College Football Live - CFB LIVE - LIVE FROM IOWA CITY

Episode Date: October 2, 2026

Join our crew Jen Lada, "Stanford" Steve Coughlin, Des Howard and Pete Thamel on today's episode of College Football Live. The desk talks about the anticipated game between Ohio State and Iowa. Preview some of the other big games this weekend. All this and more on today's episode of College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New from Nespresso. Blend wellness into your coffee routine with a coffee plus range, infused with functional benefits. Choose the coffee you love with added B vitamins, like coffee plus B12 to help support immune function, and coffee plus B6 to keep your day moving. Or go with the flow and choose ginseng delight. Our new double espresso with ginseng extract. Whatever lies ahead, don't change your morning. Let your morning change you.

Discover coffee plus on nispresso.com. Welcome to College Football Live, presented by Fire TV. You know, it's been a minute since we brought the show to Iowa City, but we had no choice after watching Iowa win that big game last week against Michigan, and you know Kinnick Stadium is going to be absolutely rocking when the Hawkeyes welcome in the Buckeyes for a ranked showdown on Saturday afternoon. You know, it's been raining here in Iowa City all week long. I was here earlier this week.

And here we go. Blue skies for Friday and Saturday. Might be an omen for the way that the Iowa season is going to go alongside Desmond Howard, Stanford, Steve, the authority, Pete Thammell. I am Jen Latter. Welcome in to college football live. We got a lot to talk about when it comes to this Iowa Hawkeyes team. So let's get right to it. You got to go back to 2017.

So for the last time that Iowa hosted Ohio State. And look away, Buckeye fans, because the Hawkeyes, well, they stunned y'all 5524 the final and those 55 points tied a program record for most against an AP ranked opponent now iowa has a chance to make history again a win tomorrow would be the first time since 1962 that they beat michigan and ohio state in the same season and when we check out the all state playoff predictor ohio state has the sixth best chance right now to reach the cfp that's at 69 percent iowa is 18 they've got a 23% chance. A win doesn't do much for the Buckeyes, but if the Hawkeyes pull off the upset, their chances to reach the playoffs more than double while Ohio States crashed down to about 40%.

So I think the big question for everybody watching is, guys, can Iowa do it? Can they pull off the upset tomorrow against Ohio State? Des, I'll start with you. I think if they're going to pull off the upset, it starts with them doing some stuff on special teams. You know, they've been known to be special. in that department.

It's not just scoring like a kickoff return or a plurter. Even though that helps a lot. It's like blocking a field goal, blocking a punt, doing things to control the field position. Your punter can be a huge weapon in a game like the one we're going to see tomorrow afternoon against the Buckeyes. So it's not always about scoring a touchdown. You can control the game by scoring,

by controlling field position. I think that's one way they may be able to see this beer out? I see it. I see it. I'm not to move. I'm just going to give it to you, Steve. Let's go all the way to the other side. Yeah, I'm going to give you some time over there, I'm going to stand still. Along with special teams, Iowa wins with its vaunted defense. And they're going to be missing a key member of that defense against Ohio State.

Tyler Brown is starting safety, is out. He's been dealing with the lingering lower body hamstring injury. And he's going to be replaced by a Villanova transfer named Anthony Hawkins. As for Ohio State coming into this game, Jen, two injuries we're going to keep our eye on. Starting tackle Philip Daniels is questionable, and we'll get a little bit more on him probably tomorrow on game day. And then they have a starting freshman nickel named Jay Timmons. He's been revelatory for Ohio State this year.

He went out in the last game. He's questionable again. Those two injuries will loom large for Ohio State in this game. Steve, how do they pull off the upset? They have to contain Jeremiah Smith. After what he did last week, 12 catches, 217 yards. The Illinois defensive coordinator gets fired. He becomes the first.

receiver in Ohio State history to eclipse 3,000 yards when you look at that lineage of wide receivers. And I trust Phil Parker to have a plan. They're not going to play as much band coverage as Illinois did. They're built around keeping guys in front of you. And everybody talks about Iowa doesn't have that difference maker, that first round talent on the defensive line. I still trust Phil Parker's team defense to assess pressure because there are some spots in Ohio State's offensive line that you could get after them. Speaking of offensive line, that's an area that not a lot of people are talking about is how good Iowa's offensive line has been this year. I believe they've only given up three sacks. So look for Hank to have some time back there

as he tries to distribute the football to his playmakers. All right. We will move on to Alabama, taking on Mississippi State because you got a couple of really good quarterbacks dueling in this one. Both Keelan Russell and Camaro Taylor are among the Heisman favorites and SEC passing leaders. They might lead the nation in draw dropping highlights. So lucky, Yes, guys, because these two guys are going to be on the same field tomorrow. What will we see Pete when these two teams square off? Well, I want to lead the nation hyperbole, Jen. I texted a few NFL scouts today.

