College Football Live - New Faces in New Places

Episode Date: July 24, 2024

Another double feature with ACC and Big Ten media days as host Victoria Arlen is joined by Sam Acho, Tom Luginbill, Pete Thamel and Eddie Royal to bring you all the sites and sounds of the day. Hear from Lincoln Riley, Matt Rhule and James Franklin from the Big Ten and Mario Cristobal, Bill O'Brien and Manny Diaz from the ACC. Plus, some deep dives into what to look for in Miami, Penn State, and USC's seasons, all in this packed episode of CFB Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to college football live. Yet another jam-pack day for you. Day three of ACC kickoff continues in Charlotte. We've got Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal, who is here and is 20, for the year. We can finally say that you is back for real. And the second day of Big Ten media days are underway in Indy, and all eyes are going to be on Lincoln Riley and the Trojans as they make their move to

the Big Ten. Are they ready? Well, we're ready for it. Welcome into college football live. I'm Victoria Arlen and the train keeps rolling for the ACC and Big Ten as media days continue on. We got Sam Acha with me. We've also got Pete Thammel in Indy, Tom Luganbell in Charlotte alongside Eddie Royal, who will join us in just a bit. We have a very colorful outfit attire going on today. But we're going to kick things off with a team who is entering uncharted waters with a new QB and conference. We're going to head out west. because USC is navigating a lot of news, starting with the loss of former Heisman winner and number one pick Caleb Williams. That one is going to sting for USC because 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 is USC's new conference. Now, luckily for the Trojans, they are 500 or better all time against every current Big Ten foe except Maryland and Rutgers, who they'll play the first time this season.

Now, even better news is their history against two Big Ten Goliath. The Trojans are the only program in the country to have faced Ohio State in Michigan each at least five times and have a winning record against both of them. Pete Thammel asked head coach Lincoln Riley about the move to the Big Ten. It makes it a little more real today. This is what's been an idea and what's been obviously discussed for for a while now is now reality. And it's exciting. It's fun to see all those logos together. You start to really have a chance to envision the matchups and what this conference is going to be.

And it's an exciting day. Our players are excited. I know our fan base is excited. Miller Moss has been working a lot for this moment in this season when we last saw you guys. He was torching Louisville in the bowl game. How ready is he for his moment this year at SC? I think he's incredibly ready. I do.

He's prepared hard. He's got a big competition coming up here that I know he certainly wants to go win as to the other guys in the room. But he's a great example. Listen, he is. I, you know, I've certainly, you know, had players and have benefited from the transfer portal, so I'm never going to be the one to sit there and say it's been a bad thing. But there are at times guys that leave for the wrong reasons when they're in a good place and they need to just develop and get ready for that opportunity.

And Miller's a phenomenal example of that. And I think had he left, I don't know that he would be as ready, I think as he is right now. And I think he would tell you the same thing. So excited about him. And like you said, the entire team, the way we were. responded and played in the bowl game against Louisville with so many young players. That's, uh, that we've really just been building off that since the night of that game. And you've been rebuilding your defense.

Danton Lynn comes from crosstown. He's obviously a promising young coach. What do you think the identity you're building towards on that side of the ball now, Lincoln? Yeah, I think certainly if you think back to, to USC history, all right? And when this program, which is most of history has been elite, there were elite defenses to go along with that year in and year out. And that's, that is our aim. That's our goal.

and that is what we are going to get back to. The excitement is building to see what shapes up with that. Now, with a new QB and a new conference, USC heads to the Big Ten. Sam, how do you see them shaping up? I expected to be a struggle, at least early on. Obviously, they start with LSU, but more than anything, USC plays five defenses that were ranked in the top 20 in scoring defense last year. That's what the Big Ten provides.

They provide defense teams like Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Rutgers, top defenses. Notre Dame as well. These are all defenses that will be or may be ready to break in a new quarterback in Miller Moss. Now, the benefit for USC is that they have offensive prowess, a prolific head coach, prolific play caller, and what was and looks like a good quarterback. So it'll be the offense that needs to step up, then defensively they'll have to slow down, at least it'd be a lot better than they were last year to slow down some of these run heavy offenses in the Big Ten. Sam Lincoln Riley told me today that he's looking forward to the chess match, the cat and mouse game. will of how these programs are going to adjust to each other. Obviously, the Big Ten has a reputation for being more of a power conference, and USC comes from out west, which is more of a speed and wide open conference. For USC, if you look at their roster right now, it's maybe more of a tortoise and hair situation, right?

They needed to get bigger, especially on the defensive front. They have four transfers who will start for them up front. Three of them are from the SEC. The fourth was signed with an SEC team before he eventually transferred to USC from Georgia state. USC knows it needs to get bigger. It's already fast enough. Well, there's no question they've got speed and they've got a ton of speed on the perimeter, Pete. The questions are on defense for me. And I know that De Anten Ling comes over from UCLA. I did the SC UCLA game last year. I bet he wishes you could bring Laotu Latu with him.

