College Football Live - Dreaming Big

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

Host Matt Schick is joined by Sam Acho, and Harry Lyles Jr along with Pete Thamel and David Hale to discuss some Big Ten action. We look at Michigan, Iowa, USC, and more as we take a deeper dive into what's going on QBs, NCAA investigations and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Snap up Ancestry DNA's lowest price ever in our incredible cyber sale. With 50% off Ancestry DNA kits, it's the perfect time to help a loved one unwrap the past. And with their latest update, they'll discover their family origins like never before. With even more precise regions and new and exclusive features, their best gift, our lowest price. 50% off Ancestry DNA, only until December 2nd. Visit Ancestry.ca for more details. Terms apply. Good afternoon. I'm Matt Chick. This is college football live. We're out the tunnel this Wednesday with a focus on the Big Ten. Michigan, fresh off a national championship. But with a quarterback battle in the works is a repeat even on the table. And who deserves the starting spot and why?

USC knows who its starter is and their offense is always a given under Lincoln Riley. But will the defense pick up the pace? How a change at defensive coordinator may pay off in 2024. A change in offensive coordinator. may do the trick for Penn State. Is it now playoff for Boston Happy Valley? A look at Drew Aller's chances to live up to the expectations. Welcome into this edition of College Football Live with my tiebox friends. Sam Hachio, Harry Lyles Jr., I'm Mad Chick. Welcome to the show, and we begin with the Big Ten. That preseason AP poll released earlier this week.

Six teams from the Big Ten ranked in the top 25, four of them in the top. 10, Ohio State, Oregon, along with Penn State. The fourth highest ranked team from the Big 10 has won the league the last three years and is coming off a national championship. They're also coming off the Jim Harbaugh era, which left an NCAA investigation in its wake. The school received a draft of the NCAA's notice of allegations stemming from the sign stealing investigation. The draft states that Sharon Moore could face a show-cause penalty and possible suspension for deleting a threat of text messages between he and Connor Stallions. This week, more was asked about the investigation.

We're cooperating with the NCAA fully have in the past, will in the future, and we'll continue to do that. So really right now, it's an ongoing case and we need to preserve the confidentiality of the proceedings. So we've handled those situations. So we're just ready to keep moving forward. All right, let's welcome in ESPN College Football Insider Pete Thammell. Pete, how might this current investigation impact Sharon Moore's first season as head coach? Matt, I don't see a significant impact on the 2024 Michigan season for the Connor Stallion's case. Moore, remember, served a one-game suspension to start last season when he was Michigan's offensive coordinator. He missed that East Carolina game.

Any trouble he'd be in in relation to some type of suspension, as you'd mentioned, was in the draft of the notice of Valley. allegations would likely have to be deferred to next season. There's a whole process that has to play out in these NCAA cases. Remember, they don't even have the notice of allegations yet. That probably won't come until next week. So there'd be a back and forth from the school and such. And let's remember, Sharon Moore only has a level two violation for failure to cooperate. He did turn over that text message thread that had initially been deleted. So the thought of any type of punishment for Sharon Moore that it would be a short suspension at the start of next season. Remember, it's a committee on infractions. It's a Star Wars Bar of Administrators. It's fickle to predict what they can do. But for now, I won't see any significant change or impact on this current Michigan season. All right. That opener against Fresno State will be here soon enough.

And when Michigan does trot out there for the opening coin toss, who is going to be the starting quarterback? Sharon Moore's way in. No, I mean, could be the week of, could be the day of the game. And I think we'll say. All right, this isn't the first time, guys, that we've had a quarterback competition at Michigan just a couple of seasons ago. It was Cade McNamere or J.J. McCarthy. Now it's Alex Zorgy or Jack Tuttle.

