College Football Live - CFB LIVE - LIVE FROM AUSTIN TEXAS

Episode Date: September 11, 2026

Join our crew Jen Lada, "Stanford" Steve Coughlin, Des Howard and Pete Thamel on today's episode of College Football Live. Thamel gives updates from across the world of College Football. The crew talks the two big SEC v BIG TEN matchups this weekend. Des Howard breaks down the wide receivers for both Texas and Ohio State. All this and more on today's episode of College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Early morning on a Manhattan sidewalk, a shooting caught on surveillance video. It was an assassination style killing, and everybody saw it. A new podcast series from ABC Audio in 2020 goes inside this captivating case. I'm ABC News legal analyst Brian Buckmeyer. Listen to Burden of Proof, Luigi Mangione, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to College Football Live. presented by Fire TV. Austin, Texas, Arch and Sark and Bebo are ready to defend the 40 acres and D.K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

As they welcome in, although not likely very hospitably, the visiting Buckeyes, number one Ohio State trying to knock around number four, Texas again. And with that, we welcome you in to college football live. No question. This is the biggest game on the slate this week. 2026 officially underway and the landscape, of course, starting to take shape. He's Desmond Howard, Stanford, Steve, the authority, Pete Thammel and I am Jen Latta. So there is no question. This is a very big game. But Pete, how big is it?

I think it's huge, especially for Texas. Look, two years ago in the playoff. We all remember Jack Sawyer darting down that sideline as Ohio State ripped the game away. And obviously last year was a slog in Columbus. So it's a big one for the Longhorn, Steve. Yeah, and the anticipation, everybody knew this game was coming. You got a top five matchup with both teams. Ohio State has fared better than Texas in these spots.

But Texas has another opportunity. We'll see. Yeah, guys. We talk about this all the time. It's just great. It's refreshing to see two blue blood programs decide to play each other this early in the season without worrying about ramifications of down the road, the CFP and all that stuff. This is a big win for all of us and especially the fans.

Good to see where you stack up against some of the other top teams in the country. But of course, you cannot talk about this matchup without talking about last year's matchup to start the season. Last year the Buckeyes won this one, 147, the final in Columbus, and a defense that really shut down Arch Manning and the horns. Manning and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayan will take Center Sage in a game that is loaded with stars. Sayan passed for 320 yards and three TDs in the opener, while Manning had 305 yards and four TDs. Both are among the early Heisman favorites.

They've also got superstar receivers to target. Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith leads FBS in just about every receiving category since his debut in 2024. Texas will counter with Cam Coleman and the nation, he's the nation's top transfer, and Ryan Wingo, who led the horns in receiving last season. And they are your players to watch. It's brought to you by Ripplings after Smith and Coleman and Wingo all found the end zone in week one. It appears they are all warmed up and ready for Saturday showdown. Desmond, what do we need to know about these star wideouts? Yeah, guys, we have three exceptional receivers that's going to be featured tomorrow night's matchup. Let's start with this young man right here.

Ryan Wingo, he's right here in the slot. This is going to be a jet sweep. He's like a gadget player. Sark likes to use him in various situations. Now, he is banking that Ryan Wingo can beat this safety to a spot. Well blocked. Let's see if it works. There he is.

He gets to the corner. Boom. Touchdown. I'm betting on Ryan every day of the week and twice on Saturdays with his speed. Now, Cam Coleman, transfer from Auburn, 6'4, 210 pounds. He's going to run what we call. a bang eight or a skinny post on this cornerback right here. He has to beat the corner with the route and Arch has to beat this safety with the throw.

Let's watch it unfold right here. One, two, three, five, boom, there he is. And that's what he did. Arch beat him with the throw and then Coleman uses his body to shield the defensive back away from the ball. Another touchdown for this duel. You're going to see a lot of that tomorrow night and throughout the season. Jeremiah Smith, this man may be the main event. They say he's the best wide receiver in all of college football.

He's not going to blow you away with his route running. This is an out and up, but man on man, when he goes up to catch the ball, he has strong hands, and the ball is right here. You can see it's coming off of his helmet. What does Jeremiah do? He holds it up with one hand to show you. Yes, everybody, it is a catch. It is a touchdown.

