College Football Live - CFB Live - Reaction to Big 12 Media Days, Big 12 Contenders

Episode Date: July 9, 2026

On today's episode of CFB Live, Zubin Mehenti, EJ Manuel, and Sam Acho react to fallout of Big 12 media days, ranking contenders, and assessing what Texas Tech should do at Quarterback. All this and more on CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. Hey there, welcome to college football live.

Maybe it was intentional. Maybe it wasn't intentional. But the bottom line is the Big 12 savvily chose to make sure they were the first powerful conference to have the media day to grab some extra attention, warranted or otherwise. And boy, did they get it. And here to talk about it this season, all season long, the return of E.J. Manuel and Sam Lacho, guys, it's great to have you back.

I think you know where we're going to start in the Big 12. But over the last couple days, there were some other stories besides Texas Tech. We'll talk about the Red Raiders in a second. A little bit later in the show, we'll be talking about the Heisman candidacy of that guy, Noah Fafito. One guy, one school, his entire career. What a concept. TCU could be rescued by an Ivy League quarterback, but of course, you know the deal. It's all about Texas Tech and the Soresby drama and that guy not shying away from it.

One thing that I truly believe in is to bring a team together, shared success as part of it, but shared adversity brings you even closer. And, you know, the last couple months we've gone through some adversity. We've got a strong, really strong leadership group, Camp Dickie, Jacoby Williams, Howard Samson, guys like that, and just really strong people. And they kept this focused on football. And no point that I feel, you know, over the last few months that anything's taken away from the football as far as in the building.

There's only been two teams in the history of this conference, no matter who's been in the conference, there's only been two teams that have won back-to-back Big 12 championship. We want to do something that very few teams have been able to do, and that's to win the Big 12 championship again. Some adversity. That's an interesting way to put it. Take a look at the Texas Tech roster when it comes to quarterback depth.

When they picked up Francis there from Tulsa, they probably thought, well, you know, it's a nice insurance policy, gives us some depth. Now he could be one snap away because we're going to talk about their erstwhile starter here in a second. Let's start here with E.J. It would be medical malpractice or anchor malpractice to not start with you, considering you are the quarterback on the program today. How would you think about where they stand right now with Will Hammond, still working his way back, and Soresby definitely not coming back? Well, Zubman, there's two thoughts that come to mind. The first is around Will Hammond. Is he now,

rushing or is he being rushed unintentionally because there's no Brennan Sorstby here to start as the quarterback for this Texas Tech football team. Keep in mind when they went to the offseason, it was a hard push to get Sorceby. Everybody and their mama wanted Sources to come and play quarterback for them, but they landed them. And then

ultimately it just happened to where they had some bad luck. The betting allegations came out. He's no longer able to play. So now do you try to all of a sudden push Will Hammond to be ready to play? And the second part to this, if Hammond does play, and let's say he has a issue with the or another injury.

What are the backups like? Are they going to have some guys behind Hammond that if Will Hammond's not able to go for the longevity of the season, you still have a roster that's built to win a championship, certainly built to win a Big 12 championship? What are the third and second string guys going to look like potentially if they have to come in and play? I know they brought in a transfer,

but ultimately that would be my biggest question mark around this Texas Tech football team. Don't rush Wilhamham back. Make sure those backups are ready to go as well. But I actually differ on you because it seems as if they're going to try to rush Will Hammond back. I think the initial plan was that Will Hammond was going to be ready for that week three game against Houston.

Houston's another big 12 contender. But now all of a sudden, we're here enjoying McGuire say that Wilhelmine may be able to play in week one, meaning if they were getting ready for a game week right now, he'd be practicing. Now, I understand that quarterbacks don't have to face contact, but my concern is you spent all this

time and money and energy going to get Brandon Swordsby in the offseason. That means that you wanted him. He was important. And now of a sudden he's not there. And a quarterback who's coming off of an ACL injury who wasn't supposed to be ready week one, now it seems like as if it's going to be their main or only option. So I do have concerns with Texas Tech, especially early as Wilhelm is still recovering. All right. Throughout the morning, I was looking to confirm whether anybody else played for Texas Tech.