Sam, this is a team coming off a national championship. What's the level of concern here with this quarterback competition in mid-August? And my level of concern is high about a quarterback competition right now. I think about Ohio State last year around this time. There was a quarterback competition, Kyle McCorder, Devin Brown, and they can. still didn't know who their starter was. The reason why that matters is this. If it's going to be Alex Orgy as a starting quarterback, remember, he's only completed one pass in the last two years, attempted one pass in the last two years. Think about JJ McCarthy, even as a freshman,

though he wasn't the starter, he appeared in 11 games, attempted 56 passes. He had time to air it out. Alex Orgy didn't have that. So for me, the level of concern is high whether there's going to be orgy or Tuttle. You need to get that decision now so you can get ready for the season. Yeah, Sam, I completely agree. Obviously, a lot of people came into the season thinking that it was definitely going to be Alex Orgy. And I don't know that necessarily that is a reflection upon how he's been playing, but rather Jack Tuttle, people got to remember, he was Mike Penix's backup at Indiana. Like, he's been around the block. He's been playing college football since 2019. We still got COVID players playing out here in college football. So Jack Tuttle again, like somebody, that's somebody. You hear a lot of coaches say it's good to have an adult at quarterback. well, he is an adult and it looks like he is at least giving Alex Horsi a run for his money.

I think ultimately, no matter who is going to be the quarterback is going to benefit from one player that is going to be Michigan's X factor this year, and that's Donovan Edwards. If he is going to be the player that we saw in 2022, especially now that Blake Corum is gone, it can alleviate a lot of what you would expect a quarterback to come out and do for Michigan in a similar way that a lot of people evaluated JJ McCarthy. We always talked about how he didn't have to take over games, he just had to make the right plays. If Donovan Edwards allows either one of these guys to do that, along with that defense, Michigan is in for another good year. Yeah, a lot of could be running on his shoulders there in the

backfield. All right. So you got Donovan Edwards. You got a lot of pieces there. But as we said, new quarterback, new head coach, maybe a new way of doing some things. But they are coming off three straight Big Ten titles and a national championship. So Harry, straight back to you. What's an acceptable season for Michigan this year? You know, I don't want to put the expectations too high. I still think this is a really talented team. I think it all comes down to four games that are on their schedule. Texas, USC, Oregon, and Ohio State. And the good news for them, despite those being four very tough games, you get three of those at home. So if you get two of those four, that's probably a 10-win season. I think eight is probably a reasonable floor, and nine is very realistic. So

I think that this Michigan football season, especially, you know, you heard Pete earlier talk about, They're not really going to see any ramifications from the Connor Stallion's investigation this year. This could be another good year for Michigan, one that they could even make the playoff in. Harry, I disagree. I'm concerned, right? 4-3-2. That's the ranking of the teams that you're going to play. You're going to play the number 14 Texas since September.

You've got to play the number three team Oregon at the beginning of November. Then the number two team, Ohio State, a team that hasn't beat you for several years, a team that has so many returners coming back to try and go and beat Michigan at the end of the season. My level of concern is high, especially with so many defensive coaches gone, so many offensive stars no longer there. And oh, by the way, they still don't know who their quarterback is. And another one of those big games for Michigan will take place September 21st when they host USC. USC is certainly a program in transition on both sides of the football. The loss of former Heisman winner, number one pick Caleb Williams, is going to sting for the Trojans.

He combined to pass and rush for 120 touchdowns over the last three seasons. most of any player in the FBS. But of course, the biggest story, U.S.C.'s new conference. Luckily for the Trojans, history on their side. 500 or better all time against every current Big Ten foe, except for Maryland and Rutgers, whom they'll play for the first time this season. Even better news, their history against two Big Ten Goliath. Trojans, the only program in the country to have faced Ohio State and Michigan

each of the last five times and have a winning record against both of them. Lincoln Riley on what he saw in a recent practice with this year's crew. Defense dominated the scrimmage. You know, offense got a couple of scores late, but it was the first, if it was a game, the first three, three and a half quarters were dominated defensively, played really good red zone defense, put the offense in a bunch of third longs. And so I thought we just, we collectively played well there, didn't give up many

exclusive plays. Well, defense has certainly been optional since Lincoln Riley took over. The team ranks among the worst in the FBI. in a number of categories. They've allowed more than 400 yards per game in each of the last two seasons. The two were seasons statistically since the program began tracking the stat. Perhaps it's time for the program to stop tracking the stat. Sam, what kind of improvements can we expect on the defensive side of the ball this season?