Unfortunately, SC right now doesn't have those types of players. They're working towards it. And I think they're going to get there eventually if the emphasis in recruiting and in the transfer portal continues on the defensive. side of the ball, but here's the alarming part of this. They have somehow, some way, got to eliminate the explosive plays. They were last or near to last in the country

in explosive plays of 20 yards or more given up, and on top of that, they were 128th in the country in the deep ball completion percentage for the opponent, meaning that the lowest completion attempt on the field is a pass over 40

yards, and they were giving up the highest completion percentage for the opponent on those plays. If they can keep the ball in front of them on defense and tackle better and get off the field, just a 20% increase on defense. SC is going to be a much better football team. Let's keep the theme of defense here because that seems to be the main subject. Now there's been changes on the defensive side of the ball. Alex Grinch is out. Danton Lynn is in at defensive coordinator. Sam, what are you expecting from the defense this year? Well, I expect significant improvements. De Antenlin last year at UCLA, not only coached a team that was 14th in scoring defense, but when the game was on the line, those guys up front in UCLA were game records and game winners.

There was a game they played last year where there was three sacks in the last four plays to win the game for UCLA. And so that's going to be a huge improvement. So when it comes to rushing the quarterback, UCLA last year, right, De Antoin was a DC there and he's a DC at USC now. They're one of the best teams when it comes to getting after the quarterback. And so getting after the quarterback and defense as a whole, I think it'll be much improved not because of the players on the field, but because of the structure and the mind defensively that De Antilin Lynn is bringing over Alex Grinch. Well, you mentioned quarterback. Their main guy in number one draft big, Caleb Williams is, of course, off to the NFL. So Pete, what does moving on from Caleb Williams look like? Well, moving on from Caleb Williams means a partial identity shift.

And I really feel like for Miller Moss, the new talent is going to be surrounding. him. We just talked about all the transfers on the defense for USC. Well, they have four sophomores starting at wide receiver that Lincoln Riley has recruited there. And it's a little bit of the new sign of what USC is going to look like there. Zachariah Branch is foremost among them. For all the decorated stars that USC has had the last century, he's the first freshman to be a first team All-American. Now, he did that on special teams as a kick returner. There are shades and hints of Reggie Bush and Branch. He has hit 23 miles an hour on the GPS. Pete, he's a human blur.

He was a top 10 overall player for us coming out of high school. And when he has the ball in his hands, I'd make the argument he's the most electrifying player in college football as a skilled offensive weapon. I want to go back to the quarterback position for just a second because I love how Lincoln Riley touched on this with Miller Moss. If Miller Moss ends up being the guy as we all expect him to be, he didn't transfer. He stayed around, he studied, he developed, he grew, he matured. And when the opportunity presented itself, he seized the moment.

We don't see an awful lot of that in college football. You know what that tells me? That tells me that his teammates like him, tells me that he can lead a football team. Now, can we expect him to go out and have, you know, a six touchdown performance every week? I don't think that's realistic. But he certainly is off to a good start.

And if we know one thing about Lincoln Riley in this offense is he knows how to coach the quarterback and put him in a position to succeed. But one thing I noticed, to your point, Lug, Lug, is what did the head coach say. What did Lincoln Riley say? He said Miller Moss, if he earns the opportunity. To me, that says they're still a quarterback competition. Remember, Lincoln Riley came to USC and he brought Caleb

Williams with him from Oklahoma after winning the Heisman trophy. And so for me, yes, it's Miller Moss's job to win, but he still has to win the job. It wasn't Lincoln Riley who recruited Miller Moss to USC, so he still has to get the job done to be the quarterback. That'll hopefully be another one of the Heisman trophy first round,

first number one overall picks that Lincoln Riley continues to produce. A lot of work needs to be done because USC has only had a one 10 win season in the last six seasons, and they haven't finished top 10 since 2016. They got to turn up that electricity. All right, we're just getting started here on college football live. It's one of the most popular questions in college football is the U back. We'll hear from head coach Mario Cristobal and discuss expectations for Miami.

Plus, is it a playoff or bus season for Penn State? We'll hear from their head coach James Franklin and break down their chances at the CFP. And all eyes are on the U. The Miami Hurricanes are looking to avoid a third consecutive losing record in ACC play within the Mario Cristobal era. The Hurricanes have never posted three straight losing conference records since joining a conference in 1991. Now, quarterback Cam Ward transferred in from Washington State, and he accounted for 74% of the team's total offense in two years with the Cougars, the highest rate of team total offense by any player over that span.

Now, Ward has the second and third leading receivers in the ACC, only Virginia's Malik Washington compiled more receiving yards than Xavier Restrepo and Jacoby George. Mario Cristobal spoke earlier today on the improvements being made. What's different, I can tell you what's progressing. And back to what we were talking about earlier, there's a starting point for everything, right? And starting point at Miami for us was making sure

that we enhance the caliber of talent in the locker room, that we increase the level and capabilities of the coaching staff and that we blend in the strongest and most unbreakable culture that we can. And we've been added for two years, so systems are growing, players are developing. People are there for the right reasons, right? Growth and development, hard work and good people is a very strong combination. We feel awesome about the people in the building. These guys, they run to the work.

They run to the fight. They're awesome to be around. It really is, it's awesome to sit back and watch them work. It'll be awesome to see them come back. Now, there's been a lot of talk, but no action so far. And many people are saying that Miami is back. So we're going to welcome in another member, Eddie Royal. Now, Eddie, what do you need to see from Miami to solidify that awesome statement?

