College Football Live - CFB LIVE - SATURDAY'S SEC SHOWDOWN

Episode Date: October 7, 2026

Join our crew Zubin Mehenti, "Stanford" Steve Coughlin, Dusty Dvoracek, and Pete Thamel on another episode of College Football Live! Georgia heads to Alabama for an SEC showdown that headlines Saturday's slate. Preview a few Big Ten battles as UCLA heads to Oregon and Indiana takes on Nebraska in a 5-0 face off. All this and more on College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Out of the tunnel, straight ahead here on College Football Live. It's a matchup of one of the least experienced quarterbacks in America, meeting one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country. But there is one other difference that could decide George Alabama Saturday night. We'll get into it. UCLA and Oregon have been together in the Pack 8, the Pack 10, the Pac 12, and the Big 10. So how long has it been since the Bruins knocked off the ducks? We'll tell you.

And Indiana streaking towards another national title, while their opponent, Big Red, streaking towards a record once thought nearly impossible. We'll have that for you on College Football Live. Welcome to College Football Live, presented by Farmer's Insurance. Welcome inside. I am Zubin Mahenty. Pete Dammel's going to join us in a second

with some huge breaking injury news regarding Alabama and Georgia. But today on the show, my guys are here. Stanford, Steve, and something I learned on our text chain last. last night. Dusty Devorichak is AMS, NWA certified. We will have some weather news coming in just a bit. But guys, you know where we are starting. It's all about Alabama and Georgia, 14th straight meeting where both teams are ranked in the poll. It's good on good, great on great. They had a couple of great matchups last year. It's kind of getting to the point where they kind of play a couple times a year now. This one engineered a win between the hedges by Ty Simpson, 2421.

It was the only Georgia loss of the regular season. But the dogs exact the revenge in Atlanta in the game that counted the most, the SEC title game. Alabama simply couldn't run the ball in this game at all. And Georgia ran away with the championship as they prepared to meet on Saturday night. Kirby Smart knows Alabama's biggest strength. They're physical, extremely physical. They have a commitment to the run, a commitment that is, unwavering and they have really physical tight ends, really physical offensive line,

and they have big backs and lots of them. They've got really full functioning backs that are playing at a high level and doing a great job. We've, you know, we preach the same things over and over. It doesn't matter who you play and how you did. It's all about a full reset. Every opponent comes actually a different way, and that's going to be the case here with with Georgia and their style of play. And we got to,

you know, understand that. By the way, they weren't hiding from the cameras. That just happened to be the teleconference today. Time now for the best in the game brought to you by Old Dominion Freight Line. And it is hard to argue that this guy has not been one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

Not much of an adjustment, a tight camp duel. But clearly, Russell winning the job is proven to be the right decision for Kalen DeBore and company. All right. So let's talk about this game in depth. Again, Thammel in just seconds with some huge Alabama injury news. But first, let's get into a dusty.

I want to start with you. Russell has been great, but he hasn't looked or seen or stood across the defense as great as George's. Huh? Yeah, that's right, Zube. And Keel Russell's confidence is sky high, really from late in the first half against Florida State to now. It's like every snap he's getting better and better seeing the field with so much clarity. But this is by far his biggest test. Glenn Schumann, Kirby Smart, two defensive savants,

and what they're going to throw at Keel and Russell and really the offensive line. Where I look at this game is Alabama has been so much better running the ball. I think Georgia takes that away. They're going to put a lot on Keel and Russell. The simulated pressures where they come up to the line of scrimmage, they show you five, six guys at the line of scrimmage. Then they're only going to bring four.

Who's coming? You have to be able to identify that as an offensive line and as a quarterback. And I look at Chris Cole, that incredible speed. He's their best pass rusher. Expect to see him used as a spy and all over the field. Him and Raylon Wilson blitz as well as any linebackers in the SEC. And this is going to be the true challenge and true test to see exactly where this talented sophomore quarterback is. Yeah, and I'm looking at the other side of the ball, excited for that matchup, Dusty.

when you see Gunner Stockton with only one interception this year going against an Alabama secondary that has sports 13 takeaways. And when you look at that, that's second in the country. So now Georgia, first really true road game. I'm sorry Arkansas, but that doesn't count. This is a real true road game. So what does Gunner Stockton do with this offense? They had eight guys catch at least two balls last week against Vanderbilt and a 24-point win. And Isaiah Cannon didn't even play. So the versatility of Georgia's offense, how good Stockton has been. He has way more experience than Russell. I think that's a big, big advantage for Georgia going into this one. We'll see how it manifests itself on Saturday night at 7.30 on ABC. There is an interesting splits. We're in the

baseball of postseason, right? So we always talk about splits in baseball, but there's an interesting split here for Kirby Smart. When taken on Alabama, not so great. Amazing against everybody else. But if you were facing off for the most part with the greatest college football coach of all time, you might not be much better than two and seven either in large part. And for more on some interesting tidbits that are involved in this game, let's go to Pete Thamble. Pete, Alabama and Georgia is one thing. Mother Nature is another. Get us started with that.

