College Football Live - Midseason Review Time!

Episode Date: October 18, 2023

Host Kelsey Riggs is joined by Tom Luginbill and Sam Acho for the Midseason Review. They each discuss their top 5 teams, standout freshman, and their overall thoughts on how the season has played out so far. Plus, Heather Dinich and Joe Fortenbaugh join the show for their insight on the rest of the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're flying Emirates business class, dining on a world-class menu at 40,000 feet, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates, fly better. Welcome into college football live. I'm Chelsea Ridge. We are halfway through the season, which means it is time to hand out some mid-season awards. Samacho, Tom Lugan Bill, here to help me do it. And guys, let's start with some of the biggest stories that we've seen from the first half of the season.

You got to start with Dionne Zanders, making his FBS head coaching debut with an upset win over TCU. Coach Prime said he was bringing his new luggage to Colorado and that it was Louis Luggage? Well, we saw it with the buff's 86 new transfers on the roster, the highest in the portal era. Then there's the Big Ten that has three undefeated teams in Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. Seven teams in FBS have over a 30% chance to make the playoff, and the Big Ten has three of them. Then in the ACC, Clemson's not the top dog anymore. Florida State is 6 and O for the first time since 2015, and North Carolina has that same record for the first time since 1997. And Washington and Oklahoma lead the way in their conferences.

Oklahoma has the highest chance in the country to reach the CFP, according to ESPN Analytics. Washington, of course, saw their chances double after that big win over Oregon. So, Sam, those are few of the big headlines that we've seen so far in the first half of the CFB. season. But in your opinion, what's been the biggest storyline so far? It's been the biggest storyline in sports. It's coach prime and what he's done at Colorado. And I understand there have been some recent losses, the overtime thriller against Stanford when you're up 29 zero being one of them. But this team, this coach has changed the entire landscape of college football. We're seeing celebrities start to show up left and right.

We're seeing a team that people didn't think could win more than three games, already get four. And so from the largest standpoint of all things considered, Colorado has changed the game. And so, of course, Coach Prime is not satisfied with that embarrassing loss last week. But I will say this, talking first half storylines, there's nothing bigger, nothing better in Colorado. It would be hard to argue that because we have seen so much good come from that Colorado program already. But let's spin it forward a little bit. And we've seen some other storylines, Lug's that have started to emerge. what's the biggest one you think we're going to be seeing in the second half of this season?

Well, I can't help but think back a year ago this week and what we were all saying about Oklahoma, what we were all saying about Brent Venables and what that team looked like on defense, 49 and nothing lost to Texas. And fast forward one year removed and Oklahoma's for real. I think the defensive side of the football is where you've seen the single greatest improvement. You remember the first six weeks of the season a year ago, this team was lost. They couldn't tackle. Their run fits were poor.

This thing was going in the wrong direction. They've done a wonderful job in the transfer portal, aided by some high school recruiting that has obviously made an impact already in Norman. So the turnaround, in my opinion, for Oklahoma from year one to year two, might make them the most improved team in all of Power 5 from one year to this next. And the Pact 12 is back, kind of. That's my second half storyline. what's going to happen when all these teams start to play each other.

Oregon, which is a really good team just lost to Washington. Washington could win out, but oh no, they play three more ranked teams. They play Utah. They play Oregon State. They play USC. USC just came off of a huge loss to Notre Dame, but what happens? Do they pick it back up? This Pac-12 race is going to be epic.

Any one of these teams could win out. And, oh, by the way, there's a world where two of these teams could potentially, I said potentially make the college football playoff. It is going to be so interesting to see what happens with the Pact 12 in the back half of this season. It's already been exciting to watch all the storylines, the quarterbacks, the high flying offenses, and of course all of those ranked teams that are now going to play each other. You guys, you both had one of those ranked teams in your power rankings when we did those on September 27th, just a month into the season.