Well, you've got to dominate week one. It's a big matchup against Florida, SEC opponent. And I really want to see it at the line of scrimmage. We talk about this big offense line. Mario Cristball specializes in that. I want to see those guys dominate up front. ACC versus SEC, that's where the games are going to be won. In the trenches.

We all know about Cam Ward, how great he is with the ball. But then you throw in Damien Martinez, a big time transfer, and also that receiving core. I love Xavier Restrepo, one of the most consistent receivers that they have in the ACC. Unbelievably productive. There's no question about it. I think when you look at Miami, do we look at him and say, I don't know about talent?

No. Do we look at them and say, I don't know about the quarterback? No. You mentioned the offensive line and the defensive front. Both line of scrimmage have been addressed really last year heading into this year. The question you worry about is can you get in the plus side on the turnover margin? They're minus four a year ago. That's not winning football. And are you disciplined? Can you avoid penalties? Can you manage the football game? We saw that happen a year ago. And so I think the talent and the core is there in the foundation. They just got to play smarter football. Yeah. Yeah. To your point,

put some numbers behind it. This team was 96th last year out of 133 teams in penalty yards. 98th out of 133 teams in turnover. So it's the discipline and the decisions. Going back to that Georgia Tech game, it wasn't the players on the field that cost the team the game. It was poor coaching decisions by Mario Cristobal. Instead of taking a knee, he decides to run the ball,

ball gets fumbled, et cetera. So for me, when it comes to Miami, talent is not the issue. They are extremely talented. Cam Ward is extremely talented. Francis Maui Noah, their star tackle. who's a five-star recruit, superbly talented. But it's the decision-making, the discipline. And that starts from the top, starts from the coaching staff,

and it dwindles and trickles down to the players on the field. Talent is not the issue for Miami. It's discipline, it's structure, and it's coaching. Speaking of superb talent, we have Cam Ward making his ACC media debut for Miami and earning much respect from his hedge coach. Take a listen. We believe in Cam Ward, and we believe. that Cam Ward will allow Miami to do things that Miami hasn't been able to do in a long,

long time. The reason everybody wanted him was his playmaking ability, right? A really accurate, great arm strength, ability to improvise, extend plays, a game changer. But what impressed us the most was whenever there was a bad play, his ability to bounce back and make things right. His aggressive, I would say competitive nature to come back and make things right, go ahead and make up for maybe a play that was negative. It was really, really impressive, and that has really stood out in his time at Miami throughout spring practice.

I feel like the biggest thing for me going into this year is getting better at the easy stuff. I feel like where I lacked last year, you know, is not taking the easy stuff all the time. I try to get too big play happy. And that's one thing that, you know, I tried to hone in in the spring. And, you know, I feel like this is one of my best springs

at all my college career. You know, obviously I got Jacoby George, strep out there, Isaiah Horton. I think Elijah Roy is going to have a great year for us this year. So, you know, I have some weapons around me. We got to show up every game. You know, we can't take games off no matter. We're playing the best team in the country.

I'm one of the worst teams, you know, we've got to be the same team on the field every Saturday. Getting better at the easy stuff always is a good thing. Now, Luges, how does Cam fit in with this Miami team? Well, first of all, from a scheme marriage standpoint, from his skill set to the scheme, I think it's ideal. Now, he's been an incarnate word. He's been at Washington State. Certainly most recently at Miami, we're going to see it this. fall, but all three stops featured some version of the air raid.

So there is such familiarity there. And I think the theory of the game, he understands clock in his head, he knows where he's going with the football. He will limit mistakes. He will also protect himself. You know, they only gave up 16 sacks a year ago. Now you've got a dynamic runner behind center. And so he can help that in more ways now and using his feet.

And the other thing, too, is I love the arm angles. Love it. Eddie. That was awesome. Yeah, it's just the confidence that he's bringing this way. I mean, he's walking around. It's a quiet confidence that Miami has now, right? I was drinking the Kool-Aid before as well.

I believe that it was Miami back when Tyler Van Dyke, but it's something special about this guy that makes you want to believe in Miami. Mario Cristobal learned from his mistakes. Even coaches can get better. So he'll know for next time, maybe I ought to take that knee. So it's going to be those little things. They're going to improve all across the board, and it starts with coaching. Yeah, and to your point, I love what you're saying about coaching,

but even about Cam Ward, Confidence piece is huge. This dude, when he steps on the field, he thinks he's the best player on the field, and rightfully so. I think it was two years ago when Toto, Toad, Oregon, with Oregon, if I'm not mistaken, at Washington State. So this dude knows how to play the game of football, but what's even better is that he rallies people around him.

That's what I think Mario Cristobal is trying to point to and allude to. He's saying, hey, man, when there's a downplay, when he's trying to do too much, he can bounce back, and then you hear Ken Ward say it himself. Let me keep the simple stuff simple. I can do the electric. I can do the amazing, but let me try and do the easy stuff that will help elevate my game to the next level. Yeah, I believe this is the chance for Miami to make a statement, right? If you want to prove that to you was back, win against Florida, in the swamp, come and make your statement,

and I think this is the team to do it. They got the right guys in place for that. Hot out of the gate. Got to come out hot. And it's interesting. You know, he said how spring was his best spring. Listen to these stats. His last two seasons at Washington State, starting all 25 games.

and during that time, he threw for nearly 7,000 yards. I mean, that quiet confidence is everything. Don't you agree, Sam? Yeah, I completely agree. And I just go back to that first game. Eddie's pointing to it. That first game versus Florida is going to be huge. But if you look at their first six or seven games,

if Miami is who we think they are, they could easily be six and oh, seven and oh going into that Florida State game. And so those are big statements, but this is a talented team with a relatively easy first half of the schedule. Big statements, as we start. started it off with is the U back. All right, we're going to take a quick break up next on college football live with the playoff now at 12 teams.

