fly better. Workday knows there are two kinds of people in business. backward thinkers and forward thinkers. And when you're a forward thinker, you need an AI platform that thinks like you do. Built to evolve with your organization, Workday reimagines how you manage your people, money, and agents for long-term success.

Bringing all your most valuable resources onto one powerful platform so you can add value even faster. Workday, moving business forever forward. Welcome back to College Football Live. presented by Dr. Pepper. All roads lead to Nealyn Stadium, game day there in the morning. Georgia and Tennessee are going to kick off, by the way, at 3.30 Eastern Time Saturday afternoon on your local ABC station. Joe Fortinbaugh joins the crew.

We're going for wide. Of course, Joe cares about numbers other than the final score. If you get my drift, and there's a huge line movement here in this game, this Tennessee, Georgia game. You're going to take us inside why? Tennessee opens as a seven-point favorite, and immediately, excuse me, Georgia's a seven-point favorite on the road. Immediately Tennessee money comes in, knocks it down to three and a half.

Now, that's a big move. Why? Tennessee's at home. This should be a closely contested matchup. Georgia not thrilling anyone through the first two games of the season. And then on top of that, seven's a key number. A lot of games end on a differential of seven, 24-17, 28, 21. So you want to make sure you're on the right side of that.

That said, I think Georgia's the bet here at three and a half. You lay the number. The one thing, not enough people are making a point of this week, Kirby Smart has owned Josh Heipel at Tennessee. Four matchups, four and O straight up, four and O against the spread. They're winning by 20 points per game. They're holding Tennessee's offense to 14 points per game. I think that's going to be the key.

Georgia never really blows anybody out in these games where they're supposed to roll through you. These are the games where they get up. All right, so keep that in mind as you head to the window or get on ESPN bet. Let's talk a little bit about USF and Miami. Guilty as charge here. We spent the entire week talking about USF. Miami had one of the biggest wins of the season in week one, thanks to Carson Beck, and you continue to be very bullish on this move.

Correct. We're not talking at all about Carson Beck. At least this week, it's been all about Byron Brown and USF, and rightfully so. But Carson Beck took on a Notre Dame defense. That was one of the best defenses not only last year, but they're still playing solid. So we got a chance to win that game last week. Started off, I believe it was 15 to 15 versus a lesser opponent. So as much as we talk about how great USF is, Carson Beck also has some motivation,

and being discarded, for lack of better terms, from Georgia to another team where him and his teammates are trying to prove something. So I think that we need to talk more about Carson Beck and what he's going to do versus USF defense. Yes, they're ready for it. And I think that readiness is going to give him a better game. Sam, I couldn't agree more. And also Beck's protected the football. It doesn't have an interception on the season yet in two games also has been only sacked once. So he's getting a ball out of his hands.

But the other key for me for Miami is the defense must tackle on a perimeter. If you watch USF in the past two weeks against two top 25 teams, Byron Brown, those running backs, those receivers, they get yacked, they get yards off the catch, they break tackles. And even right here, this broke the back of the Florida Gators and really kept the game close. And so, again, USF is one of those teams. They're gritty. They believe in this guy. They call them their fateful and trusted leader in Byron Brown as a quarterback.

So that's going to be the big key, tackling on the perimeter, getting those guys on the ground. This is such a tough scheduling spot. Such a tough scheduling spot. You get through Boise, then you go to the swamp and win. Now you got to go to Miami. I think this is the week where you hear a lot more about back. to your point for the Heisman trophy after what happens here. Open Miami is a