Apparently the answer is yes. So E.J., on this note, is there anything else about this team that kind of worries you that we haven't spent any time talking about? Because we spent all of our time talking about a guy that's no longer there. Right. Well, Zubin, it's really the front seven on defense. And one area that was so strong around this Texas Tech football team was their ability to stop the run and create turnovers. Now, Sam knows a lot about that. David Bailey goes early in the draft to the New York Jets. Rodriguez is picked in the draft as well. He was an all-star linebacker for them. They also had a beat tackle that went to the draft. So now you have to bring in some new players. And you look at their roster, at least their depth chart. It's a lot of new faces with this football team. So the beef and the bulk of how the they were able to win a lot of games defensively is no longer there. So as much as we're talking about Will Hammond and Brennan Soorsby, we're forgetting that, look, this defense has to be as good, if not better than they were last year and maybe better because of the quarterback situation. So that's another question.

Mark, I still believe they're going to be able to run the football offensively. They've got two fantastic running backs. But we'll ultimately they'll be able to stop the run and create those turnovers they had in the 2025 season. But we still do have to give credit, even despite all the losses to the coaching. staff. The last game I got a chance to call last season, the regular season, was a Texas Tech game. I sat down with Jacob Rodriguez. I sat down with Joy McGuire. I sat down with the offensive coaches, the defensive coaches. You could tell that there's a culture that's built in Texas Tech. And so I get it. A bunch of the stars are gone, but some of the returning starters,

guys like Adam Trick, Bryce Polack, these guys are studs in their own right. And so I understand that you may not have some of the impressive stats that you lost from last season, but some of the coaches are still there and it's still intact. And so. I have a high confidence that they'll be able to bring the best out of their players. Yeah, that's a great first person perspective. Now, we should mention, of course, Texas and Texas Tech used to be together in the Big 12. And maybe they'll get back together again. There's a lot of offseason joined with Sark kind of carping on Texas Tech's roster.

Texas Tech said anytime, anywhere we will play Texas and be ready to go. And Joey McGuire doubled down on that in the last couple days. Listen to this. Spot the ball, man. Like, we're ready to go right now. we'll play tomorrow. You know, we don't need any film study or anything like that, man. I know they don't either.

They got a great football team. One of the best teams in the country. All right, more malpractice. If I didn't start with the guy that played with Texas that's on the show. Eric, sorry to say, no, what do you think about those comments? Is this sort of war of words for a game that'll never happen continues? No, Joy McGuire means what he says. I was blown away in my interviews.

I called up the entire season of games last year and even a couple seasons. and he was one of the most impressive coaches that I got a chance to sit down with. He means what he says, and he says what he means. And I also believe he has a high level of confidence in his team. Now, will that game happen again? I don't know. I wish that it would.

I remember a couple weeks ago I was talking with a friend, and they brought up that last time that Texas Tech beat Texas. This is years ago when I was playing, and I was on the field with the Michael Crabtree catch, and it still brings me sadness to think about that play. And so, yes, that rivalry should be renewed. The question is, will it be, Is there an incentive for Texas to want to play Texas Tech again being in the SEC?

I doubt it. But man, the in-state rivalry and the blood that can get boiled when convos like that happen, there's nothing better. Yeah, if you're too young, that game is absolutely worth of YouTube with Michael Crabtree winning it there in the final seconds. Let's talk a little bit about the Big 12 macro, just sort of take a look at what we're thinking about with regards to win the league. So even though they've got all the drama and everything surrounding Texas Tech, the betting community is still favoring them by a pretty healthy margin. as you can see on your screen to win the Big 12 conference for the second straight year. But E.J, let's just look at perhaps who can challenge them or a team to watch, not name the Red Raiders that might be able to take the conference crown.

