College Football Live - CFB Live - 9/30 - Week 5 Recap/Glen Powell joins CFB Live

Episode Date: September 30, 2025

Join our crew Zubin Mehenti, Sam Acho, Tom Luginbill and Pete Thamel for another episode of College Football Live. A recap of Week 5 upsets and who the the guys think the best team in the SEC is. Actor Glen Powell joins the show to talk football and his upcoming Hulu series Chad Powers. With Arkansas firing Sam Pittman, what can interim Head Coach Bobby Petrino do to help the rest of the season. Tune in for all that and more on CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're flying Emirates business class, enjoying a good night's rest in your lie flat seat, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates, fly better. Hey there, I'm Zuba Mahente coming up on College Football Live as we go out of the tunnel after another gut punch loss for Penn State. How close are the Nipney Lions? Our analysts say actually, very close to making it happen. Why is it so hard to determine who the best team in the east? SEC is. Our Tom Lugan Bill says the answer is quite simple. He'll unveil it. And Hollywood

megastar Glenn Powell joins us on the day that he becomes Chad Powers. And we welcome you to College Football Live with Sam Tom Pete. I'm Zubin. We begin with a very familiar theme for Penn State fans. Of course, that was another gigantic loss in a big spot where they had a chance to buck the trend, but instead lose to Oregon. The big game, woes continue, 15 straight losses against top 10 teams from the Big 10, a number that just cannot get out of James Franklin's purview. Fans of a short fuse, but Franklin refuses to take the short-term approach. I will also say that I'm not going to allow one loss to define our season, and I'm not going to allow a few loss.

to define my career and what we have done here at Penn State, screaming, yelling, pointing fingers we're not going to do. It needs to be said that at 95% of schools, if you had what Franklin had, he'd have a statue, a conference championship, a playoff appearance, a boatload of wins. The problem, Pete, is he has the job that's in the other 5%. But there are some remedies from some of the people you are talking to before they get into a huge stretch where in November, they will play Ohio State in Indiana in a span of seven days,

and they need to be ready for that moment. Well, Zuban, the thought at Penn State is this game magnified some of the early season problems that they had showed in the first three games, a lot of which were written off to vanilla offensive play, calling because of lack of competition, maybe saving themselves here. So this is going to be a week at Penn State where they really take a look at the ills that have now gone through four games, and there's a feeling they want to lean into their veteran leadership. Remember, last season in Eugene, Ohio State lost at Oregon, and that loss ended up being a building block. It exposed some flaws. It gave the defense things to dig into. In Penn State's case, the offense is an issue. They were simply impotent in the first half against Oregon. Will we see some more wide open play calling? Will we see some more creativity? The thought initially was this team was going to lean on their offensive line. Did they perhaps go more to the perimeter, lean into those receivers, this will be a transformative moment for Penn State season and we'll see which way they will go. And Pete, I still think Penn State's a really good football team. Do they have deficiencies? Yes. Offensively, the quarterback play has been inconsistent. And the reality of the

situation is Oregon played very good against the run and at the line of scrimmage in this game. So it put more pressure on Drew Aller to play his best football. I thought he played a pretty good football game until he didn't. But the inaccurate Seriously woes continue to play again. This goes back to the interception late in the Notre Dame game to play for a national championship. He was completing 56% of his passes coming into this game versus the previous two opponents. This just isn't winning football when you have two really good football teams and the quarterback on the one side is playing lights out and you're just not quite playing as good as you need to to get over that hump at critical times with Drew Allen. And I love what you said, Lug's about the critical times.