And we got a lot to talk about. Zubin, I need the Weather Channel's pronunciation guide on the hurricane. I think it's Asias, but I have not articulated that out loud yet. So forgive me. Reese Davis would never forgive me for a mispronunciation. There was a tropical storm barreling up the Gulf and is expected to land in central Alabama where Tuscaloosa is somewhere around midday on Saturday. I just checked in with the last 10 minutes with Alabama officials, and they said they're still working on it.

Alabama released a statement last night, and in that statement, they said there's no plans to alter the game. But as with any weather situation, everything is fluid. Less fluid is the situation of Josh Ford, Alabama's tight end. He's an Oklahoma State transfer. He's been a key cog in the run game. He broke his arm against Mississippi State. Kailin DeBore said today, shockingly, that he's optimistic about how things are going for Josh Ford this week in his potential availability.

Alabama's averaging about 70 your yards per game in the run game this year. And Ford's a big part of that. And finally, for Georgia, look at what happens in their tailback room this week. Nate Frazier, their star tailback, has been limited to two carries in the last two games. There's a game time decision, both games. He sat Oklahoma. He had two in the second half. against Vanderbilt. Also to watch tonight on the injury report, Zubin, will be the status of

tailback Chauncey Bowens. He left the second. All right, Pete. So Bowens and Frazier in flux, although it seems as if Frazier will play for the Bulldogs. Great distinction there, Pete. We will keep an eye in the injury report. Thank you. And hopefully you guys won't be in the eye of the storm Saturday morning on game day live from T-Town. Looking forward to it. Rain or shine, apparently. On the way, big ones in the Big Ten. Two stats that are hard to believe when UCLA takes on Oregon and Indiana takes on Nebraska.

College Football Live is presented by Farmers Insurance. Get a quote at Farmers.com. Back to College Football Live. Presented by Farmers Insurance. Welcome back to the win column for UCLA. One of the nation's big surprises. They're at Oregon Saturday.

The last time the Bruins won in Eugene, 2004. UCLA head coach Bob Chesney knows it's probably going to take a near perfect game to win. They don't have weak spots, so you can't go out there and, you know, lay an egg on offense and expect to win this game or defense or special teams, right? You have to be buttoned up and we have to make sure that we are 100% locked in on, you know, what our jobs are. and what the intent of every single play is and how we're going to execute it and then deal also with the noise. One of the things that just stick out to you

is you watch this team on film is how much better they get as the game goes. You know, they've been playing really good ball in the fourth quarter, really good ball in the second half and really, frankly, pulling away from people, you know, when they get in those moments in games where they keep their foot on the gas.

So it's a real challenge for us. They do some really good things, and we're excited for that challenge. And let's take a look Today's Dependable Player brought to you by Mavis Tire. And it's probably going to be somebody that's going to be in the spotlight big time on Saturday. And that'll be Dylan Ryola. You saw those first five games with Oregon who's able to do.

And then Dante Moore got hurt. Not much of a drop-off. If anything, the numbers appeared to be a little bit better, which shows you Ryola is tailor-made and ready to go, which is an incredible thing because he's coming through a lot earlier than expected for the Ducks when he was expected to sit. Let's break this game down in detail. Tham will be back in a minute. He's actually working on a big Oregon basketball story at the moment. It never stops here in college athletics.

Steve, let's start with you. There can be so much talk about Dante, who thankfully is okay, and Ryola, who's looked good. But you want to hone in to the guys receiving passes from either one of those two dudes. Yeah, Zubin, I think the biggest change, you know, Dan Lannning talked about, you know, the improvement of this team. And I think they're just very, very well coached with UCLA. That's the improvement I see. And with that, their third and third. the country now with eight interceptions

in that secondary. They're playing a lot better. But this is a big time step up when you're talking about talent. Because Oregon's receivers, Evan Stewart, former number one receiver in his high school recruiting class. Decorian Bennett, Decorium Moore, number one recruiting wide receiver

in his class. This is a big step up on the road for handsome Bob and the UCLA Bruins. So I'm interested to see how that defense for UCLA travels. Yes, Steve. And I look at this. and what a job Bob Chessie's done and really with the offense

and their ability to run the football. UCLA leads the country at seven yards per carry as a team. And Wayne Knight is a name to know. Nine rushing touchdowns the James Madison transferred that came with his head coach. He's only 5'7,