So here's what your top five power rankings looked like then. You both had Texas, Washington, and Oregon in your top three. Lug's you have the Longhorns at number one. Sam, you had Oregon in that top spot and both have lost since then. And Sam, you'll also notice you didn't have Georgia in your top five. So let's do your midseason power rankings. And Lugues, I'm curious to see how they differ. Well, let's start from five down to one.

I'm going to first of all, I think you could take a wealth of teams, throw them all up against a wall and see where they stick. You know, whether it's Penn State, whether it's Oklahoma, whether it's Florida State, whether it's Washington, Ohio State. I have Oklahoma at number five right now. I just think that they are a really complete football team, and they've made such significant improvements in all three phases of the game. They're mature. They are far more talented than they were a year ago. Dylan Gabriel has much better weapons than he had a year ago.

At number four, I have Ohio State, and I feel like we haven't seen their best game yet because they haven't been able to have their best players on the field all at one. yet. No Trayvion Henderson, no Maya and Williams last week. Denzel Burke went out on defense a week ago. Igbuka went out as well. Obviously, you've got Marvin Harrison and nobody's been able to come up with an answer for him. Let's see what happens versus Penn State in the horseshoe in if Austin State can get healthy. Number three, I have the Washington Huskies. I've said on this program before, I think they're the most dangerous team in all of college football. I think you could play that Oregon-Washington game 10 times and they would alternate wins every other week. It's just

They're really explosive. They can score from any spot on the field, and I think they're better on defense maybe than they get credit for. It's a really, really good football team. I've got Georgia at number two. I don't feel it's fair with the loss of Brock Bowers to just say, oh, all of a sudden, Georgia can't compete now. Georgia's too deep.

Georgia's got players. The quarterback's playing his best football of the season. They can pass-protect. This is a really talented roster. They're going to have to come up with answers. No Brock Bowers, doesn't just pop them out of the race. And for me, it's Michigan at number one.

Do I know how good they are? I don't think anybody does because they haven't been tested, but I know what my eyes tell. And that that is a well-rounded, tough, physical, rugged football team. It can beat you in a variety of ways. And they do all of the championship little things right. Run the football, play-run defense,

good kicking game, and they rarely beat themselves. Now, we've got to find out once they start playing people, what happens when they get into a close game. But right now they look like the total package. I love this list, Lou, because I only have one, not even issue, but it's more of a question, maybe a conversation,

because I don't know if we're going to respond or not, but the Georgia piece. I was high on Georgia after they went against Kentucky, but then Kentucky goes and loses the next week. And that's my only question mark, which I think we share it. But I'll go to my top five list. You'll see some similarities,

but there will probably a couple of key differences. Number five for me, is Florida State. So the reason I picked Florida State in this, you might say, why are they not higher? But Florida State does have two significant wins in the win over Clemson and the win against LSU. But LSU may not be what we thought they were

when the season started, this top ranked team. LSU has a few losses so far. And then Clemson, I think they could still rebound, but Clemson started slow. So that's my number five ranked team. That's why they're five and not higher. Number four, I'm going to go with Ohio State at number four.

And the reason why is this, it's not the offense. It's not Kyle McCord, not Maya Williams, not Trayvion Henderson, not Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Mecca, it's their defense. I've actually been impressed more so by their defense than anything. I think McCord will and can get it going. They have a huge sense this weekend when they play Penn State. But that's why they're in my number 14. Good win against Notre Dame.

I want to see more. Number three, Oklahoma. This took me a while to kind of go back and forth with because I'm sitting there, Oklahoma, only one major win, but that's probably one of the best wins, if not these. best win against Texas in college football. Texas is a really, really good football team, offensively, defensively, and special teams. Oklahoma took it to them. And oh, by the way, they won in the last minute. They drove the ball down the field. They were poised, got it done. Number two, Washington. Could have put them at number one, but we all saw what they did last week

against Oregon, not just with their offense, not just with their defense, but also in their running game. I talked about Michael Pennix. We talk about them all the time. Hizman Trophy favorite. But they ran for over 100 yards in this one. They forced turnovers. They found a way to win the game, even if it was by little coaching decisions by Kayland DeBoer. And Kailen DeBoer. And number one, Luke said it. I'll say it. It's Michigan.