Yes, there are inaccuracy woes throughout the game, but they show up the most at the most important times of the game. Going back to last year when Notre Dame was playing Penn State in the pen ultimate game of the season. We saw Drew Aller at the fourth quarter game on the line through an intersection. That's a critical time. That was the most critical time. You go there, you score, you win. Then last week, in overtime, after Ohio, excuse me, after Penn State had just scored,

then Oregon scored again, and Oregon scored again. Now it's your time Penn State to win. respond, you saw another interception at a critical time. So it's not just the woes throughout the season and the course of the game, but at the most important times, Drew Aller is making the biggest mistakes. No question about it. Let's take a look at Penn State schedule. I kind of invoked here, and Pete said, too, they're going to have about a month here to sort of regroup, recalibrate, and then Tom, I want to go to you here. Look at this seven-day stretch at Ohio State and then taking on an Indiana team that I think we all realize now is absolutely.

for real. It sort of feels like that is going to be the inflection point that again is going to be the referendum on James Franklin whether he likes it or not. Well, it is, but I also see opportunity here because if you take care of business and one of those two right there, then nobody's talking about the Oregon game early. So there's opportunities here for this Penn State team. As I said, I think they're still a really good football team. But they've got to go out in the biggest moments against the best teams on their

schedule and play at an elite level. And right now with what we're seeing across college football, with the one possession games across the board, then you better have elite quarterback play late in that game if you want to win it when talents become more equitable than ever before. Or you have to know what your identity is. Yes, elite quarterback plays, I think is of the utmost importance. But your identity of your team, if you're Penn State, they want to play defense and run the ball. They also held Oregon at three points in the first three quarters. So their defense was playing at a high level. But at the critical moments, maybe you don't throw a pass like they tried to throw

in that overtime. Maybe instead you give it to Singleton or Ketron Allen or maybe you do some of the quarterback draw game or quarterback run game that you implemented. That is one of Drew Aller's strengths, at least when it's not expected, when it's not necessarily him trying to scramble in the pocket. So yes, elite quarterback play is important. But for me, Penn State to go to the next level, they have to be able to,

Drew Allen has to be able to play a little bit better, cleaner at critical times. But other guys have to know, okay, that defense has to be able to force a turnover and get a pick six or something to that effect to lean on their strengths. Tom, I want to be remiss here. If I didn't talk about the other quarterback in this game, there was so much talk about Aller. But, you know, Dante Moore, first big 10 conference road game, they played at Northwestern, the least intimidating environment in the conference just because of the venue they're playing at right now. But that completely got taken out of the picture because he walked into the second largest crowd ever in one of the most intimidating

stadiums in America and balled out. What did that performance tell you about Dante Moore? That he could be even better as good as he was in this moment. And the plays that he made, and maybe more importantly, the preservation of the football, understanding situational football, not taking negative play, was able to rush for over 30 yards and stay ahead of the chains with this offense, handling the environment, the crowd, understanding red zone offense and what he can't do with the football. I don't, I have no doubt in my mind as a sophomore going into that environment, he's going to get even better. And in the second half of the season, he might be one of the best quarterbacks, if not the best quarterback in college football. And to your point, Loux,

at the most important time, what did Oregon do? They kept the ball in Dante Morris hands, not just as a runner, but as a pastor, there were some elite level throws that he made in the fourth quarter and overtime to help win the game for his team. So that's what it means when I say, know the identity of your football team, players making the best place. Yeah, last thing I would say a post script on Dante Moore, just keep this in mind. He took over for Dylan Gabriel, who had played a boatload of football, and before him, Bo Nix, had played a boat load of football. Those guys have seen everything. This guy's seen everything for the first time, and he's not have a problem seeing anything at all. It is super impressive. So we'll wait to see how the Big Ten is won. Naturally, when you talk about that,

you've got to wonder, well, how will the SEC be one? Top 10 teams to lose in week five, the conference gave us some incredible results. You know, Ole Miss avenged that amazing loss last year at LSU, where the Bayou Bengals scored in overtime on the final play by winning in Oxford. And finally, being the team that was able to solve Brian Kelly's defense and Alabama, after that season opening loss to Florida,

a state is really rounded into form. And once again, Bama's mastery over Kirby Smart continues thanks to the masterful play of Ty Simpson. So who's got the best chance to win a wide open SEC? Take a look at the analytics. Right now, it is Alabama, and it is Alabama by a wide margin. One thing all of those teams on your screen have is some really, really good quarterback play, whether those guys are injured or rolling out at the moment.