Now, supremely confident player in his hands. I'll tell you guys, we're in for a show from the wide receiver position tomorrow night. No doubt, Desmond. Now, look, a September loss doesn't doom either team's playoff hopes implicitly, but here's what the numbers say. Ohio State improves its chances of making the CFP to 93% with a win, but they fall to 68% with a loss. And look at Texas, very similar.

Moves to 90% with a win and drops to 64% with a loss. So much talent on the field in this matchup. Dez doing a great job of showing us some of it. What do you think will be the difference maker in this one, Pete? Well, a couple weeks to go during camp, the city of Austin Jen held its collective breath when Trevor Gooseby went down with a knee injury in camp. And they really got the best case scenario. I had a bone bruise.

Not great. But considering all the options when you're a big man with a knee injury, it wasn't bad. So he came back earlier than expecting against Texas State, played 52 snaps. He's a projected top 10 pick at left tackle. The other Texas O-line news, other than Goosby coming back and only giving up one pressure, the entire O line against Texas State only give up one pressure guys is Cole Hudson. He's still in a little bit of eligibility limbo right now

coming off of his TRO. But important to know, when he does come back, the expectation is he's not going to be a starting offensive lineman for the Longhorns, which he had been earlier in his career. They liked the five they have, and that five maybe Steve hadn't been the best five for them last year when Arch was getting pressure a lot.

Yeah, and that's what I look at for the key to this game, Pete. When you think about Ohio State and Texas, I just wanted to see better offensive line play last week against inferior competition. And I think in order to win this game, you got to keep your quarterback protected. You got to get movement on the line of scrimmage in the run game. You got to give time for those receivers to get open, as Des pointed out with their star potential. So it's got to be more buttoned up on the offensive line. And I believe whoever plays better on the offensive line wins this game.

I'm looking forward to Arch Manning playing a much better game than he did a year ago. I think he had the yips, you know, plays were there to be made. I thought Sarkesian called a brilliant game. Just the execution was lacking. So many plays where guys were running wide open down the field and Arch Manning would look and then he would go to his checkdown. But the way he ended last season, I think that's the Arch Manning we're going to see Saturday night.

Now, if they get that version of him, then they have a wide open office. The playbook is going to be open for Sarkesian. He has two running backs for League Brown, obviously, Hollywood Smothers. And then that man right there. Wingo. And we talked about Cam Coleman. earlier. I just think they have so much firepower. They just, they're going to give Arch so much

confidence going out there tomorrow night against the Buckeyes. I really do expect to see a completely different Archmanaging than what we saw a year ago against the Buckeyes. All excellent points. And yet last year's game 14 to 7, which might have surprised some people who thought they would see all of that offensive firepower. If it comes down to defense tomorrow, Steve, who has the edge? Oh, I think Texas has less spots to fill. I think they have, you know, more differential. top five pick. I look at Texas at home with the crowd involved. I give the edge of Texas defense. Marissa, our fantastic researcher, reminds us that the Ohio State lost seven defenders to the NFL draft. We're not going to put you on camera. Look, she's hiding out of the car.

That's so funny. Ducking behind her computer thinking that she's going to make another television debut. But of course, they did lose all that talent to the NFL and we'll have to replace it this season. Tomorrow, that game rounds out our Saturday SEC on ABC College Football Triple Heather. We kick things off at noon when number 10 Texas A&M hosts Arizona State, followed by number 12, Alabama and Kentucky, that game in Lexington. All games are also available on the ESPN app. All right, one of the craziest moments of week one, Michigan, falling out of the rankings after barely beating Western Michigan on that Hail Mary pass.

A second was put back on the clock after a controversial replay review, which allowed Bryce Underwood one last play to give Michigan the win. Now the Wolverines face the 11th. 11th ranked Oklahoma Sooners in another Big Ten SEC tilt. Last year, Bryce Underwood actually struggled against Oklahoma's defense, completing just nine of his 24 passes, and he was not a factor in the run game. So when you think about all of those things and these two teams facing off again,

what adjustments does Michigan need to make to be competitive against Oklahoma does? You know, well, we're just lost in the whole clock management thing is that was a hell of a throw, an incredible catch. I'm not JJ Buchanan. I mean, you got to get credit with credit is due. I just think I want to switch gears. Look at the defense, though. Obviously, Underwood, offense, a lot of talk about them throughout the week.