They are the most complete team in all of college football, no matter who they played. A game a couple weeks ago played Minnesota. 74 people on the active roster. 73 played. Only one that didn't was their backup long snapper. Last week, they forced four turnovers. The week before, they had two pick sixes.

On defense, hard to beat. On offense, they do it all. quarterback, run game, on special teams, they got it together as well. So that's why they're my number one team. You know, Sam, I look at our list. We have so many similar players teams there. And I went back and forth on Florida State the same way you went back and forth on Oklahoma. So I felt like Florida State could literally have two losses right now.

And they haven't played as good on the defensive side of football as I think people have expected them to against the better teams on the schedule. It's interesting. I think I can see your case and point for the Georgia and some of the question marks that people have about them. And then you see what Michigan has been able to do. They haven't really played anybody, but they have won convincingly and done well on defense in those games as well. Take a look now at the college football rankings brought to you by Chick-fil-A in Georgia, according to the AP voters, still the number one team for the 18th straight poll, the longest streak since USC from 2003 to 2005. Washington also moved up two spots after their win, and North Carolina enters the top 10 for the first time since the 2021 preseason poll.

Let's now bring in our college football playoff senior reporter, Heather Dinnish, for more, as we are still two weeks away from seeing the committee's actual top 25 for the very first time. So, Heather, what are some of the games that could potentially change the way things shake out before we get those first rankings from the committee? Well, before we get the first rankings from the committee, we'll start in the Big Ten East. It starts this Saturday with Penn State going to Ohio State. And if you remember last year, Penn State lost to Ohio State, and that was critical in Ohio State getting to the championship, or excuse me, to the college football playoff without winning their division

because they also beat Notre Dame. But the Big Ten East has to shake itself out in order to figure out who to take seriously from the Big Ten of the college football playoff race. And then finally, on November 11th, that USC Oregon game is going to be critical in determining whether or not U.S. is really a college football playoff contender. And the same can be said for Oregon. Obviously, they have one loss already.

Big Ten East is so interesting. The Pac-12 is going to be interesting down the stretch. And the playoff committee is going to have a lot of things that they have to weigh as they move forward and look at these. What are some of the biggest questions that they'll have to weigh before these next two weeks come? Well, the first is who is number one. And I was looking at Sam's top four and I was looking at Luke's top four. And they don't even know what to do with Georgia. Sam's like me.

He doesn't have him in the top four at all. And what does the injury to Brock Bowers do in that selection committee meeting room to that thought process? They always consider injuries to key players. No one not even Kirby Smart knows how long Bowers is going to be out, but it goes deeper than that. What about Georgia's schedule strength? That could be an issue. When you look at who they will have played to that point, wins against Florida and Kentucky will be their best wins. And then second, what does the selection committee think about Oklahoma in terms of do they need to go undefeated to finish in the top four?

Because like Sam said, yes, they have one of the best wins, arguably the best win in the country at this point against Texas. But if they were to finish as a one-lost Big 12 champ, would the Sooners have enough on their resume to impress the committee to put them in over another one-loss power five champ that has a stronger strength of schedule? It's going to be so interesting down the stretch. You can get more insight from Heather's article. It is on ESPN.com. Heather Dinnich with us on College Football Live. We appreciate the insight. Still to come on College Football Live,

we're only halfway through the season, but some freshmen are looking like they've been doing this a lot longer. Luz has a look at some of the top young stars through the first half. This Giving Tuesday, Cam H is counting on your support. Together, we can forge a better path for mental health by creating a future where Canadians can get the help they need when they need it, no matter who or where they are. From November 25th to December 2nd, your donation will be doubled.