And Tom, that kind of sets up the discussion. If you're going to win the toughest league in the country, you better have a quarterback that can deliver late. All those teams on the screen do. So the question for the moment, as this can vacillate from week to week, who's the best team in the SEC right now? If you asked me this question 10 days ago, I would have said Oklahoma. Obviously, the John Mateer injury, you know, it has a big impact.

It could potentially have a big impact. So I'm going with Alabama. I think that Ty Simpson at the quarterback position right now is playing in an elite level. His anticipation, his timing, his decisiveness, their play action passing game, the fact that they're implementing under-center quarterback play, which is setting up huge plays down the field, particularly at the intermediate levels, have really diversified the offense. And let's not forget, this isn't just about Ryan Williams anymore.

It's their ability to run the football, come off of play action, and Isaiah Horton, Lotzier Brooks, and Jeremy Bernard, have been difference makers for this offense. This is an offense right now that is almost incredibly impossible to affect the passer because Ty Simpson gets the ball out of his hand so quickly they remind me of Washington and Michael Penning's last year up in Seattle.

Yeah, and Alabama is extremely impressive, but there's a team that nobody's talking about. And I want to go to Vanderbilt, a team that beat Alabama last season and a team that is playing at elite level quarterback as well with Diego Pavia. Diego Pavia leads the SEC in completion percentage. Five touchdowns last week, their running game led by really offensive coordinator or offensive line coach Chris Clonachis, who impleted a new style of running game is giving every single opponent they face different types of problems. They have an all-SCC tight end in Eli Stowers. And I understand that this offense and this team is going to go through a gotlet of a schedule. But if you talk about quarterbacks that you trust in crunch time, Diego Pavia's on that list. I say gotling, you talk about it.

Alabama, LSU, Missouri, Texas, and Auburn, and the season with Tennessee. So they will have to not only prove themselves early this season and next week, but as the season goes on. But if there's anybody I trust at least right now at quarterback position, it's Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores. And think about what you just said, that Vandy's quarterback is the most reliable quarterback in the SEC. It's been like 20 years since you even say that. Maybe Jay Cutler, you have to go back to something like that. Sam, it's a great point, and it just shows you how well Clark Lee has really been able to take a program that's traditionally struggled and turned them into a winner. A fascinating story to follow.

Still to come here on College Football Live. How did that guy, with the help of these guys, become this guy? Glenn Powell. Up's the Starwantage on college football live when he joins us. 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.

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slash business coverage. Oh boy, here we go. Hi, you're here to try out? Cool, what's your name? Just need to know who you are, man. My name is Chad. And last name? What's that?

Palmyra. Paramaria. Paramaria? Parameira? Oh, sorry, that's my original family name. When my dad came from the old country, at Ellis Island, they changed it to Powers. And what you just saw there was the skit that started three years ago on ESPN Plus, and today it arrives three years later as one of the most anticipated shows of 2025,

Chad Power, streaming now on Hulu, the title character, the star, Glenn Powell, is here. We'll talk about Chad in a moment, but this is a college football show, so I want to jump in with you. You've not been shy. Your family, Texas, all the connections. The moment you fell in love with Texas football was when? You know, look, I've been a fan of all Texas athletics my entire life. Growing up in Austin, it's like, it's rarely to, it's rare to like, you know, there's a lot of college football towns, but there's very few college football cities, you know, and this is that, that town doesn't have a professional sports team.

So I was, I was always just lived and breathed the Texas Longhorns. I would say that, you know, when I was a kid, I would say that there was this, you know, Major Applewhite. Yeah, of course. was one of my favorite quarterbacks. And, you know, I think it was, there was just something magical. I remember going to DKR. And even in high school, I worked as like an usher at the stadium. Just always, always loved the Texas Longhorn.