maybe 190 pounds, but he is tough to tackle. He is downhill, and you better get his shoulder on a row. It'll bounce off and it'll make a big explosive play. And this Oregon front four, They got to step up. That's four pros up there with Bear Washington,

with Bear Alexander, Amari Washington, Tuioi Oi Unglalay. I love Devin Jackson, the linebacker, as fast a linebacker as there is in college football. And Coy Perich, the safety they brought over from Minnesota. He's got to do a better job of tackling. A lot of times in the run game, things get spilled to the safety,

and he's got to be able to tackle. If they don't tackle well and bottle up way night in this rushing attack, UCLA is going to go into Otson and give Oregon all they want. We'll wait to see if that indeed occurs. And upon further inspection, you're right. He does have Steve the Hollywood good looks. That is a great point there about Chesney. There's another big one in the Big Ten coming on Saturday.

You know, normally when Nebraska's undefeated and roll in the stories about them, it's been a long time since the story's been about them. It's really about the opponent, Indiana, trying to win another national title. Of course, coming off last year's first. And this weekend will be a first for Kirk Signetti in a way you might not envision. It's a huge challenge, which, you know, we have to respond to, and our guys will be excited to play. I've never been to Nebraska. I've never been to the state of Nebraska.

And looking forward to it. I've heard great things about the stadium, the fans, obviously great tradition and history there through the years. And they're playing really well. And Coach Rul and his entire staff have done a tremendous job of developing that program. And what they put on tape this year is extremely impressive. That it is. Let's take a look at what's your beef presented to you by Old Trapper. And if there is any beef to be had with Indiana, it's very hard to find one.

Their non-conference schedule under Signetti has not been terrific. Now they're in the meet of conference play, and they are absolutely lighting it up on offense, as you might expect, despite having to replace the Heisman trophy winner. And that's where I want to start here with Steve. the entire story in the offseason was, yeah, Hoover's great, but the turnovers. He's not Mendoza. We have only gotten through less than halfway through the season.

But what have you seen out of Josh Hoover, who's got the biggest shoes to fill of anybody in the sport, I think? Yeah, because when you go back to 2003 to now, Hoover's still third in turnovers amongst that time period. And he doesn't have any interceptions thrown this year. So everybody's gotten what they wanted. I just think they expected more explosiveness because, of the teams that they played, right? You play nobody in the non-con. You go on a road trip to Rutgers.

You play an upstart Northwestern team. Now is a chance to shine for Hoover, Becker, you know, Marsh, those guys that you brought in with the big play capability. So I would be wary of that Indiana offense if I was Nebraska's defense. Yeah, and I'm looking at the other quarterback, Anthony Calandra.

What a start he's had. He comes over. They thought they were getting Kenny Minchin. They go with Anthony Calandria, and he's been excellent for the football team. Most importantly, he's taken care of the football. Coming to Nebraska in his last three years, he had 29 picks just two this season, but he's a true dual threat. Getting it done with his arm and with his legs over 100 yards in their last win against Maryland. And that's where

I think they could potentially really impact this game. Anthony Calandria making dynamic runs like you're seeing there, hurling over people, making big plays against what is a very, very stingy Indiana defense. And here's the real key. If Matt Rule is going to break this streak and get a victory against the top 25 team, they got to play clean. You know Indiana will. Last week, they had 16 penalties

against Maryland. They're 17 in the Big Ten of Penalties. You cannot beat yourself if you want to beat the Indiana Hoosiers. All right. So, Dusty, I'm glad you invoked that at the end of your statement as you take a look at those penalty numbers. So Dusty mentioned the infamous streak that everybody on Big Red is well aware

of. So let's take a look at that particular number. This is a big number, we like to call it, but it's kind of a big eyesore if you're a Nebraska fan. 30 straight losses against ranked opponent. This is Nebraska Osborne Phillips Crouch. I'm looking at Stevie shaking his head like it's hard to believe, but from what we've seen in Nebraska, it is pretty much believable.

All right, so guys, we're going to play a little trivia here. I just blurt out the answer. We're pretty low tech here, so we don't have the buzzers or anything. Blurt out the answer. 30 straight losses. against ranked opponents. That's actually second worst in the country. Which school has lost 45

straight games against ranked opponents, which would be number one in the country. Who's got it? Just blurted it out. Rutgers. Steve? Steve? Oh, gosh. Stanford?

It is. Rutgers. Dusty is victorious. Good job, Dusty. It's a different shade of red, but the same streak of miserableness. in Piscataway or in Lincoln. Good job, Dusty.

Great work. All right, let's bring it our Pete Thammel. I'm going to go out into limb as a Rutgers grad and say, I don't think they'll be a part of the 2014 playoff anytime soon. But Pete does have some, they probably wouldn't be part of a 68 team player. I can say that I went there. Okay. All right, Pete.