I expect big time improvements, mainly because of defensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator Deanton Lynn. Deenton was at UCLA last year and took that defense from the 84th, defense to the 11th rank defense, but it wasn't just one way. He did it against the run and against the pass. You see it right here. Number two in rushing yards per game. It's not shown on there, but they're actually number one in total rushing yards allowed. UCL was when DeAnne was there last year and top 10 in sacks. So if you even bring some of that scheme, some of that style to USC, you'll see a major improvement. The issue is this. There's a different

level of talent on the defensive side of the ball at UCLA, at least there was, than there is at USC. That's the difference. So much of the star power at USC is that quarterback, is that receiver. It's not on the defensive side of the ball. So it will improve, but I don't know how drastically you can improve, but at the end of the day, you can only go up from there. 121, 132. Those are some bad numbers. Yeah, Sam, I was going to say, man, it's only one way to go and it's up, right? Like, this is going to be an improved unit. It's just a matter of how much. And you mentioned Danlin. The turnaround that he did with that UCLA defense was one of the best of any unit across the country, period.

And so to bring him along on a defense that does return nine starters, he brought a couple of his corners over from UCLA and Achille Arnold, the leading tackler over from Oregon State. So they've got all the pieces there. And then two other pieces that I'm looking at are on their position coaches with Eric Henderson on the defensive line. He played for John Tenuda at Georgia Tech. We remember those being some of those fierce defenses in the mid to early. 2000s and Doug Belk as well who's coming over from Houston he was their defensive coordinator he is a guy that has really was able to maximize the talent at Houston they obviously had a down year last year but had tons of unfortunate injuries but he is a guy that knows how to get the most

out of his talent he's going to be focused on that secondary on those defensive back so I think those additions and trying to really improve this group is going to serve them all well and I think you're going to see an improved USC defense this year and improving that line of scrimmage right the Big Ten, a line of scrimmage year in a league, and it is hard to believe. It's been nearly 10 years since they had a first round pick along that defensive line. Offensively, Caleb Williams was the number one pick. It's now Miller time. We saw Miller Moss, Harry, last year, lighted up in that bowl game against Louisville, six touchdowns. What are reasonable expectations for the new signal caller? I think they're going to be much on the better side than

down. I really think that I know Lincoln Riley has taken a lot of criticism, understandably so, for that defense last year, but this guy is still an offensive genius, right? Like he has turned guys, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield into Heisland winners. Jailer Hertz was a runner up, obviously Caleb Williams the last couple of years. And a lot of people point to that bowl game and be like it was Louisville, you know, with a bowl game, a lot of guys are off and now, whatever. That was a good defense. And hey, man, six touchdowns are six touchdowns. I don't care what kind of game you have them in, right? So he is a guy that has the type of talent that Leakin Riley can harness get the most out of. They've got some intriguing weapons on the outside this year and some new faces,

but I have higher expectations for him than I think most do, just because, again, I still think that Leakin Riley is going to find a way to get the most out of his talent. Pretty tough schedule, two, three preseason top 10 teams on that schedule, including Penn State. Coming up, we'll talk about the nitty lines. They've been on the cusp before, so is making the playoff enough for Penn State? And will Drew Aller lead them to the Promise Land? We'll have the answers after the break. Plus, Michigan, not the only Big Ten team waiting for a starting quarterback to emerge. Is their former quarterback a shoe in at Iowa? Maybe not so fast what it means for the Hawkeyes in 2024.

Penn State begins the season where they did last season inside the top 10. In fact, five in the last eight seasons, they've had a preseason top 10 ranking. But last season left a lot to be desired. A 10-win season with some empty calories, losses to Ohio State in Michigan, and an offense that was rarely a downfield threat. Enter new offensive coordinator, Andy Poldnicki, and enter David Hale. We're a good story on the new look offense on ESPN.com. More on that in just a moment.

But, Harry, let's begin with you. For a team that never made the four-team playoff that came very close, is making the 12-team playoff enough this year? I think it is. I think it's a good accomplishment, and I think a lot of people got to remember, too, with Penn State. One of the things that has always been tougher than is been getting past Michigan and getting past Ohio State.