So to see us really have, I think what Sark has done with the program is extraordinary. The culture has never been stronger. And I think there's only great things ahead for the Texas Longhorn team. Major Applewhite, for those of you too young to remember, kind of like an underdog, like Chad Powers himself. It turned out pretty good for Major. favorite player growing up as a kid? I mean, when I was in high school, obviously, Vince Young was the guy. I think that's the only time I never go up to anybody I recognize.

I don't care how big of a fan I am. I don't go up. That was the only time I've ever gone up to a celebrity was Vince Young. I was like, I got to talk to this guy. It was totally starstruck. And now we're great friends and get to be on the sidelines together. What is it like with the idea that you thought to yourself, I got to go talk to Vince Young?

And you've come so far. where now VY is like, yo, is that good? I want to actually go meet him. Yeah, totally. It's like, I mean, I think that's the most fun. I mean, like for me, like getting to be on the sidelines with Colt McCoy, Vince Young, being friends with Mac Brown, you know, getting to know, you know, know, getting to know, like the entire Michael Taft, you know, it's like it's pretty damn cool to be a Texas fan and really, you know, get to know these guys as people. It's an extraordinary feeling.

What's up with Arch? I feel I'm so happy, you know, how he showed against Sam Houston State. I thought it was a real statement about, you know, who we always knew Arch was. You know, he's an incredible athlete. The guy has so few weaknesses to his game. I mean, I've gotten to know the other Mannings, and they don't have legs like Arch. No. And it's really fun to see him settle into what we knew he was capable of.

And so obviously we're going to go on the road here to Florida in the swamp. I feel really good about our odds, but I just feel like if Archkin show us what he does on the road, you know, in Athens and in Florida and Gainesville, I think we're going to be in good shape. Speaking of awesome, your 2023 commencement speech at Moody at the University of Texas, I watched it last night, and it includes this line,

and I want you to watch this and take us inside why you said this. Enjoy things not going according to plan. If you knew the ending, it wouldn't be worth the watch. No good story happens from things going right. I figure all 1,000 guys in the transfer portal should probably take that advice before they jump in. But where did you come up at that? Because there weren't a lot of dry eyes. A lot of people behind you heard you say that and they sort of prepped up.

You know, it's something my grandfather used to say. You know, no good story happens from things going right. And it's something to, you know, sometimes remind yourself of is the hardships are all part of the story. You know, and I think about that with even, you know, teams over the course of the season, you know, tough starts. You know, it's sometimes you can either look at it as, oh, man, we've, you know, we're not off to a great start and kind of get down on yourself. But I think, you know, I think the mark of great sports movies and great sports stories are the ones who rally, rally from that place, you know, to victory. And that's what, you know, I think I'm so proud of the show is it has all the ingredients of what you're talking about. Things not going right.

you know, a guy that's sort of on the ropes and figures out how to turn it into a win. Let's talk about Chad Powers. How do you try to even encapsulate what it's like to be a quarterback? There's so people that can actually do it well, and you've got to do it well, and it's not like learning or unlearning an accent. The physical nature of becoming a quarterback, what was that like? Well, it's really daunting. As a football fan, you know, you and I see what a real quarterback looks like every Saturday and Sunday.

And it's a highly technical position, maybe the most technical position in sports. And so it either is or it isn't. So I knew going into it that I was going to have to put in some work to be able to pull it off. And so, you know, Eli Payton connected me with Patrick Mahomes' quarterback coach. They set up with, you know, Pat O'Hara, former offensive coordinator for the Titans, set me up with him to make sure that they had, you know, I had a defense and an offense that I could be working with live every day. and all that footage would go to Peyton and Eli, and they'd give me notes on all the things,

you know, how I was reading the defense, how I was working with my line, sending people into motion, whether I was licking my fingers or not, you know, all the, even, even just like little superstitions that a natural quarterback would have, you know, those little ticks,