What do we have here on the 24 team playoff? It feels like it's moving towards its inevitable climb there, but there's still so many things to work out. Yeah, Coach Chiano catching some strays on college football live today from an alum, Let's drag everybody in the weeds for a minute here on the potential of a 24-team college football playoff. Again, the sides right now are amid what is called a 30-day exclusive negotiating window between the CFP and ESPN, which is the exclusive rights holder. That window closes on Friday, Zubin. So I've been told this week, obviously, those two sides are negotiating going back and forth.

I've been told the final offer is expected on Friday, and then ESPN will have five. days to make a decision on that offer. There is a call scheduled on Friday for CFP leaders to update them on this. And then obviously, there's another one next week when a decision is made. If no deal is struck, then these 10 games that are part of this 24 team CFP, remember, ESPN would own a majority of it, including the most valuable inventory, would then go out to open market. And at that point, whether it's a streamer or maybe more traditional media, they would all be able to come and give bids. Also, because it's never easy in college football, Zubin,

we've got to remember that there would be some type of scheduling agreement that goes along with this. There's still chatter about what the CFP selection committee would look like. Nobody really is too thrilled with how that's gone over the years. And obviously, most importantly, the economics of this have to work to expand. So again, the trend line points to expansion, but until a deal is done, then we will know if the college football playoff is 24 teams next year. It's never easy.

in college sports. You said it. I mean, it's the second most popular sport in the country, so you can imagine how many people are going to want in on the CFP moving forward. Pete, thank you very much. Still to come here on College Football Live. What's it like to play in and win Red River? There's one guy on our set that knows exactly what it feels like. He'll take you there next. College Football Live is presented by Farmers Insurance. Get a quote at We're back on college football live this week. Dusty will be on the call for LSU and Kentucky, a rivalry that's had some crazy finishes over the years, but in large part of rivalry, you would not be surprised to hear, has been dominated by the LSU fighting tigers.

So, Dusty, this is your game. Let's start with you. You'll be able to soak it all in. And that's kind of where you want to start because everywhere you look, tangible and intangible, this is a different Kentucky football program. It is Will Stein has invoked belief with these players, with this fan base. They're coming off the biggest combat victory in program history, down 17 at South Carolina. And Kroger Field on Saturday night is going to be out of control, man. They are so fired up for this game to welcome a top 10 LSU, and I can't wait to be there. Biggest thing for Kentucky, Kenny Mitchie's been very good this year, but they haven't protected

and well. It's been stacked 11 times. LSU brings in one of the best pass rushes in the country. country. 22 sacks. Prince William on me Ellen has been as good as anybody with eight. They've got to protect Kenny Minchie to give him time to be able to get the football down the field. Yeah. And on the other side, when you look at Kentucky, they don't, they're not great at sacking the quarterback, Dusty. And then Levin with this hamstring, how effective is he going to be? Eight touchdowns, seven interceptions. The last real game he played in, you know,

against A&M at home, but the last road game at Ole Miss was the one they lost. So I look at that LSU offensive line as having to dictate. You know, dictate the tempo, dictate the physicality. You know, you don't have your best player with weeks on defense. You don't have your best offensive player and trade as green. So Leavitt protecting him, keeping him upright, and letting those receivers and give them time to get open. That's a big aspect. And Dylan Jones in the run game. On the road, you mentioned how crazy even environment that's going to be. Lane knows he wants to run the football. We'll see how that LSU offense looks. Can't wait. Dusty on the call there. Dusty also familiar with this matchup, Texas, Oklahoma, which will be Saturday, of course.

Dusty has been on the winning side of this thing. Most matchups featuring a ranked team at number one, where either one of them was ranked in the top spot and the Red River is right at the top of that list. Dusty, you won this game. You know what it's like to be a part of this game. The pageantry, the pigskin. Just take us inside what it's like. It's the best rivalry and all of college football.

And it's that sight right there. the State Fair at Texas at the Cotton Bowl. And what I love is the two locker rooms face each other. And the only thing that separates is the ramp that takes you down the field. So you come out of your locker room, they're out of their locker room, you're yelling at each other, and you're cussing at each other. And then you both walk down that ramp. When you walk out on that field, it's split right down the 50.

Half of it, that beautiful burn orange and that beautiful crimson, the other half, that burn orange. And then at the end of the game, boys, Victory goes to the man that gets to put on the gold hat. After you win the game, you rock the gold hat. No better feeling in all the college football. Look at that guy. That is one, dusty.

Look at that man. Devorice. Look at that man. That is bliss. Great stuff, guys. We'll see you tomorrow.