And this year, you've got Ohio State and you've got them at home. You've got a relatively light schedule outside of that. And so, again, this is a team whose identity is not really going to change. I think when you look at what James Franklin has been able to accomplish in his time at Penn State, would fans tell you he leaves more to be desired? Yes, perhaps. But I think he deserves a little bit more credit than that. And look, any coach that is able to make the dance, I think should be in a relatively good spot.

So I think it would be plenty if Penn State made the playoff this year. And it's almost as if the playoff was created for a team like Penn State, a team that's right outside of the top four. But it's not only created for them because they're outside on the outside looking in, but think about this. If they are five through eight at the end of the season, not only are they going to make the playoff, they're also going to have a home game.

So imagine Happy Valley, Penn State, playing a home game against a team that could be the 12-ranked team, maybe a group of five champion. And now you get a first round win, and then you get a chance to build some momentum going into the playoff. And so Penn State, for me, the quarterback is still a question mark. Drew Aller didn't look great last year statistically, especially on the deep ball, even on outroutes. But defensively and running game, it's going to be excellent.

And so Penn State has an opportunity to make some noise specifically when it comes playoff time. You mentioned statistically, you know, from afar you go 25 touchdowns, two picks. What a season for a guy like Drew Allen. But David Hale, you wrote about it. and the marriage now between Andy Koldolnicki, who comes over from Kansas and Drew Aller, how might that impact this offense and allow Aller to sail to new heights? Yeah, you know, I kind of described it as if you're building out a stock portfolio, Penn State has been all blue chip stocks.

You know, they're not going to lose money on this. They're going to gain 5% a year, but they're not getting rich either. And so that's why you see those numbers with Drew Aller. You know, James Franklin said this is borderline elite, 25 touchdowns, two picks. That's great. The problem is he was not good, completed less than 50% of his balls against Michigan, Ohio State. They weren't explosive at all.

Ketron Allen said, we saw it from week one. The guys are stacking the box against us knowing that they got to key the run. Everything that Penn State wasn't, Kansas was last year. That was a big downfield team. They looked to go over the top. I asked Andy Cuddlenicki, how many times did the word explosiveness come up during your interview with James Franklin? He just laughed, and he said, yeah, we talked about it a lot. Yeah, David, I'm with you on the explosives.

And I don't even think that's a Drew Aller thing. This team was not as explosive as they had been in previous years in the backfield. So I think if they're able to do that with their run game this year, which I believe that they will be able to do along with that defense, it's going to take some of that pressure off of Drew Aller. And I think he's going to have a much improved 2024 season here because of those things. Well, I think the reason why they weren't explosive in the running game, Harry, just to counter that point is that people were in fact loading the box.

They could see that, okay, no receivers are winning. one-on-one. The quarterback is unable to throw the ball downfield accurately. So let's put eight guys in the box and force Drew Aller to beat us with his arm. And he was unable to do that. You saw simple outroutes being bounced into ground. And so for me, Kodonikki will have to be a big-time game changer in the deep ball passes. Kansas over the last three years is 12th in explosive plays. That's plays of 20 yards or more. Kodoniki came from Kansas. So hopefully he'll be bringing that explosive offense and some of the fundamentals to this offense, that to drew out. Who is going to be that deep threat? Harry Harrison Wallace, the third, Julian Fleming,

who's going to be that guy? We shall see. We got a new offensive coordinator at Penn State. We got a new offensive coordinator at Iowa, and boy, did they need it there in Iowa City. Tim Lester takes the reins of an offense whose greatest accomplishment at times last season was crossing midfield. Who will take the first snap under this new look offense? Nothing is certain yet. Kate McNamara had a lackluster performance in Saturday's scrimmage, Northwestern transfer for Brendan Sullivan appears to be in the next. Neither of them lit the world on fire. Eight to 24, 20 yards and a pick for McNamara, 10 to 21, 76 yards for Sullivan

unofficially. And yet, Kirk Ferrence saying, like everything, not consistent enough at this point. We're just going to keep working. Every snap is really important to us right now. Sam, they won 10 games with a struggling offense last year. Should this be a cost for concern right now? Yeah, well, it should be a cost for concern. I'm going to do a little analogy.