Who do you have there? Yeah, well, this is easy. It's two teams that jump out for me. It's BYU and it's Utah. Now, both these teams were really solid last year. I think the thing with BYU where they reloaded is defensively. They bring in K. Uluave outline. He was a fantastic LB for Kyle last year, a tackling machine.

Actually reminds me a little bit of Luke Keeckley when he was at Boston College just the way he could sniff out the ball carrier and get him down to the ground. And then for Utah, you know, bringing back Devin Dampeer was a huge deal considering that Coach Winningham has not moved on. Now he's at Michigan, keeping Dan Peir and also Berwickland, I think, is going to really help this offense. The thing that I loved about Dampere is that he got better every single week. Now, he came in with some high praise as a transfer portal player just because the year before Utah, had no consistency at quarterback, but I felt like the Ampera was one of those guys. If the season went on, he was able to gain more confidence. He has the running ability to also be that plus one runner in the run game for Utah.

And now the leadership, considering he's already done it and his teammates have been around him. So I'm expecting both of these teams in the state of Utah to make some noise in the Big 12. Yeah, I'm going to go back to the state of Texas, man, but not the University of Texas. I'm going to Houston. I think people are sleeping on the Cougars. This is a 10-win team from last season, a team that unlike you. the other two teams in front of them, Utah and Kansas State, as far as those odds when the Big 12 is returning their coach. Willie Fritz is a phenomenal coach. He got there in 2024, was at Tulane,

had a lot of success there. And last season at Houston, this team was competing for a Big 12 championship. And if we'll not, if we'll remember, they had an issue with their strength coach actually was battling cancer and Kurt Hester. He lost his battle with cancer halfway through the season. So this team dealt through adversity. Well, they've hired Benny Wiley. now, one of the best strength coaches in the country. They've retained Willie Fritz, one of the best coaches in the country. And with Connor Wegman and quarterback, I think they'll have a lot of success.

Now, Sam, you know what's all about the quarterback. And I'm starting with Connor Wegman. And look, I know you hit him at the end of that, but I really think he's the key piece of this team's success. The big key last year is that he was healthy. I mean, you look at him when he was at Texas A&M. He had success, but ultimately just could not stay on the football field. I think Wegman is a guy who's had a lot of playing experience.

He's got a lot of starts on his belt. And his ability to run. the football, all while still pushing it vertically, I think it's going to make this Houston offense extremely explosive. Now, keep in mind, they added Mackay Hughes as well through the transfer portal. If everybody remembers Mackay Hughes, he played at Tulane where he was a 1,300 yard and a 1400-yard rusher under coach Fritz. So there's going to be a lot of relationships there. And then also Amari Thomas, their starting receiver is also going to be back. So I'm expect that kind of Wegman to have a lot of support around him. And ultimately, he could be a

dark horse to win the Heisman Trophy, too. Yeah, the one thing I would just say to that is you're an ACC guy, of course, CJ. The idea that Connor Wegman could end up kind of like Haynes King, right? You start at Texas A&M, you go somewhere else, you go, you dip, you fall, and then maybe you end your career on a high note. We'll see. Maybe he'll follow that plan. Still to come

here on college football live. Over the last couple days, Big 12 Media Days took center stage, and there are some things you may not have heard that you definitely need to hear, including from Yes, Prime. That is next. Hey, y'all's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online?

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That's the best catch I've ever seen in person. Flag football, the fastest growing sport in the world. Third annual NFL flag football championship, ABC, ESD, NFL Network, ESPN2. For more, NFL flag.com. In case you missed it, this is Oklahoma State's New York. head coach Eric Morris on the epic rebuild ahead. Super excited. Then obviously, you know, my predecessor had an amazing career in Mike Gundy.

I mean, all the respect in the world to how much success that he had there. I mean, being somewhere 21 years. And then obviously he was such a great player there. And so obviously, you know, as a competitor, you're always chasing that. And the bar is set pretty high. Sam, how good are they going to be post-Gundi? They're going to be good, but it's going to take a lot of work. They're bringing in an entire new starting offense and backups when it comes to the transfer portal.