But how about the defense? They could not get off the field. You're looking at a Western Michigan offense that won the time of possession. They held the ball for more than 40 minutes. They converted their third downs at a clip of almost 45%. They moved the ball up and down the field. But when they got in the red zone, they couldn't score touchdowns. They kicked field goals.

And that was part of the difference in the score. I think defensively, they're going to, going to have to have to bone up up front and going to have to win some one-on-one battles because now they're going up against a John Mateer offense. John Mater, though he did not run the ball that much a week ago, I do expect them to run the ball against Michigan's defense. Well, Kyle Whittingham's comment about Bryce Underwood that his tenure was not infinite, got a lot of buzz this week.

It got a pretty tepid reaction. I'm from Bryce Wonderwood himself when the media asked about it. Look, this quarterback situation at Michigan is fine. Tommy Carr is the number two, true freshman. He's obviously the brother of C.J. Carr, Notre Dame's store quarterback. It's no case where reps were switched this week or cars nipping at Underwood's heels right now. There's certainly a sense and an urgency that Underwood needs to play better. But so do Michigan's receivers and so do the running backs.

And I know, Steve, you really feel like their offensive line needs to step up as well. Yeah, the other thing, too, does that no one is talking about, that no one wants to hear, especially in Ann Arbor. I think Western Michigan's good football team. I mean, you look at what they had coming back. They're really well-coached team. So regardless, moving out to this week, when I watched Michigan last week, I mean, it's Michigan. I expected dominant offensive line play, and I just didn't see it. Obviously, in this day and age, everybody's going to talk about the quarterback, not executing,

but they could do a way better job of getting more balance on the offense. And that starts with improving run blocking and giving him time to throw the football. So when I look at that, again, it's boring, but I believe it's the key of the game, just like Texas and Ohio State because Oklahoma comes in a little disheveled too with some injuries. on their offensive lines. So whatever unit from those two offensive lines plays better, I believe wins the game. No doubt, Michigan, well aware of John Mateer's running abilities since he ran for two touchdowns against them last year.

So they'll be keeping an eye out for that. Pete, what else is going on around the college football landscape? Well, we've got a busy afternoon, Jen, on the injury report. We're going to start with Oklahoma. They have a big shuffling on their offensive line right now. Left tackle Michael Fasusi is going to be out for that game at Michigan. The good news, Jake Michaela, the story. center comes back and is going to return in that game. Ryan Foggi comes off the injury report as

well and it's going to start at left tackle. For Arizona, two key players are eligible in the offer their TRO. Ismail Madi, the leading returning tailback and starting linebacker Max Harris are both on the plane to BYU and expected to play. DJ Lagway, not surprising when you saw him limping around at the end of that Auburn game. He's not going to play against Prairie View. Nate Bennett gets his first career start. And tonight, four Virginia against Norfolk State, star linebacker Cam Robinson returns. Tony Elliott told me when a big play needs to happen on defense, we expect Cam Robinson to make it.

He's a huge boost to the whoosh. Let's face it, guys, after week zero, have some pretty good momentum in the ASEC. Absolutely. Tough to see DJ Lagway on that list, though, again, after everything that young man has been through in his college career. All right, coming up on college football live, we're going to highlight the other top storylines

as team prepare to take the field for week two. College Football Live is presented by Fire TV and impart by Liberty Mutual Insurance only pay for what you need In Toronto, every arrival is a statement and nothing says it better than this

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S&P Global Mobility Canadian New Vehicle Total Registrations for calendar year 2025 for the Cadillac definition of luxury. To College Football Live presented by Fire TV. Time now for fast plays. It's brought to you by Goodyear. The Miami Hurricanes dominated Florida A&M in their home opener cruising to a 77 to seven win. Those 77 points tied a program record and tied the fourth most points scored in a game in ACC history. Malachi Tony had four receptions for 96 yards and a tutty. Week two is more than just Ohio State and Texas and Oklahoma and Michigan. Quarterback Camario Taylor leads Mississippi State into Minnesota for the third SEC Big Ten clash of the day. And a pair of quarterbacks will look to build on a strong week one when Keelan Russell leads Alabama into Kentucky,

and freshman Faison, Brandon, and Tennessee visit Georgia Tech. So we mentioned there's a lot of other games going on as we continue the college football season. What will you be watching for, Des? I'm about Kentucky. You mentioned Keelan Russell. Keelan had a really solid game, 18 for 30, 256 yards through the air. He rushed for 86 yards on the ground, one touchdown. He didn't throw any touchdowns, though.