Put it this way. OK, USC is to offense or USC is to defense, what Iowa is to, fill in the blank, offense. Iowa was the worst offense in all of college football, 30 yards per game less than Eastern Michigan. And so I still find this a major cost for concern. New offensive coordinator, but same issues at quarterback. Hopefully Cade McNamara, the transfer from Michigan will be healthy. But even so, Iowa still got some struggles.

And Sam, if Iowa is going to be known for offense, The change is going to come pre-snap. Tim Lester brings an offense from his time with the Green Bay Packers with Matt LaFleur. It's a branch of the Shanahan tree. And that offense is predicated on pre-snap movement. Iowa ranked 110th in the country last year, fourth to last in the Big Ten. They only moved players before the snap 22.8% of the time. I've been told that pre-stap motion is coming on virtually every Iowa snap this year.

Don't be surprised if Iowa ranks in the top five in the country. country. So for Sullivan and for McNamara, becoming the maestro of that pre-snap movement is going to be a key part of winning the job. At a McNamara that has only played in eight games in the last two seasons. So just stay healthy and see what he can do under this new offense. Coming up next here on college football live, we will stick in the Big Ten as we talk about some of the new teams, the newbies, a chance to make a splash after the break. Ocho and Harry will tell us which teams will outperform expectations and who might under deliver. ESPN fantasy football is the number one fantasy game with the season right around the

corner. Sign up now and get your league started at ESPN.com slash fantasy football. Let's play our own game here over or under. 10 and a half regular season wins for Oregon. Harry, what do you take? Matt, I'm going over. I'm actually taking this team to win the Big Ten. I know Ohio State has the best team on paper, but I really think what Dan Lannning has established there. Bringing in Dylan Gabriel, he's a veteran quarterback that's going to be able

to keep that train on the tracks. You look at his receivers on the outside, Evan Stewart, Tess Johnson, and then I think people are going to really get to know his tight end this year, Terrence Ferguson. I think that this is a team talent-wise on both sides of the football. That, again, it might be a difficult schedule looking at it for sure, especially coming into the Big Ten Year 1, but I really like what this Oregon team has. Ohio State Michigan, the only two ranked teams on that preseason schedule. All right, Sam, USC over under seven and a half wins. All I'm going over, as bad as we talk about USC in their defense,

their offense is exponentially better than so many teams that they're going to play. Week one, they play LSU. They're question marks with LSU's receivers, Brian Thomas in the NFL, quarterback in the NFL, Jane Daniels, Malik Neighbors, receiver in the NFL. And so USC has a chance defensively to make a splash, and I look at that Michigan game, should be able to win that Michigan's rebuilding. Then you've got Penn State and no different. Notre Dame. Those three games, that LSU, Pensed, Notre Dame potential losses. But outside of that,

I see USC having a lot of success in the Big Ten. All right, Harry, over under six and a half players you can name on the Washington roster. Just kidding. Wins on the season. Go ahead. Hey, that might be a reason we're going under here, right? I mean, let's pull up this schedule because, I mean, look, it's one thing to have all the cross-country travel. You look at those first few games, that's fine. We go to Northwestern, and then the season starts getting fun at Rutgers, Michigan at Iowa, that Indiana game is not going to be one that they could sleep on. USC Penn State and then Oregon. Those last four weeks, three of those four at the end of the season, that is incredibly

tough. I'm sorry, but it's going to be a down here for Washington. All right. UCLA, five and a half wins in the regular season, Sam. I'm going under. It's almost like a Kendrick disc track. They not like us. You got back to back to back tough games.

LSU, then right after that you play Oregon, the number three ranked team. Okay, you get a bye week, but then you got Penn State. to mention Iowa, another defensive powerhouse. And so it's going to be a struggle for UCLA, new coach, new staff, I'm concerned. And they're over under Miles Travel on Road Games, over 20,000. Take it. 90% around the globe.