Pretty much the entire defense is new. But thankfully, they have a quarterback by the name of Drew Mestamaker, who you saw him last season. He's one of the most prolific quarterbacks in all of college football, a projected high draft pick. And so with Mestamaker at the helm, I think this Oklahoma team will be just fine. All right, let's move ahead to the Colorado Buffaloes who have a lot of pressure for Prime to perform. We don't care about what people say. People are always going to have opinion. If my kids and my coaches and our staff don't understand who they are, we have a problem.

They're not going to allow you to identify who we are. And just because our guys were snubbed off a poll that's probably not going to be consistent with the end of the season, we don't give it darn. I'm loving everything I've seen in spring. I'm loving everything that we've added. I'm loving what we did in the portal. I'm loving what we're doing recruiting-wise right now. We're right what we want to be. Right where we want to be.

And we're going to even get better. How much better, E.J.? Well, I hope bowl eligible better. You look at this Colorado team, and I realistically think they will be better than one and eight in the conference in the Big 12 last year. But a lot of this is, what would the identity be? Like, I felt like when Shadur Sanders and really Travis Hunter moved on to the NFL,

last year when you watched Colorado, they didn't have that identity. Julian Lewis going to be their starting quarterback. Hopefully he can be that alpha for them and that leader so they can ultimately go out there and win some games and compete well in the Big 12. All right. Meanwhile, Baylor is a new quarterback. It's the Florida transfer DJ Lagway.

Here is Dave Miranda. For sure, on his visit to Baylor, it felt to me like kind of straightjacketed, kind of tight, kind of closed up and felt like he wanted to be free. and I feel like he felt Baylor is a place that he could play free, really kind of be free, and excited for what's to come. You know, there's a huge chip on his shoulder.

I would say that's pretty true of our team. And to keep it to where it's like, man, I'm doing all this stuff because I want to prove me right more than I'm trying to prove other people wrong is really what we're trying to get. Sam, you got to spend some quality time with Lagway here. What's your takeaway? I couldn't be more excited about watching DJ Lagway play at Baylor. I was on their campus two weeks ago with the team talking to them, watching them practice,

and he was locked in from beginning to end. I can understand that there could be a difference in mentality to go from a place from Florida, like Florida, to Baylor, but obviously you're looking for something different. Not only to grow as a football player, but to grow as a human. So I want to watch DJ Lagway in progress in the rest of his team. You know what would be different? In Arizona quarterback winning the Heisman trophy, Here's head coach Brent Brennan on the candidate Noah Fafita.

I think we're incredibly blessed to have a quarterback like Noah Fafita that definitely has a Heisman resume. Noah Fafita is the best story in college football, but he's also this rare human being that chooses the right things every day. He doesn't only kick ass on Saturdays. He kicks ass every single day of the week. And he's a testament to loyalty. He stuck around.

E.J., where does this guy stack? up at least right now. Yeah, well, as far as stacking up, I think Noah Fafita really should be in contention for a Hizman trophy. The thing that I loved about it last year, he cut his interception total by half. So in 2024, you had 12 picks. In 2025, he only through six. And he also was a 3,000-yard passer.

So when I look at Fafita, you got to take advantage of those big opportunities. When you play big games, especially in the Big 12 against the BYU and week two, that's your opportunity. If you ball out on that one, you win that game, you'll start to be on people's highs and thoughts throughout the rest of the season. Yeah, he was on the show. yesterday and he did nothing but dapp up the other guys, which is probably the biggest thing you want to see from your quarterback. On the way here on College Football Live, what can the

World Cup and the world's obsession with soccer teach us about college football's future? Got some thoughts on that when we return. And we're back on College Football Live. The quarterfinals of the World Cup again today, you may have heard. The event by virtually any metric or data point has been a smashing success. And that's notable because when FIFA announced that this year's tourney would have a record high 48 teams. There were major concerns about diluted matchups and undeserving teams make in the field.