Is this a make-or-break year for Penn State? We'll discuss that and hear from their head coach James Franklin. You and your crew to the big shows with Go Transit. Go connects to all the main concert venues like TD Coliseum in Hamilton and Scotia Bank Arena in Toronto. And Go makes it affordable with special e-ticket fares. A one-day weekend pass offers unlimited travel across the network on any weekend day or holiday for just $10.

And a weekday group pass offers the same weekday travel flexibility from $30 for two people and up to $60 for five. Buy yours at go transit.com slash tickets. Welcome back to college football live Penn State with high playoff hopes for James Franklin and his squad for 2024. Now Penn State has found success under Coach Franklin. The Nittany Lions have finished in the top 12 in six of his last eight seasons, but they have yet to make a college football playoff appearance ever. Now the main reason for that is, well, well, Penn State has been unable to take care of business against Michigan and Ohio State.

The Nittney Lions are 4 and 16 in regular season against the Wolverines and Buckeyes since 2014 and 80 and 18 against everyone else. If they're going to get over the hum, it's going to be thanks to their defense. Penn State ranked third in the nation and points allowed per game last year and led all of FBS and sacks and rushing yards allowed per game. But it's the changes on the offense that Coach Franklin, wanted to talk about. One of our areas of weakness last year, not enough explosive plays. You look at Kansas and what Andy was able to do, maybe one of the most explosive offenses in college football.

So that was something obviously made him very attractive to us on the front end. And I think what's interesting about both him and Tom is neither one of them had to take the job. It had to be the right fit and the same thing for us. We spent a ton of time working through that. Last question, James, the college football life expands. this year. If you look back at your history at Penn State, you would have been a participant in the playoff a majority of the years. What opportunity is that bring for your place? Well, it does. It creates

a really good opportunity, and I've heard that from a number of people. But I think the other thing is, how do we put our team not just in the playoffs, but put us in the best position to be successful with either a buy or a home game would be phenomenal. So high expectations, as you know, at Penn State always has been, always will be. So it's not. just about, you know, getting in the playoffs. It's putting ourselves in the best position when we're in there. Oh, high expectations. Indeed. Now Penn State has not had a playoff appearance under Franklin. However, with the new format, there is hope. They have top 12 finishes in six of the last eight seasons. So Pete, is this a playoff or bust year for Penn State? Victoria, I really feel like this is a year where Penn State is a safe pick to make the playoff. Now, they do go to West Virginia in week one. And that is a

quintessential trap game. Morgantown is a difficult place to play. West Virginia returns a ton of starters from a very good team that's ascending under Neil Brown. So I really feel like if Penn State can manage their difficult role dates, they obviously have to go to USC later in the season, they will be on course for the playoff. Because remember, perfection is no longer required, which is good for the Nittany Lions. Well, another thing I see right there, Pete, is no Oregon and no Michigan on the schedule.

And I don't know if it's necessarily playoff or bus for Penn State. I think you've got to take some baby steps here. You know what this is? This has beat a top 10 team, then worry about winning the conference, and then all of the rest of it will take care of itself. I remember several years ago, and you all have covered college football for a long time when Jim Harbaugh at Michigan could not beat a top 10 team.

They couldn't do it yet. One of the worst records of all head coaches in college football. Penn State's been going through a little bit of that. And then all of a sudden that snapped. And here we are coming off of a national championship season for Michigan. No reason that can't happen with this returning group of core players for Penn State. Yeah, but Tom, it's got to be a playoff season for Penn State. The reason why I say that is this.

It seems as if the 12th team playoff was created specifically for Penn State, a team that, man, I beat everybody else but Ohio State, Michigan. I'm always on the outside looking in. I'm one of the 10 best, 12 best teams. We talked about it, six of the last eight years. for whatever reason, I'm not in the playoffs. If for whatever reason, Penn State doesn't make the playoffs this year with as much talent as they have defensively, with the new offensive coordinator, it would be a travesty.

I would argue even an embarrassment for them not to make the playoffs with how talented they've been and how on the cusp of prominence and high level success that they've been when it comes to competing for championships and going to the playoffs. Now, I just have to ask, do you agree with what Sam's saying? because it's not even, you know, we mentioned the Big Ten, but it's the matter of if they don't make it in this year, how detrimental that would be. Yeah, listen, I think they will make the playoff, to be honest with you.

I think that they are going to finish 10 and 2, if not better. And so I expect for that to happen. Now, I don't know if single-digit win season can get you into the college football playoff, right? Which means that what are they going to have to do? They're going to have to beat some highly ranked teams that are good football teams to put themselves in that position. And by the way, when you make the college football playoff,

everybody you're going to be playing as a top 10 football team. So you better start getting some starter wins there on top 10 teams during the regular season if you're Penn State. For sure. And with changes on offense, bringing in new offensive coordinator, Andy Coddlenicki from Kansas. Pete, how will that help Drew Aller improve this season? Well, Victoria, we heard James Franklin mention explosive plays.