14 and a half-point favorite immediately bet up to 17 and a half, which is interesting because that's almost the exact same number. Florida was laying last week. They were an 18 point favorite. Miami better than the Gators, I think most of us would say that now, especially with what we saw. I think Miami rolls in this. But these are two different teams. Florida defensively

last year was abysmal. This year, they've been pretty, they've been okay, but not, not great. Miami showed up, like, period. Like, they dominated that game. And C.J. Carr, week one did play outstanding. But Miami's defense was the story for me in that game. And so I think that as much as we're excited about Byron Brown, I think that Miami's

defense will be ready for this matchup. All right. Speaking of abysmal, if you're a West Virginia fan, this was setting up to be a gigantic week, and then they lose to a MAC team. Granted, a really good MAC team last week, took a lot of the air out of the backyard brawl. This is the 100th edition of the backyard ball in 2007. Rich Rod's last game against Pitt. West Virginia

wins the game as a 28 and a half point favorite. They go to the national title game. Instead, they lose. But Rich Rod is happy. The rivalry is back, and he's at the center of it. I think it's one of the greatest rivalry in sports. You know, there's a lot of intensity with it. There's never seems to be any love lost between the fan bases.

And it's always, to me, you know, the biggest game on your schedule. That it is, but that is a big downer after losing last week. Joe, I want to start with you on this because these teams may be anonymous to most fans, but it is a, as you heard Richard, I'd say, a bitter rivalry game. And when that happens, the number sometimes can be a material. Throw it out the door. I think what you're going to see here is scoring more than anything else. They set the total at 56 and a half.

Both teams play fast. That's going to be the key to this. Getting up to the ball, snapping quickly. What does that mean? More plays, more possessions, more opportunities to score. Pitts already hung over 100 points through two games this season. Granted, not against the elite competition, but I think we're going to be in for a shootout here. Yeah, and pit offensively, they are one of the more exciting offenses, right?

Des Reed as a returner slash a running back, Eli Holstein and quarterback, like, their offense is very electric. So that's what I'm excited about more, watching what they do against a higher opponent. And this is one of those games for Pitt where you can't fall for the trap and watch last week's tape of West Virginia and think that they're going to show up the same way. They got embarrassed on the road last week. And now they get you at their house. The fan base is going to be riled up. They're going to find a way to put out a good product and try to win that game. No doubt. Jeheme White is also banged up. And that's another big problem for West Virginia. Take me inside, though. We've seen this sort of reunion tour.

We've seen it at Scott Frost at UCF, and we see it with Rich Rod now. But with all due respect to those two guys who had great success in their first go-around, college football is almost unrecognizable from that point. So what do you think about some of these reunions? They're romantic. They're great. They're awesome storylines. Long term, can this work?

I think it can work. The big key now is, and even for Coach Rodriguez, I'm sure he'll say, you didn't have transfer portal and NIL back in. So it's completely different landscape. But the other thing, do those young players even know who he was back in the time? So maybe it might even. not be a big thing for them. Their parents might know, but I don't know if some of the younger players. So I do think it can work. It's just a matter of recruiting and getting those good pieces

in there so you can win. And some teams I've heard this, they'll go back and show you the tape, right? Kansas, Missouri, they rekindled their rivalry. They went back and showed the young players, hey, this is what this rivalry meant, whether it's Texas and A&M, things like that. And so as much as we joke, as these kids may not remember, they probably don't remember when Rich Rod was a coach and when Pitt was a top ranked team and Shady McCoy and Larry Fitzgerald, all those guys who kind of help put the team on the map. Fair enough. And I should. mentioned one last thing. That 07 game, one of the big factors in that game who played well,

Pad Macon shows you how long ago that was. On the way, we got a little ACCC tonight. Between NC State and Wake Forest to begin your week three, the guys will signs it up and we'll go to Winston Salem for a preview. Next. Make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry, a gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle, but speaks from new festive charms to free.

river rings and personal engravings. This season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship or a heartfelt gift for a family member. Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop now at ca.pandora.net or visit your closest Pandora store. College Football Live is presented by Ice Cold Dr. Pepper. College football.

It's a pepper thing. and in part by Popeyes. Love that chicken from Popeyes. For the second time in three weeks, the buffs are on Friday night with the country detention. Colorado at Houston.

Ryan Stobb is supposedly starting for the buffs. The Dion, as you may have heard, is pushing back on that a little bit. That'll be Friday at 7.30 Eastern. I feel safe saying Connor Wegman will start for Houston. That's Friday. But coming up tonight on ESPN, Big one in the ACCC early on.