I said, look, am I crazy to go on TV and say these two quarterbacks could be vying to be number one and number two in the 2028 NFL draft? Remember, they are true sophomores. They would have another year before they could be draft eligible. And the scouts are kind of like, not crazy. What was like, definitely Camario? We'll see on Kielan a little bit. It's early. Again, it's very, very early.

I will leave this comment by saying it's instructive that one month into this season, the preseason perception of who the top quarterbacks are going to be has already been blown on its head. As Desmond has pointed out about Fontaine Moore multiple times. It is a fickle world being a quarterback prospect. We've seen it two years in a row. Remember, we're at that Cal game guys,

whereas Fernando Mendoza versus Cam Ward, and not a single soul in that building thought those guys would be the two number one picks in the NFL draft in Berks. a couple years ago. So again, it is fickle, but right now, people are excited. They're taking notice. The raw skill is there. Yeah, no doubt about that. I'm excited to see these

quarterbacks play. There's no doubt about that, but I'll tell you what, fluff Bothwell, running back, Mississippi State, 5 foot 10 inches, 230 pounds, runs very reckless, averages 5.5 yards per carry, averaging 100 yards a game on the ground, just number two in the conference to Jaden Bogg.

Guys, look how he runs. He runs reckless. I mean, he's just a bowling ball. And not only that, he's an excellent receiver out of the backfield, too. 96 receiving yards and the receiving touchdown. I think to control the tempo of the game, Bothwell is going to be very important to Mississippi State. Yeah, and I get it. Everybody's going to talk about the quarterbacks in this game and how good they've been.

But there are other guys on the field that are plenty difference makers. I look at Alabama's defense, a very improved unit week to week. They've gotten better on that side of the ball. They have given up 18 plays of total. 20 yards or more. So how does Mississippi State attack that? Camaro throwing the ball to a guy like Anthony Evans, giving the ball to Fluff Bothwell.

You mentioned the 93 hit 55 last week in the win against Missouri. But Bama's defense has been a great job of creating turnovers. And then in second half of games, really putting the clamps on team. So how does this defense travel? We saw them be the difference in that road win against Kentucky, scoring touchdowns to help them out. How do they respond on the road in what will be a really, really cool atmosphere? Yeah, something to keep it up.

eye on, though. You mentioned that defense. They are fourth in FBS on third down conversion rate, but 111th in the red zone. So for some reason, when things get tight, they struggle in that space. We'll keep an eye on that in that game tomorrow. That game will kick off. Our Saturday triple header on

ABC, it is followed by Florida taking on Missouri. That's at 3.30. And then we wrap things up at 7.30 with an ACC showdown. That's when number four, Miami heads to Death Valley. All of those games can be found on the ESPN. app. Pete, let's take a spin around college football. What else are you monitoring?

Well, Jen, a strange story at San Diego State, which hosts Texas State this weekend. They are dealing with a mumps outbreak for the third consecutive week between both traditional injuries and the mumps. And there's been, according to county health officials, 14 players within the senior team has tested positive for mumps over the past few weeks. They're going to be down 10 starters against Texas state. No end in sight. It takes three weeks for months to manifest themselves. So it's almost been COVID-like for San Diego State as they've dealt with this. As for tonight, the opening of the new Ryan Field for Northwestern, they're going to be without star tight end, Luke Denneke. I was just told by sources he'd been doubtful. He is not

going to play tonight. Also not going to play as Braden Turner is starting defensive back. Damon Walters, another starter at defensive back is going to be a game time decision. Sources did say Hayden Elagon, a star receiver. They feel very optimistic. He'll be back for Northwestern. And finally, for Pitt tonight, they get some good news on the injury report. Leading returning rusher, Jacari and Turner is expected to return tonight. It is still pending on how he looks pregame warmups. He's going to be listed as game time.

But Turner is back. They will still be without leading receiver Malik Knight. He has not played for a bit for the Panthers. He was one of their big additions in the offseason at that receiver position, Jim. Coming up on college football live, Florida jumped 13 spots in the poll after a massive win over Ole Miss last Saturday. Can the Gators keep it rolling? On the Road against Missouri, we'll break it all down next. College Football Live is presented by Fire TV.