And I think one of the things that Drew Aller is going to be focused on this season is passing the ball further down the field. We remember that Michigan game last year that ultimately ended up costing offensive coordinator, Mike Eursich, his job. It felt like the Penn State offense was in quicksand. They were moving horizontally instead of vertically. A few things are going to help Andy Cottle, Nicki.

One, Julian Fleming, the former number one receiver recruit in the country, transfers from Ohio State to Penn State. That should allow him to catch the field. They also have one of the better tight ends in the country for catching balls, Tyler Warren. He had 34 catches last year and seven touchdowns. Andy Cottle Nicky has developed a reputation of being able to maximize the talent he's had. He did it at Buffalo. He did it at Kansas with the star tailbacks that Penn State has.

And Nick Singleton and Ketron Allen, he should be able to find ways to stretch the field. Yeah, but it's going to be not just stretching the field. It's got to be doing the little things well as well. Drew Aller, if you go to some of the games last year, you're seeing outrouts. You're saying, man, why are they bouncing two or three yards in front of the receivers? You look at it the statistically, Sopon, one of our research, researcher Senate, 36% of passes. He had a 36% completion rate on passes outrout's 10 yards or more, not deep down the field. The college football average was 57%. And so Drew Aller has to get better.

I think Coton Nikki will help him get better. Think about it. He was at Buffalo. He was at Kansas. He was at University of Wisconsin Whitewater, all with Lance Lipold, which all had some of the top rushing offenses in all of college football. And so with K. Tron Allen, Nick Singleton, and then also an offensive coordinator who knows how to build explosive plays. It should help Drew Aller's development. All right. Let's shift gears from the east to the West Coast, a notable Bruin through and through Deshaun Fuster,

arriving as UCLA's newest head coach. And he spoke with Pete earlier today. Not too many athletes get an opportunity to be the head coach at their alma mater. And, you know, I'm excited about this, looking forward to the season. Blessed to be in this position. And, you know, I'm just ready to hit a roll. What could we see as an early identity of the Bruins? We're just going to get out there and play Bruin football, which is discipline and respect and enthusiasm.

You know, those are my three pillars. So I want to make sure that we show that in every game, no matter what, you know, when lose or draw. Well, the pillars in recent years have been the run game. You had four consecutive drafts with tailbacks drafted. You've been in the top 20 in rushing the last four seasons. Should we expect that to be part of what we see on field? Most definitely. But we will take some shots downfield, too.

You know, I'm excited by my receiving. Corps. It's a good group of guys, but you know, we want to get out there and run the rock. We told you that Foster is UCLA through and through and here's why. He has been on the Bruin staff since 2017 as the running backs coach and he was also an all American running back at UCLA from 1998 to 2001. Then was a second round draft pick for the Carolina Panthers. Still to come, what must Iowa do to improve their sluggish offense from a year ago? And what should we expect from that rule in year two? at Nebraska. We'll hear from both head coaches next. Iowa's a team that oftentimes at the end of the

season, they're one of the top 12 ranked teams. You know you're going to get a tough football team out of Iowa City. Iowa intercepted. That has got to be exciting for Hawkeyes fans. While we all love Iowa, we don't love their offense. Iowa's offense was historically bad last year. They averaged 235 yards per game last year. That was 30 yards fewer than any other FBS team and it was the worst by a Big Ten team in over 20 years. Coach Kirk Farrens took the podium earlier today. Really, to me, success in offense still gets down to execution. You know, the guys up front have to block and the receivers have to block.

And then, you know, somebody's got to do a good job of getting the ball where it's supposed to. And the passing game's the same thing. People have to get open. They've got to make tough catches and quarterback's got to be able to deliver and so all starts with protection. So it's not like you're inventing anything. It's going to be a little bit different, certainly, and I think our players really took to it quickly.

Well, they do have great defense, but terrible offense. Hopefully that can turn around. Now, Kirk Farrant fired his offensive coordinator, who happened to be his son and brought in Tim Lester, who was the former coach at Western Michigan. So, Pete, how can Tim turn things around? Well, Victoria was a perfect storm of misery for Iowa the past few seasons on offense, and a lot of that was tied to health. They lost Kate McNamara. They lost our tight end, Luke Lechette. They just kept losing receivers.

They were running walk-ons out there. So I think better health combined with an upgrade at the offensive line. Kirk Ferris told me today the last three years, the offensive line at Iowa just hadn't been what had been in the past. He feels like it's going to be back to that standard, which means we should see some forward movement from the Hawkeyes. Forward movement, yes, let's go. Let's get into second and two instead of second in 13.

There's no doubt. This Iowa offense, listen, it's got nowhere to go but up. But I think Tim Lester, if they can keep the quarterback up right, Cade McNamara is a guy that will perform to a higher standard and better quality production that they've had in their previous quarterbacks. Now, I think they'll be more multiple. They'll spread people out a little bit more, maybe be a little bit more aggressive in terms of tempo

and speeding up the game, trying to dictate terms to the defense. We haven't seen a lot of that. You play off of that offense, all right? If you're just 10%, 15%, 20% better, this is a team that could sneak into the college football playoff. And look, I think you just put that on a sticky note. It can only go up from here. Now, Sam, you talked about this as a team that nobody wants to play in the playoff.