But he didn't throw any interception. So he kept the ball of harm's way. But that was a home game. Now he's going on the road playing a Kentucky team whose coach Will Stein said, hey, everybody, sneak a flask in if you have to. We just need everybody here. So it's going to be a rowdy environment. I'm curious to see the communications between him, the O.C, the offensive line,

because they had some issues at home a week ago getting the ball snapped in time. So on the road, I got to keep an eye out for that, guys. I also wonder if they could rely on their defense if things splutter early, you know, on the offense. which we haven't seen that from Alabama. You mentioned Camario Taylor. I don't know how I feel about the Super Camario. Do you like that nickname? I'm not sure.

I heard people use it. So I look at him. His first road start going to Minnesota in a really interesting game when you talk about the SEC going to play in Big Ten Country. I believe Minnesota is a very solid football team. PJ Fleck always has his teams, you know, ready to go. I believe this is a huge opportunity for Minnesota

to move themselves. And when you start talking about those upper, tier big 10 teams. So I think Mississippi State better be careful of Minnesota and what they got and what should be a sold out crowd. I'm going to go to Stillwater to the other elite quarterback matchup of the day. Obviously a lot of eyes on

Arch and Julian saying here there are going to be 13 NFL teams, 20 scouts, and two GMs in Stillwater for Dante Moore versus Drew Mestemaker. No, Steve, they haven't given up on Drew Mestemaker yet after one start there. What I'm really curious to see from Oklahoma State guys is what they'll do at left tackle without

Jacob Sexton. Their best offensive lineman. He went on the first series of that Tulsa game, and they were shuffling linemen in and out, in and out. Oregon, as we know, has four top 50 NFL prospects on their D-line alone. So how Eric Morris adjust to this, who starts at left tackle, that's going to be really key to whether Drew Messonmaker can find the flow that he didn't have with all those NFL eyes watching. Last year's game 69 to three between Oregon and Oklahoma State. Now, as you mentioned,

an entirely new Oklahoma State roster, so let's see how they handle that situation. All right, tonight, Boston College has their home opener. It's against Rutgers. It's the 13th annual red bandana game honoring Wells Crowther, the former Boston College, the cross player who lost his life saving others in the September 11 terrorist attacks. On the 25th anniversary, Boston College reflects

on the lasting impact of the man in the red bandana. The amazing life and legacy of Wells Crowder, this red bandana game in his honor. It's a big game for Boston College because it's in memory of Wells Crowther who sacrificed his life from 9-11 to save people. When he played lacrosse of BC, wore a red bandana underneath his helmet and he actually wore it the day that the planes hit. One of the people that he saved said it was a man in a red bandana that saved me.

To run into the fire, to have no hesitation. And it's literally saying, if you can stand, get up. Help me, help these people. He sacrificed his life to save people when he didn't have to. It means everything to us. And we put on for him every single. Everybody at Boston College, everybody that know the story, look at him as a hero. There's a real sense of unity from every person in there wearing their red band-dandas and

connecting with the team on the field and connecting with Wells and the Crowler family. That day is not about you. It's not about you. It's about somebody that did something special. And we're doing it for him, so everything that that Jersey say on the back is for him. Promise us to be an emotional evening for sure. 25 years later, we remember Wells and all those whose lives were lost in the events of September 11th. We've got more college football live right after this.

College Football Live is presented by Fire TV. Started at 9 a.m. tomorrow right here in Austin. Glenn Powell, I'm Chad. He's the celebrity guest picker. Pat's kicking his easy contest. Don't miss a single moment. It comes your way 9 a.m. Easter. And you know, the fun has already started right here in Austin.