That means every dollar goes twice as far to help build a future where no one's seeking help is left behind. Donate today at camh.ca.ca. Black Friday is here at IKEA, and the clock is ticking on savings you won't want to miss. Join IKEA family for free today and unlock deals on everything from holiday must-haves to cozy at-home essentials, all the little and big things you need to make this season shine. But don't wait. Like leftovers at midnight, our Black Friday offers won't last. Shop now at IKEA.ca.ca.com. Bring home to life. Welcome back to college football live. We're only halfway through the season,

but there's some freshmen who are already growing up before our eyes. So Lugues, who stood out the first half of the season? Well, I think without question, the eye-popping player was Zachariah Branch at USC out of Bishop Foreman High School in Las Vegas. He's been lightning in a bottle, so difficult to handle in space. Not only has he contributed as a receiver, contributed as a runner, but he is a field position changer and a scorer in the kicking game. He is going to be a dynamic star for years to come at USC.

I think secondly, Caleb Downs the safety for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He's the best freshman secondary player that Nick Stavon has had since Minkin Fitzpatrick. And like Mink of Fitzpatrick, he's had to play more than one position because of the injury to Malachi Moore. He's mature beyond his years. He's made a ton of plays. He can set the defense. He's really, really talented. Going to go down as one of their best defenders ever when it's all said and done.

And then Anthony Hill, Jr., really burst onto the scene against Alabama for those watching that game. multi-sac game, but for the Texas coaches, they knew in fall camp, this guy's going to play. He's going to play an awful lot for us. Not only can he play off the ball as a stand-up linebacker, but you can put him on the edge as a designated pass rusher, and he is a load to handle. So, you know, those are three guys that have really stood out to me. There's been a variety of others throughout college football that have made their mark, but those three to me have been mainstays from the very first week.

Let's go to somebody who is a mainstay here on our show now on Wednesdays, and that's Joe Fortinbaugh, because it's time to get in the know with Joe as we take a look at the biggest storylines from college football in betting lens. And we start with the big news out of Georgia this week. As Star Tide-in, Brock Bowers is expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing tightrope surge reown was injured ankle.

Joe, despite their best player being out, UGA's win total still sits at 11.5. Would you still bet the over? Yeah, at plus 110, I'd absolutely bet Georgia to run the table here and go 5 in 0. the rest of the way. Depending on what happens between Alabama and Tennessee this weekend, there's a good chance Georgia is a double-digit favorite in each of these remaining five games. They still have a top-10 scoring defense when they needed to wake up against

rank Kentucky. They looked fantastic. And they've only played in one game this year that was decided by one score. I very much see Georgia going 12 and 0 this season. Another question for you because last week's loss by USC has dramatically shifted the Heisman odds dropping Caleb Williams from the plus 260 to 22 to 1, the seventh favorite. Meanwhile, after the big win against Oregon, Michael Pinnock Jr. is now an odds-on favorite to take home the prestigious award,

followed by Oklahoma and LSU quarterback Stalin Gabriel and Jaden Daniels. So, Joe, if you're not placing a bed on Michael Pinnock Jr., who are some of the other players that might have some value in the Heisman race? I'd look at LSU quarterback Jaden Daniels at 14 to 1 and North Carolina quarterback Drake May at 18 to 1. So often, this award is decided by a strong November.

We are all, after all, victims of recency bias. Look at Jane Daniels November. He's already got huge numbers. He's going to play Alabama. He's going to play Florida, and he's going to play Texas A&M. And for Drake May, he's got an opportunity to run the table and go undefeated. And as a highly touted draft prospect, voters very much know his name. Joe Portnbaugh, thanks so much.

And no surprise here that the three toughest remaining schedules among the schools currently ranked, all belong to the Big Ten East. We talked about earlier. Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State. all have to play each other down the stretch. On the flip side, Notre Dame has the third easiest remaining schedule with the 42% chance to win out. So Sam, as we were talking about this on our morning meeting, you pointed out, it's important

no matter how you started that you finished the season strong. But what team are you looking at to see, okay, you really need to see them finish things off the right way? I think the team that needs to finish the strongest, I would say, is North Carolina. And the reason why is this, they just got an injection. of confidence, swagger, and ability in Tess Walker. Tess Walker two weeks ago, six catches, 43 yards. Tess Walker last week, six catches, 132 yards and three touchdowns