You're a college football fan that might sound a tad familiar. Those two things are the biggest reasons many were initially against a 24 team proposal. At first, only the Big Ten supported the idea. It was their idea. Though now, among the

Power 4 conferences, only the SEC remains a holdout on making the switch and doubling the size of the current field. You know, the old saying is less is more. But global soccer has proven that more can be more. And if college football is thinking about

its biggest playoff field ever, and what it might mean, they've already seen the blueprint working out better than many could have ever imagined. I can say that if you ask me the system and how many teams you want to be available, 24 makes the most sense to me where everybody

can feel comfortable being in a playoff. The FCS has been doing it for a while now and other divisions and football have been doing it, but I'm not the decision maker on that stuff. All I can deal with is what we have right now and focus on that and be positive and optimistic about it.

I think it's great for college football. If you, like we were all presented with a bracket of 24 from last year, and there would have been five Big 12 teams in that bracket. You know, and there have been some great matchups. I take it back to March Madness. Like just, what a fun thing that is

for America. What a fun thing that is is a sports fan. And why not have some level of that in college football? Right now, it just seems so exclusive. Like, why don't we create a format or a system that is a little more inclusive and give some more people a shot of playing on that big stage? I think a lot of people feel that way. There are a couple of tweaks, as always. Most notably, the Power 4 Conference champions are guaranteed spots in the 12-team field. Notre Dame will be a lock if it finishes in the committee's top 12. Had these rules been in place a year ago, Miami would have been left out. And of course, you remember Miami ended up at least playing in the national championship game. Sam, let's start with you. Where do you fall on a 24-team

team bracket? And let's put it in the stead of the Big 12 since that what we're talking about today. Should they be in favor of a field that big? Yeah, I don't agree with a 24-team bracket. You hear some of the being spoken by some of the coaches and saying, hey, everyone gets a shot or deserves a chance of the dance. Well, you had your chance. If you would have won in the regular season, you have an opportunity. That's part one. And then part two, I think about just the people talk about player safety a lot and players getting paid and all these things. But all of a sudden now there's adding more games and you go from a 12 game season.

Now there's potentially 17 and more teams. So I don't know if that's good for college football, considering the fact that some of those teams that were on the outside looking in may not even have a chance. to win in the dance. Yeah, Sam, I'll go the other way. I think a 2014 playoff has so many benefits. One is, look, if you lose three or four games late in the season or any time in the season, you technically still have a chance to be in the playoff. And I also don't know if the conference championship games for the teams,

I'm not talking for the conferences, not talking for all the money that they make. I did read that, you know, the conference championship weekends bringing about $200 or $250 million for the conference. But ultimately, does that help those two teams that have to be? to go out there and fight and battle and play in that game. Ultimately, to get to a playoff, be healthy, and then try to win a championship. I think the more teams we can add to this situation, the better. And, you know, I also ultimately think that a lot of the players, you know, you think about,

you know, men that want to basically forego their end of their season because they're not in the playoff or they don't want to go to these certain bowl games. I mean, shoot, Notre Dame didn't even play in their bowl game last year because they felt like they got snubbed. This is going to keep a lot of good players, a lot of good teams still involved. And then also the fact that you'll get some home matchups early. in the playoff too two weeks of that on college campuses late in the season sometimes it's going to be cold sometimes it's going to be hot this in south florida and miami i just feel like that's great football and it's also going to be great viewership for a lot of the fans

yeah there may be a couple more good teams that might be able to get into the dance maybe one or two more but there's probably going to be another eight to ten teams that don't deserve to be in there based on the fact that they didn't win in their conference they didn't win against like opponents and all of a sudden we're giving an opportunity to play up at up level uh to me that doesn't make a lot of sense Yeah, you both make some great points. My closing thought would be when the 2014 field was proposed, everyone was against it. And now everyone seemingly is almost four. It's quite a switch.

We'll see tomorrow.