EA Sports hosted the ultimate tailgate last night, featuring a performance by Chris Stapleton. and appearances by various Longhorn legends, including Vince Young and Colt McCoy. And, you know, they just keep it going here in the city that is weird because students have been lining up camping out since 3 p.m. yesterday. It's just another example of how huge this game is, guys, not just from a matchup standpoint, which we have covered here on the show,

but from a big picture college football standpoint as well. Pete, can we expect more games of this magnitude in college football's future? Well, Jen, they keep Austin weird and they keep college football complicated. Yes, but with an askerous. So this week, we got a signal flare that we are headed toward a 24-team playoff. Not a guarantee, just a signal flare. It was the triggering of a 30-day negotiating window for ESPN, which owns the rights exclusively to the college football playoff with the CFP.

The negotiation is to go to 24 games. The expectation is if we get to 24 games, that there would be some type of scheduling arrangement between the Big Ten and the SEC for a 10th game. So obviously each league now plays nine games, conference games, finally. They're a 10th game between these two, which could clearly spice up week one, two, and three, which need a little bit of salsa at this point.

So it is week two. We've got number one versus number four. Steve, why do games like this matter right now? Well, I think they're huge because the coaching staffs find out what they have. You know, I mean, the way practices now with the limited amount of time of contact and full padded practices, you know, But quarterbacks aren't live in practice. You've got to see what you got.

And I think when you throw a number next to a team and you're like, all right, we've got a ranked team here. You know, we're going to find out what we want. I just think it's a, it's validation for the coaching staffs with their teams. I grew up through 100%. When I played, we are non-conference schedule game was against teams like Notre Dame, UCLA, you know, Miami or Florida. So I would love to get back to that.

And I believe it's great for the fans. That's why you should do it. All right. Time now for game picks brought to you by Dick's Sporting Goods. Rutgers coming off a loss to UMass last week. They're headed to Boston College, as we mentioned. That game on ESPN 2, 7.30 p.m. Pete, give us one thing to watch.

Well, former BC quarterback, Dylan Lonrigan, won the starting job at Rutgers. He got injured in that loss to UMass. A.J. Soros, son of Princeton coach, Bob Saras, will make his first career start for the Scarlet Knights in Chestnut Hill tonight. Steve, what do you be paying attention to? That right there, because it was bad for Rutgers last week. I mean, losing the UMass. and BC wasn't much better against Cincinnati.

Who you're picking? I like Rutgers. I'll go with Rutgers. They got an NFL receiver. He scored three touchdowns last week. I think Boston College is still up against it from a talent standpoint. Rutgers learns from their loss. Gets the win.

That guy's a shout out to my man, Marty Jacobson. He's the biggest UMass supporter on the planet. That was a huge win for Marty last week. And I don't think that Rutgers can bounce back. So I'm going with Boston College. Oh, all right. I appreciate that. Number 23, Missouri headed to Kansas for the

border showdown. What if I've learned anything over the past 24 hours is a lot of hatred between these two teams. Pete, what should we be watching for in this rivalry? Well, busy injury card on this one. Kaden Green, the starting left tackle for Missouri, is back and he will start tonight for the Tigers. Still no Ahmad Hardy for the Tigers, Jen. He obviously is still recovering from that gunshot wound. He hasn't even started to practice yet. For Kansas, a big linebacker is out in this game, Bam Crouch, a BC transfer. And we'll see game time decision for Cam Pickett, who's Kansas is best receiver. I'd expect him to go and we'll see how much is determined by how he is in warm-ups.

About 30 left. Steve, who are you going with? Missouri. I thought Austin Simmons looked great last week. Missouri's got a legit quarterback. I went through Austin Simmons to transfer from Ole Miss. I like his style. I think Missouri will win this game too. Talk about the fans. You talk about people who are going to get behind this game.

People very excited in that neck of the woods for how this one is going to shake out Kansas taking on Missouri. All right. The big game, of course, is here in Austin. You've got Ohio State, you've got Texas, a rematch of sorts from last year's game. Will it go differently? Will it go the same? And what implications will it have on the rest of the college football landscape?

All of that and more discussed tomorrow morning on college game day live at 9 Eastern.