you know, they put their focus on everything. So I'm really proud because I think this, this show is, you know, made by fans for fans. It's out today on Hulu and during his speech in 2023 that we mentioned to you, one of the first things he said to show you priorities. Wherever in the world I am, when OU is playing Texas, whether I'm filming or at a premiere, you better believe I'll be in front of my television. So he'll be in front of his television

on October 11th, no matter where in the world he is, no matter where in the world you are, you could stream Chad Powers right now on Hoover. It was a pleasure. Such a pleasure. Thank you. You got it. On the way, speaking of Hollywood, they say the sequel is never as good as the original. But the fact that there could be a sequel at all with this guy, are you serious? That's next. At Desjardin, we speak business. We speak startup funding and comprehensive game plans. We've mastered made-to-measure growth and expansion advice,

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Conditions apply. It's time for our Capital One, rewarding performance. And it goes to a performance we have not seen ever in the vaunted history of the Notre Dame fighting Irish. Jeremiah Love scoring twice on the ground and twice through the air becoming the first Irish player to do it. It turned out to be Sam Pittman's last game as Arkansas head coach. He was fired the next day. Bobby Petrino takes over on an interim basis. And that's where I want to bring Pete in.

He was, you might recall Arkansas coach about 13 years ago, got fired. after lying to administrators about a motorcycle accident he was in, in which a female staffer was with him on the bike. He was married at the time. It was as sorted as you might recall or think. So now he's in pole position, perhaps, Pete, to get the job again. What are we hearing about this? Well, Zubin, I would like to think of this as basically a $1.5 million audition for Bobby Petrino.

Sam Pittman's buyout is very complex, but basically if they had waited and Arkansas had continued to lose, they would have paid him $3 million less. So by firing him now, they negotiated with his agents to cut the difference in the middle between a 50% buyout and a 75% buyout. That gives them a chance to see Bobby Petrino in real time. The offense has been juiced up. The defense has been abysmal for Arkansas, and Bobby Petrino would have to earn it if he was going to go win the job on the field. They have Tennessee, they have Texas A&M, they have LSU, Texas, Missouri. That is a gauntlet for Arkansas to go through.

We will see if this multimillion dollar audition. comes to fruition. Unbelievable that we're even at this point. Virginia Tech Pete essentially said their AD Whit Babcock, our commitment does not match exactly our ambition. That's about to change today, apparently, too, right? Take us inside that real quick. Yeah, so the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, Zubin, voted to add $229 million over the next four years. So the budget not only goes up by $50 million starting in this fiscal year, but essentially resets to be near the top of the ACC. Simply put, Virginia Tech 20 years ago was what Clemson is now in the ACC, the dominant program. Virginia Tech wants to get back to be that bell cow and they are spending accordingly.

Tom, let's just get your thoughts on this quick. They made a decision here in late September. It's a valued job, as Pete said. What are the advantages of having this all happen right now? Well, I think you can get ahead of it a little bit. It gives you some time to really lay out the blueprint of who you want to target, who you want to go get, get your ducks in a row. And to Pete's point, when you talk about an audition, listen, winning cures all woes. If Bobby Petrino wins, then you'll have your answer.

Sam? Well, just briefly, that Virginia Tech opportunity is a great one. Just when it comes to recruiting, the DMV area has so much talent. So not only you're in the ACCC where you can compete, but also you have so much talent in that DMV area. So great opportunity for whoever the next coach is based off recruiting talent.

That's a great point. Again, one of four openings, as you mentioned, Oklahoma State, UCLA, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, hope by getting there early, they could fend off other schools, as many people believe, this is going to be a very busy hiring cycle. Thanks for joining us here today on College Football Live. We'll see you back here tomorrow, 2 Eastern, right here on ESPN. Did you know that there's an independent agency in Canada available to help if you've been unable to resolve a phone, internet, or television issue directly with your service provider?

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