NC State's going to take on Wake Forest. NC State's got a quarterback that is raising a lot of eyebrows that you may not have heard about. That's just one of those storylines we've got for you tonight. Harry Liles Jr. will be on the sideline and has more. Zubin, we're here in Winston-Salem, where NC State and Wake Forest are giving us the 119th installment of this rivalry. The second oldest in all of FBS. Now, NC State comes into this game off of a comeback win against Virginia. Dave Doran told us that his.

His offense has gotten better each week so far the season. Still led by quarterback C.J. Bailey, whose teammates refer to him as the baby giraffe or the way that he's able to run into the end zone. Also, Hollywood Smothers in that backfield, one of the best running backs in all of the country. And then on the Wake Forest side, you have Demand Claiborne. He is also one of the best running backs in the country. You're not going to want to miss these two during this football game. He is still nursing a rib injury that he suffered in Week 1 versus Kennesaw State. But he also told me he feels by the time that kickoff comes today, he's going to be 100% Zubin.

Harry, look forward to tonight on ESPN. Normally, baby giraffe is not a compliment. But I think in this case, it's an absolute compliment. You're a QB. Take us inside what makes this guy so special. What makes CJ Bailey special is the fact that he is 6'7. That's the first thing when he gets off the bus. He looks at the part.

But the other thing, he had a rocket launcher for an arm. But in this season, I've noticed he's running the football a lot more. This is the dimension of his game and also the maturity to where he now knows, all right, can I sit in the pocket and throw it? Or can I take off and get us some positive yards? So I expect him to have a big game and also put himself on a national stage to open up his name. And I called their game last week. We talked to the coaching staff.

They said the reason he's running the ball more is that he's put on about 15 to 20 pounds of muscle. Some people were part of the team, they said last year when he was on the field, he turned sideways. You could not see him. That's how thin he was. But now we have that other dimension. But I do want to point not just to the offense, but to the defense. They have two defenders, one named Kean Sloan, who's a transfer from Utah State number eight. Another guy named Sebastian Hart.

Kian Sloan, Sebastian, number 54. This defense has made this team. win. They put the team on their back. That was a fourth down stop to seal the game in week one. This is a fourth downstop, essentially a goal line stop by number eight, Sebastian Hart, Keen Sloan, interception to win the game last week. So as much as we talk about C.J. Bailey and the offense, this defense, I think will be, or at least has been the story. I think that will be again this week. North Carolina State laying seven and a half on the road, Thursday night, ACC. We've seen these things get mucked up before. I look to the underdog a little bit here.

I think it's kind of a by low on wake. They haven't been very impressive. True, but they can run the ball. And you saw Virginia put up close to 200 rushing yards against this NC State defense. Now, NC State's going to key the run here. You want to force them to throw the ball. But it just feels like it could be one of those messy games or those points are going to be valuable late. And to your point, Joe, I don't like to give you credit, but I will give you a little bit of credit on this one.

Tiny bit. The NC State defense hasn't been what it's been in the past. There were two critical stops to end the game, but they were letting both teams, East Carolina and Virginia, you run up and down the field on them. So I do have concerns with DJ Elliott, the new defensive coordinator and that NC State defense. I just hate being on the other side of this guy because every time it happens, I'm wrong.

Every single time it has like four weeks in a row. I would go NC State here. I'm not the betting expert, but I would think I would lean NC State. I think they hang some points. And again, this is their third game too. So not our offense is going to start matriculating being on the same page. Yeah, last couple of things I would just say.

It's really amazing the amount of great defensive talent that of all schools has come out of of NC State in the last several years, kind of an interesting subplot to this game. And also keep in mind for Wake Forest. They've got a first-year head coach. They're completely trying to reset the program because in this era of NIL, being one of the smallest schools in the FBS,

kind of figure out a way to make it happen. Kick off tonight on ESPN to get going for week three in the college football season. Enjoy the action this weekend.