Why? Well, it's because of their defense. I think about this team sneaking into the playoff. Let's say they're 12. Let's say they're 10. Who knows what they would be. But their defense last year was ranked fourth in scoring defense in the nation. They play great on special teams.

Defense travels. That's one thing about defense. No matter what the weather is, if it's cold, if it's snowing, if it's rainy, no matter where you play, that defense travels. Now, all of a sudden, you're playing in a game where, let's say you're in Ohio State and you have this high-powered passing offense. It may not look the same because of weather. Or let's say you're a USC, right? It may look the same.

Whereas Iowa says, okay, great, that tends to the style that we like to play our defense versus your offense and bad weather could prove a recipe for disaster for Iowa's opponents. Now I think also working in Iowa's favor is the fact that it ranks number nine in FBS and percentage of returning production with a lineup that's loaded with experienced upperclassmen. It can only go up from here. All right, from Iowa to Nebraska, Matt Ruhl is looking to right the ship at Nebraska and builds back a winning culture. Something he is all too familiar with. He has done this before, helping Temple to four game improvements in his second and third year

and helping Baylor go from a one win to a double-digit win in his third year. as someone who grew up in Big Ten country, we'll start with this. What's it like to walk in this building and see an 18 team Big Ten that goes from coast to coast? It's like being at an NFL. It's like being an NFL owners meetings. It's a national conference now and it's the best of the best. Nebraska 5 and 7 in your first year there. As I look back on your career in college, both the programs that you took over, Temple and Baylor, took big leaps in year two.

When you reflect back on those, what were some tenants that you saw from year one to your two. And how do you explain those? I think when the players start to get confident because of the work they've put in, when they know like, hey, we're working at a really high level. And start to walk around with an air of confidence. You know you're going to make a jump that year. And I certainly see that with our guys. I'd expect us to be a good team this year. Dylan Raola had an air of confidence in the spring game played really well. He's obviously the top quarterback recruit in the country and, you know, we'll be one of the centerpieces of your program moving forward. Can you walk us through a little bit of how you plan to run the quarterback

competition this summer and what his potential is. Well, I mean, Dylan's a special player. Anytime you have a guy with that level of talent comes from a great family. And obviously his dad played 14 years in the NFL. He knows the preparation. He knows the process. You're blessed. I'm excited to see all three of those guys.

They've worked so hard this summer. I think the first part of camp is just seeing where they are trying to figure out with each guy, you know, hey, what's the best things we can do with him? And then eventually making a decision. But in the new college football, and the new 12 team playoff, man, you're dreaming about playing 16 games. And so you better get one, two, and three guys ready to play.

Keeping that air of confidence for sure. Now, the schedule for Nebraska seems favorable for momentum and bowl eligibility. Nebraska's last bowl trip was in 2016. Now, according to ESPN analytics, Nebraska is favored to win its first seven games of the season before traveling to Columbus to face Ohio State. All right, Pete, how confident should folks feel with Matt Rule being able to turn things around and get Nebraska back into title contention.

Well, there's certainly a quiet confidence around the Nebraska program right now, Victoria. When I mentioned to Matt Rule yesterday that I said they were a sleeper on college football live, I got the, they want to stay asleep for a little while longer and maybe sneak up on some people still. The key to this Nebraska program moving forward is winning close games. It was a vexing issue under Scott Frost that continued last year under Matt Rule. And Matt Rule addressed it head on today.

He said, look, guys, losing close games isn't an affliction. no voodoo doll. We have to hold onto the ball. We have to win on special teams. We have to do all the little things to win the game. They have not been cursed. It just feels that way. I love the Sch-Sleever team. We're just going to keep doing that over here. All right, Loux, what can you tell us about the Huskers freshman Qie, Dylan Rayola? Well, as Coach Ruhl said right there, he is supremely talented. And there's kids that, you know, when you see him coming up and they're 14, 15, 16 years old, long before they become a senior, You look at him, you say, who's that guy?

That guy's different. And so doesn't mean it's all about physical ability. It is a giant leap to go from high school to the college ranks, especially with monster expectations. Because Dylan Rayola is going to have to go through what Arch Manning did not at the University of Texas. And the players that are going to be around Dylan Rayola, who I think will be improved, need to bring him along. There's going to be bumps in the road. He's going to get hit.

He will make some freshman bonehead plays, but he's also going to make some wow plays. And the schedule plays out perfectly for them if they're improved on defense to help bring the quarterback along slowly. I just hope that those freshman plays aren't too costly. This is the team that last year was the worst team in college football when it comes to giving the ball away, 31 giveaways. They were the second worst team in turnover margin. So they weren't taking it back. They kept on turning the ball over, 15 fumble. 16 interceptions. And so you have a freshman quarterback coming in that's expected to have high

expectations, but still freshman mistakes could prove the only thing costly for the super talented team going into year two under Matt Rule. Yeah, you don't want to sleep on anything that Nebraska is doing. All right, Pete, we have to let you go and we won't sleep on anything that you say. I promise. I promise. All right, up next on college football live with new faces and new places. Could Boston College be a dark horse team in the ACC? And we'll hear from their new head coach, Bill O'Brien as well as Duke's new boss, Mani Diaz. Week Zero kicks off with the Aer Lingus

College Football Classic from Dublin, Ireland. College Game Day will be there, of course, kicking things off at 9 a.m. Eastern before Florida State and Georgia Tech get the 2024 season underway at noon, all of that on ESPN and the app. Welcome back to College Football Live ACC media days rolling on in Charlotte. And how about those Louisville Cardinals?