New from Nespresso. Blend wellness into your coffee routine with the coffee plus range infused with functional benefits. Choose the coffee you love with added B vitamins, like coffee plus B12 to help support immune function, and coffee plus B6 to keep your day moving. Or go with the flow and choose ginseng delight. Our new double espresso with ginseng extract. Whatever lies ahead, don't change your morning. Let your morning change you.

Discover Coffee Plus on espresso.com. College Football Live, presented by Fire TV. The seven-game SEC slate features superstar quarterbacks battling in Starkville, and Georgia puts his 52-game win streak against unranked opponents on the line against Vandy, while Red Hot Florida heads to Columbia to face Missouri. after climbing into the top 10 in the AP poll. Big slate of SEC games. What are you going to be watching for, Pete?

Well, I'm going to be watching in Athens, Jen. A big storyline is Jared Curtis, star freshman quarterback for Vanderbilt. Remember, a former Georgia commit is going to come down to a game time decision. He's been dealing, Clark Lee said he's been banged up. His injury isn't specified. I was told that Jared Curtis went through Vanderbilt's walk through today

with no issue. He will not be cleared to play until he is evaluated in pre-game warmups tomorrow. His intention is to play, but he will be a pure game time decision tomorrow. This obviously looms large over that game. It certainly is a storyline. Now, Blaise Berlowitz, remember, started the years Vanderbilt starter as they worked Curtis in. But he, Des will have all eyes on Athens tomorrow. Guys, how about Tennessee, offensive line?

Man, they struggled last week against Texas. Now, coming to that Texas game, they averaged 299 yards on the ground per contest and 6.7 yards per carry. But when they played against the long horns, only 70 yards on the ground and 1.6 yards per carry. And then obviously the quarterback, he got sacked a dozen times, 10 times. So they're going to have to get healthy quick. They lost their left guard, Windale Moe, and they kind of beat up on offensive lines. So I want to watch their O line moving forward.

Yeah, he got hurting the fourth play in the game, too. So that really hurt, put them in the tough spot. I'm looking at Kentucky with a nice shiny ranking number 24 next to the next to the first. their name, which we're not accustomed to seeing a lot, but they go into South Carolina. We know what Kentucky made their mark this season, going to college station, getting that impressive win against A&M. They've slept walks through a win against South Alabama this week. Now you're going into what feels like a last stand atmosphere for South Carolina.

We know about the Dylan Stewart suspension, but Lenora Sellers has to play better. That's a dangerous, tricky spot for a first time head coach like Will Stein, really intriguing to see what Kentucky looks like tomorrow. So a really interesting slate in the SEC. Time now for our good year fast plays, and it is Florida running back. Jada Vaugh. He has emerged, guys, as a serious Heisman contender. Through four games, he leads the country with 11 rushing touchdowns.

He ranks second in the FBS with 600 rushing yards as well. He has also made history already posting 100 plus yards and multiple touchdowns in all four games this season that is tied for the longest such stretch in the last 20 years. It will be a big road test for the Gators. Missouri. How can they keep that momentum going? What can Missouri do to slow him down, Steve? Yeah, well, I look at the matchup, right? And what's made this Florida offense so good is the balance. You know, Philos had open throws off that play action in the run.

Now, I look at the other side, Missouri. Missouri's offense is built a lot like that Florida offense. You know, you get in the pistol, you run the wide zone. Missouri's done that for years under Eli. So how does his defense coordinator, Corey Batum, attack that? He's seen it for years in practice. I believe they'll have a good plan. I don't expect ball to get the numbers that he's gotten. Missouri will play well tomorrow. Well, Cory Batoon's going to be looking at the injury report, Steve,

because Florida has been playing receiver roulette on that injury report. Good news is Eric Singleton will be back. Remember, he got banged up early in that FAU game. He'd have been a game time decision in the last two weeks. He's been full go for Florida this week. All eyes on warmups will be on Vernel Brown. VB3 is going to be a pure game time decision for the Gators. And good news this week, Bailey Stockton,

who had been banged up and listened as questionable, is expected to play for the Gators in Columbia in that 3.30 ABC game. So there'll be a little uncertainty headed into that. Yeah, no doubt about that. Guys, listen, if Missouri is going to have a chance in this game, you look at this floor of the offense and they run through Jaden Ba. You're going to have to make Philo make throws when he doesn't want to. At this point, they're really, really comfortable.