with catches just like that. Oh, by the way, this team with Drake May at quarterback can run the ball. Amari on Hampton had 197 rushing yards versus Miami, and the defense can play as well. And so for me, it's about Tess, it's about North Carolina, it's about Amari on Hampton, and it's about their chances to maybe reach the college football playoff for the first time. Sam, I'm going back to the PAC 12, and I think it's SC. We just heard Heather

outline the importance of the game versus Oregon. I'm not so sure. FC couldn't have a loss or two prior to that game. Look at the schedule. You got Utah coming to town. Obviously, the Utah quarterback situation is not what they want it to be, but the defensive side of the football is. Then you're on the road at Cal. Cal played SC last year, really, really good on the road. And then it's Washington, Oregon, UCLA. The schedule. is brutal. This SD team is going to have to come up with some answers. If they turn the ball over and they continue to play defense like this could be a rough November. Speaking of their schedule, strength of remaining games for then 10th hardest in the country. This is going to be a battle,

though, in the ACC this weekend, number 16 Duke and their dominating defense looking to slow down Keon Coleman in fourth ranked Florida State. Coverage begins in 730 Eastern on ABC and the ESPN app. Next on college football live, we go Acho. mind Sam Acho's biggest plays from the first half of the season. Grandma Saving used to bake the best cakes in the world. And I used to stand by the oven when I was a kid and say, when's this cake going to be done? When's this cake going to be done?

I don't really understand what you're saying. I got receipts. I know who they are. They're fighting for clicks. We're fighting for wins. There's a difference. It's always been Ohio against the world. And it'll continue to be Ohio against the world.

When we're going to take the cake out of the oven, we will tell you, It's the time. You believe that? My balls are moving that? Hold on. Hold on. Oh, no.

Do you believe in that? Um, so no. No. Strong no. Like, yeah. No. No. I think the cake's been in the oven,

out of the oven, back in the oven. And I think it's, you know, ready to go. I just need to know more about what kind of cake this is. I mean, my favorite cake is an ice cream cake, so there is no oven. Maybe that's why I like it. You don't have to wait for it.

Uh, Luke's what are you? you think? Oh, milk cream pie for Nick Sey, but I already know. He eats him every day when he goes to work. So give me cheesecake. I like that. I like that. Give me a carrot cake. A carrot cake. I'm good with care. By the way, my daughter's birthday today. I'm hoping we're doing care of cake for her. Oh, happy birthday to your daughter. Before you go celebrate, let's go at your mind with some of the biggest players you've seen this, this season. Well, I had to go with these two to start, Kelsey. These are two catches that will make you lose your literal mind. Start with Ricky Pierce. sophomore forward. We all heard of Odell Beckham Jr. one-handed. Try one-handed between three

different defenders. That was one of the most outstanding catches that I've seen all year that you may have ever seen. But it wasn't just him. Yes, recency bias is a real thing. I got to go to last week. Give me Keon Coleman. Yes, we've seen him in week one all season long. But do he literally climbed the lap? Like I'm looking on the field. Is there a ladder? Because how did he get that high up? He did it in the receiving game. Did it as a punt returner. Keon Coleman last week took over. the best thing that you'll ever see, my coach is to say, man, zoom the camera, zoom the camera, zoom the camera on number 10. Haley Van Vores from Shenandoah University became the first female non-kicker to play in college

football. No, by the way, didn't just play. Got a quarterback hit, quarterback hurry, quarterback pressure, and the dub. Haley, you are a rock star. That played a ego, Acho mind, and I have so much respect for you, what you do. And great pressure, man. I'm an edge rusher, too, so I love the quarterback effect. Shout out to Haley, because I'm sure she is in spank.

a lot of people. I was trying to think of my atcho mind plays and I was thinking Lug's holding off the entire student section against Duke early on. And then I was trying to think of you, Sam, week one out in the middle of the field with Deion. Just living the life. I mean, we've been following these stories from up close and personal here on college football live all season long. We'll continue to do so in the second half of the season. We'll see you next time.