Season 1 of the Jeff Brom era was one to remember in Louisville. the Cardinals won 10 games for the first time since 2013 and made it to the ACC Championship game before falling to Florida State. Now, there will be a new signal caller in the backfield for Louisville this season. Tyler Shuck will lead the cards after transferring in from Texas Tech, and he takes over for Jack Plummer. And fans will get plenty of opportunities to see the Cardinals early in the season. Louisville opens the 2024 season with three straight home games culminating in its ACC. opener against Georgia Tech. Now with a double digit win season and an ACC championship game appearance, Eddie,

how do they keep that momentum going this season? Yeah, by playing good defense. We talked about Jeff Brom being an offensive guy, but it was really that defense has stepped up later in the year, getting a lot of turnovers. But you know one thing, they're going to be able to score a lot of points as well. So whatever the scheme is, you can just throw a different quarterback in there. Tyler Shuck, they love them. They're talking highly of them.

So I'm in an elevator, a big guy. Seems like he's got it together. Well-spoken guy. So I'm excited what this offense is going to look like. Yeah, I think the number one thing that you've got to have happen is you've got to have Tyler Shuck stay healthy. That's the thing because he is not for whatever reason. When he's played, he's played really good football. But he hasn't been able to stay healthy for the duration of a season.

If he does, if he does, I think they've got an opportunity to be explosive. Colin Lacey comes over from South Alabama. who lit the sunbelt on fire and his time there. So this is, I think this is a good looking football team. The only difference, Eddie, is they're not sneaking up on anybody this year. And they did a year ago. Yeah, I agree. And look, Coach Brom's going to do a great job.

31 transfers. That did worry me a little bit, but it's proof in the pudding last year. Similar type of thing with the turnover. But he got that team, the ACC championship. And we'll see what they can do this year. Another team we're going to see what they can do is we're going to ship up to Boston. where head coach Bill O'Brien is looking to bring the Eags in his first season back to their tough and physical ways. Now, it is safe to say that BC went through a lot of changes this offseason because Jeff Hathley left Boston College after four seasons to become the defensive coordinator for the Packers.

But we're going to hear from Bill O'Brien. Yeah, it has been 10 years since I've been a head coach in college. But, you know, I did have that experience at Alabama, and that meant a lot to me. And I was able to learn a ton in that program, obviously, from Coach Saban. And so I think that has helped me relative to the landscape of college football now. Really enjoy the team. You know, these guys, like I said earlier, they show up on time. They buy into what we're trying to get done relative to offense, defense, and special teams.

I really like the staff. I've enjoyed working with the people. at Boston College from, you know, Father Leahy to Father Jack Butler to Reggie Terry to everybody involved on the outside of the program at the university. So, you know, there's nothing really that surprised me. It's just been it's been a job that I've loved to come to work to every single day. All right, with Bill O'Brien coming in as a new head coach, he's looking to bring back that physical and tough game that the Eagles have been known for. So, Luke, how can he successfully do this? Well, it's going to happen through recruiting. It's going to happen through the transfer portal.

some positions. I don't know if it's going to happen overnight, but the good news is, I think, on two fronts. Number one, he's not inheriting a two and ten program. He's not inheriting a three and nine program. There is a foundation there in a positive culture. Number two, he's got Diet Kyleor Murray playing quarterback.

And I think that Tommy Casillanos is a game wrecker. And I had the Florida State Boston College game in week three a year ago. And Boston College outplayed Florida State, but what did they do? They committed 18 penalties in one game and ended up losing that football game.

They rebounded, ended up having a pretty solid year. But if you have a quarterback to start off with, you have a chance. And he's coached a multitude of athletic guys, Deshaun Watson, Bryce Young. So he's been around a lot of good football players. Yeah, and he's put them around greatness, right? Matt Ryan came back. I saw Julian Edelman there to talk to the team. And even Castellanos had a chance to talk to Bryce Young over the phone.

And he said what he took away from that was, now I've got to be the first scythe in the locker room, the last one to leave. He even changes eating habit. So Coach O'Brien is doing great by surrounding those guys with greatness, because that's half the battle. You got to figure out how to be great, and then you can go chase that. Now, Eddie, what is that mindset from a player's perspective

when you have a new coach coming in? It's great for them because you've got to prove yourself. Everybody out there, you're starting with a clean slate. And so for Castellanos, where it's all going to start, he's learning new things, right? He's learning different protections. He's learning how to read coverages differently. So it's going to be great for him.

It's really getting him prepared for the NFL game. You know, I think in this day and age, and listen, everybody wants to play in the National Football League, right? And you've got a coach and a coaching staff that is riddled with NFL experience. And so when you can relay those conversations that a Bill O'Brien has had with a Tom Brady or Deshaun Watson, and you're in that quarterback meeting room, right? And you're saying, well, you know what? You should try this.

We did this with so-and-so. Guess what? Your ears are going to perk up. You could be a receiver. you could be a lineman when you start talking about those things because you've been there, that's going to get a response, a healthy response out of the roster and the football team. So I think he inherited a pretty good spot. I'll tell you one thing.