Because the offense goes through Ba'a, Fylo only throws the ball when he wants to, and that's a comfort level. You have to, if they're right-handed, you're going to have to make them play with their left hand, meaning stack the box. I think Missouri has seven talented guys in their front seven that can get after the offensive line for the gators. Stack the box. Make sure that Philo is going to beat you, not Jaden Baugh. I think that's the recipe for a success for them.

I'm sorry, go ahead. No, and we already know that their offensive line is doing a great job run blocking because we just talked about Baas numbers. But I'm also told that they have a season low two sacks this season, that they've allowed just two sacks. So credit where credit is due, that Florida offensive line comes to play each and every week. All right, guys, the ACC is in the spotlight. Virginia Tech and Pitt squaring off tonight. Then Miami hits the road for a major test tomorrow. We're going to break all of that down next on College Football Live.

College Football Live is presented by Fire TV. New from Nespresso. Blend wellness into your coffee routine with a coffee plus range infused with functional benefits. Choose the coffee you love with added B vitamins, like coffee plus B12 to help support immune function, and coffee plus B6 to keep your day moving. Or go with the flow and choose ginseng delight. Our new double espresso with ginseng extract. Whatever lies ahead, don't change your morning. Let your morning change you. Discover coffee plus on espresso.com. Hear that? It's your money calling. It wants a promotion.

Elevate your savings with the Scotia high-interest savings account. Always earn high regular interest rates that grow the more you save and invest. Conditions apply. Visit Scotia Bank.com slash h-I-SA to learn more. Scotia Bank. You're richer than you think. We've got Malachi Tony, all-access. Pat's kicking is easy contest.

We're going to be talking about tossing hay bales. We're going to be talking about the wave. It's going to have a very Iowa City flavor on college game. Saturday morning. The ACC serves up a battle of four and O teams. For a week five appetizer tonight as Pitt and Virginia Tech meet in Blacksburg, Saturday's menu features eight games including Notre Dame, visiting Bill Belichick's Tar Heels and Miami going into Death Valley to face Clemson.

Give us something to watch in these games, Steve. Well, we have history at Lane Stadium. These are the first power four teams to be four and O and both be unranked, which is that in this, since we got the big conferences. but Virginia Tech's got the best player on the field, and that's Luke Reynolds. They're tight end. He already has 30 catches. He had 12 in one game against Maryland, a touchdown.

He's his versatile is, and I believe he has a chance to be TE1 when it comes to the NFL track. He's got that kind of game, man. He puts his hand in the dirt, and he can run some routes. He's that good. And on the other side, you got Pitt. They're fourth in the country, a patch yard of game. Should be an exciting game with plenty.

Who's getting that spot to play Miami in the ACC championship game? I feel confident Miami's going to be there. Who are they going to play? And that's also a chance at a playoff spot. Yeah. Well, as unsurprising it is that Steve would tout a tight end is Jeff Brom having a star quarterback. Lincoln Kynholz has obviously been one of the breakout players of this college football season, both running and passing for the Cardinal.

As for Saturday against NC State, Louisville coach Jeff Brom just told me the Keynotes is going to be a game time decision. He said they will not know whether or not he starts. He's been dealing with the lower body injury. You can see him limping off the few. there with what appears to be an ankle injury. So look, they are going to evaluate him as he goes. Now, I was told in the last 24 hours that he was trending towards playing. So he's going to shoot up.

He's going to attempt to go. They will not make a final decision to warm up. So it looks like it's headed in the right direction for Lincoln Keynes. So it's a big deal for Louisville. I like King Holzer a lot. I hope he's able to suit up. Guys, Miami on the road to Clemson, going to Death Valley. My concern is this.

This time of the year, now we're in October. Teams go one or two ways. They start getting beat up, but they start to assess. established an identity. When you look at Miami, Miami is starting to really get beat up, guys. You look at running back Tramara Brown. He's out.

Wide receiver Josh Moore. He's out. O.J. Federique, the defensive back. He's out. Mark Fletcher, the running back. He's been banged up, but he's going to play. And the list goes on and on. Then the flip side, guys, is Clemson.