What makes a great coach is someone who knows how to get players better. That's how you grab their attention. You got something that they want. He's an NFL Super Bowl winner. He knows how to win. So those guys are going to be all ears. Yeah, all ears for sure. Thank you, Eddie, for joining us.

And roll leagues. All right, keeping on the theme of new head coaches, man and he is making his way. to Media Day for the first time as Duke's new leader and a lot of changes going on at Duke. So we got Mike Elko off to Texas A&M after two seasons in Durham. Former Miami head coach Manny Diaz takes over after serving as Penn State's defensive coordinator last year. And quarterback Riley Leonard is also gone as he transferred to Norda Dame. But the Blue Devils added former Texas quarterback in Malik Murphy, who will battle for the starting job with Grayson Loftus.

And our Bill Connolly projects that only 59 percent of their production. from last year returns from last year's team that went seven and five and won the Birmingham Bowl. To be honest, it was made before I was hired. I remember David calling me to ask me if I would be interested in the job when it opened. And I said, well, that depends. And he says, it depends on what? I said, would you stay? And the fact that he chose to stay, he did not stay because of Manny Diaz. He stayed because of our locker room. He stayed because of our players. And what could entice me to want to be the head football coach of Duke more than that endorsement from Philly over the type of guys that we get to coach every day. It's a huge difference.

Now, as Penn State's defensive coordinator last year, Diaz led one of the best units in college football, the Nittany Lions had the best rush defense in the FBS and also led the nation in SACS. Tomorrow is the fourth and final day of ACC kickoff highlighted by Davos. and Clemson Tigers. Will he be able to bring the Tigers back to a championship caliber team without the use of the portal? We'll discuss. Still to come on college football live,

the defending champs take the podium tomorrow in Indy with a new head coach in QB. And is this a rebuilding year for Michigan? Big 10 media days happening now in Indy, and they wrap up tomorrow and they save the best for last. We'll hear from the new Michigan man, Cheryl Moore, and can the Wolverines go back to back? plus what should we expect from the Oregon and Washington in their first season. Now, last year, they were national champs,

and this year looks a little bit different for Michigan. Are we calling this a rebuild year, or is it too soon to say, Sam? I think it is a rebuild year. And the only reason I say rebuild is that they lost 13 players to the draft. They lost their entire defensive staff. Some of those guys are in the NFL right now. And oh, by the way, look at their schedule. Week two, you play Texas.

In November, you play Oregon. End of the season, Ohio State. Those are three of the best five teams in college football. That's the reward for winning a national championship. And oh, by the way, if USC happens to be talented offensively like we think they are, you have them early in the season as well. And so Michigan has lost a lot. Yes, they have Wink Martindale as a defensive coordinator

and some talented, super talented defensive stars, but it may be a huge letdown for people who expect them to be at least competing again for not only a playoff position, really for a Big Ten championship. Man, rough schedule. Rough schedule. There's no doubt, especially when you're breaking in a new quarterback. And we don't know who that quarterback's going to be yet. The one thing that I would maybe guard against a little bit is assuming that because they

had losses, that their competitive depth isn't at an elite level because I think it is. So I think we could be looking at Michigan with some names that we don't know now that we will know come November. If they solidify the quarterback position, I still think they'll be fine. No, and I love that point. I love the point because like you think about it, a lot of teams like Michigan, they rebuild, they have a lot of young talent.

But I just go back to that schedule. And I think those are games where that Texas game is going to be a tough one. That Oregon game, people say they could be in a national championship contention. Ohio State as well, one of the top defenses. Those three games, those could be three losses that could prove detrimental

to your chances to compete for a Big Tan championship. Straight the schedule could help when it comes to playoffs, but it could be tough. Schedule is definitely sometimes a make a break. Now, Lugues, how do you realistically see the season shaping out for Michigan? I think that they have a good enough top-to-bottom roster to be in the 8 to 10 win category. I think the 8 for me is on the downside,

and that would be that they weren't able to solidify and get consistent production out of the quarter of. position. If they do, I think they could exceed expectations. No, and I love that point. That 8 to 10. Eight seems low, but it is kind of realistic, right? I was thinking more of that nine range, which I guess eight's not that low compared to nine. But then you go to strength of schedule. You go to if Oregon and Ohio State are competing for a Big Ten championship, where does Michigan fall when it comes to

the playoff? But supremely talented, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, quarterback is the question. We'll see what the answer is very soon. You will see for sure. Now, before we go, they say it. takes a village and in TV we are oh so grateful for the village that keeps the train rolling, especially our hair and makeup squad because these HD TVs don't lie and so lose. We love the glam cam over here. Getting ready. Yeah, you don't miss a spot at all.

Can you explain what's going on? Tiffany just taking care of you right there? See, this is what happens when you agree to do a bit and you get taken advantage of. I am here under protest. You guys missed the spatula that they were using earlier to put the makeup on at a cake level, right? And then, but you got to have the spray. That little misting spray?

Yeah. Telling you, that's the stuff, man. We love the misting spray. It looked like you enjoyed it, Loungs. You didn't look like you were kind of stupid. It looked like you were in your element. All right, thanks for watching College Football Live. More glam cam to come.