We're trying to figure out what's this Clemson team going to look like this season, especially after the LSU game, right? And now they're starting to establish an identity. They're starting to run the ball. ball with Gideon Davidson. Tate Reynolds is starting to get some confidence. This could be a very, very tricky game for Miami tomorrow night down in Death Valley, guys. Keep an eye on

this one. And it's going to rain. It's going to rain. Yeah, they're waiting for storms. There's thunderstorms. There's thunderstorms. I know it's a dirty word to say thunderstorms on TV because we don't want to jinx anybody, but I've just seen some reports today that that could muddy things up a little. I wonder who is. And if Taylor McGregor and Company will be there. Oh, it's definitely delayed if Taylor neighbor there.

Mentsa, though, has won in Death Valley when he was with Duke. So he has that. It was a shootout, too, like, what, 46 to 45? Something like that. And then there is the Notre Dame game against UNC, Steve. What should we be watching for on that one? Yeah, people are looking to see if that's a possible upset. I don't see it.

I mean, Notre Dame's defense, but you could talk about, you know, the opponents who they've played. I just look at the personnel on the defensive side. They're first in the country allowing only 199 yards per game. Great defense is travel. Markets Freeman's got to feel good about having that defense and traveling. Saw them overcome things offensively in that game against Lambo against what I think is a very good Wisconsin defense. But I just don't see it.

I think Notre Dame is that good. And it does feel like CJ Carr is getting better every time we see him out there. Yes. In his blind side, Melchard Abu Jowday, who led the ACC in Saks for game last year, he missed the last game for UNC against Clemson. He's still, it's unknown if he's going to play for UNC this weekend. He's trying to come back. He'd appeared with a cast on his head.

hand there. That's obviously a huge deal for Bill Belichick because you need someone really to get in that backfield and obviously rattle C.J. Carr and he is their best defensive player for the target. Do you worry about a trap game though at all if you're going up against UNC when you've got BYU looming on your schedule? You've got Miami looming on your schedule.

For Notre Dame? I do not because the senior leadership. Anytime you have a great team, any great team I was on, we had great senior leadership. We had, we're like a player-led team. I believe because of guys like C.J. Carr, they're not going to look ahead, so to speak. They're going to take it one week at a time.

They're going to like, I think their philosophy is like, let's go one and oh every week. You hear that a lot. All right, guys, it is time now for game picks brought to you by Dix's Sporting Goods. Let's begin with the Pitt, Virginia Tech game. Pete, give us one thing to watch. Well, I think it's got to be Jakar and Turner's return. He really hasn't played since the first game for Pitt this year. It's pending warmups again, but I really think he's going to give that offense some juice,

especially they've had some injury situations at the receiver position. This is not going to be a high scoring game, guys. This is going to be grunt and grind. Yeah, I think it's going to be a low school. Well, black and blue. You know, Nordusie's going to play well against them. The good thing for Virginia Tech fans and James Franklin, as I pointed out, Pitt doesn't have a ranking or a number next to them.

Virginia Tech wins this game at night in Lane Stadium. I'm a huge Narduzzi fan. Like, I really believe in his philosophy, but I'm going to go with James Franklin and Virginia Tech simply because they're at home. Close game, probably a three-point game, but I'm going to go with the Hokies. Meanwhile, we've got Penn State versus Northwestern. peak, give us one thing to watch in this Big Ten matchup. This is one of the biggest nights in

Northwestern football history. That's not an overstatement. They have an $850 million stadium reno. They're showing off. They hired Chip Kelly to bring an offense to match it. This is a big deal. This was Northwestern saying, hey, we need to keep up with the times to be competitive in the Big Ten. They just gave David Braun a contract extension. They brought in Chip.

They don't want to get left behind in this era. And so far, as they played this year, you could see that the roster investment is matching, but it's hard to overstate how big this is, night showcase new near billion dollar stadium for Northwestern. Penn State coming off a loss. Yeah.

And when you look at Northwestern, I know nobody wants to count these, but as the season goes on, I believe last week was a good loss at Indiana. What Chip did and moving the pocket and getting Aiden Childs out on the edge, they held the ball and did what they wanted in the second half. I believe that continues. I'm taking Northwestern, it should be an awesome, awesome. You talked about that second half. Indiana's defense in that second half had Aiden Childs looking like Vince.

young. I just want to see they're going to be able to continue that tonight. So I'm going Northwestern too. All right. I got you. Should be a good one in the big 10. All right. That's going to do it for college football live here. Do not forget a huge Iowa show tomorrow as we preview the Iowa Ohio State game right here at Kinnick Stadium for these fans. Going to be loud, going to be crowded. Get here early if you're planning like coming down to join us for college game day at 9 a.m. Eastern.