College Football Live - Week 10 Where It's All Going Down

Episode Date: October 30, 2024

Victoria Arlen, Sam Acho, Tom Luginbill, and Pete Thamel get you ready for week 10 of college football. We have some pivotal injuries in our two ranked matchups this weekend that Thamel will get us the latest on. Plus FCS Top 10 is revealed today, Acho and Luginbill will highlight the teams that have earned their spots among the best. Lastly Luginbill gives us his top freshman of the week. That and so much more here on College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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This Black Friday, you've got a whole month to catch all the exclusive offers waiting for you. See your local Nissan dealer or nisson.ca for details. Conditions apply. Welcome to college football live. I'm Victoria Arlen. Let's go out the tunnel. Now, we have some pivotal injuries in our two ranked matchups this week, and Pete Famill is here to give us the latest on their statuses. And the FCS Top 10 is revealed today, and Sam and Lugz are here to highlight the teams that have earned their spots among the best.

And being a freshman in the CFB isn't easy, but these freshmen are making it happen. Lug's gives us his top freshman of the week and something you don't want to miss. This is College Football Live. Let's go. Welcome to College Football Live, presented by Google Pixel. Now, we've yet to be disappointed this season, and each week just seems to be getting even more interesting with even more on the line. And who better to tackle it all with me than Sam Macho and Tom Luganville. Now, gentlemen, we've got a huge weekend in the ACC and Big Ten, but before we get to that, we've got to get to a few unfortunate notable injury updates

that could have a big impact this weekend. So in order to do that, let's bring in Pete Famol. And Pete, let's start with that Pitt SMU game and Pitt QB Eli Holstein's status. Yeah, Victoria, Eli Holstein's been one of the breakout stars in the ACC this year. He's an Alabama transfer. And we are in wait and sea mode, according to Pitt coach, Pat and Arduzies. whether or not Eli Holstein will play at SMU on Saturday night. Eli Holstein hit his head against the turf against Syracuse on Thursday.

He's got a little extra recovery time because of the 10-day layoff between games. But for now, it's where wait-in-see mode to see if Holstein suits up on Saturday night. As for the other starter in that game, SMU's Kevin Jennings, I was just told within the last hour that he's expected to try and play. play on Saturday. Sources told me he's been limited in practices this week, but he has been spotted out there. Rhett Lashley's listed him his questionable.

I was told that he still does need to be cleared for contact before he can play on Saturday night. And then finally, in the game we'll be at for college game day on Saturday afternoon, head state quarterback Drew Aller is going to really be based. His decision on playing with his injured left knee is going to be based on. how he looks at practice this week. Services have told me this is not a structural injury, Victoria, and it is trending towards him playing,

depending on how well he can handle the pain and how he looks in practice this week. Drew Aller, obviously, has been the starter at Penn State, and he's had a heck of a season. He was replaced by Bull Probula at Wisconsin, who did play well. So if Penn State has to play two quarterbacks or Aller can't go,

there's at least some confidence in the backup. Confidence, indeed. of course, we'll be keeping a close eye. Thank you, P. Now, keeping things with Penn State. Ohio State has been their Goliath as the Buckeyes have won the last seven matchups. And we just heard the latest on Drew Aller. Lug's, how concerned are you if he is unable to go this week? Well, I would be concerned giving the lack of sample size that we've seen from

Prebula in the downfield vertical passing game. What I think Andy Koldeniki, the offensive coordinator, would do here if they've got to go with Pribula is that they would incorporate far more quarterback run to help alongside Nick Singleton and Ketron Allen and then they try to scheme up Ohio State through shifts, motions, formations, personnel groupings, and then try to set up downfield shots. Tyler Warren's going to be a big part of the game plan regardless of who plays the quarterback position. But if Drew Aller can go, now you get that confidence in the vertical passing game, the ability

to drive the ball downfield with power and arm strength. Tribule has got to prove that he can do that to supplement what I think he'll bring in the run game, forcing Ohio State to have to defend the quarterback run. Now, preparing for the potential of two quarterbacks is never easy. But here's what Ryan Day had to say if it's helped their preparation that both PSUQBs have played this season. You know, we knew we were going to have to prepare for both quarterbacks. So, you know, and both do things, you know, they both do, they run, they throw. they both can do things very well.

So they're both talented in what they do, which is a little bit different in the way that their skill set set up. But like you said, we knew we were going to have to prepare for both anyhow. All right, Sam, on the defense side, take us through how the OSU is going to be approaching preparations this weekend. Well, number one, they won't be chasing ghosts. And this is what I mean by that. So Bo Perbula, when he's been on the field, he's not throwing the ball down the field. It's been more of that quarterback run game.

And so what happens in practice is that Ohio State. State will have one of their scout team players wearing number nine jersey that shows that it's Perbula and there'll be a different style of offense when he's in the game like we've seen all season long from Penn State and then if Alar is to play they'll have somebody with a number 15 jersey to simulate their Jew Alar and that'll be more of that downfield passing game and so whether or not drew Aller was going to play or not this defense of Ohio State would have prepared for both quarterbacks but now what they're going to do is prepare probably a little bit more for both Prubula but what they won't do is

is to assume that both Perbula is all of a sudden going to start throwing the ball down the field, i.e. they won't just start chasing ghosts and saying, hey, I think he's done this, though, I haven't seen it. They're going to trust what they've seen on tape. Yeah, and listen, Ohio State's playing outstanding defense. I think regardless of who the quarterback is, they're going to be well-equipped, talent-wise, competitive depth to match up with anybody in the country. But I think if you're looking at this matchup, you've got to look at it really seriously through the eyes of the offensive perspective of Ohio State. Because this is a footer. team that has not been able to run the football effectively with arguably the most talented

backfield in America. What does that mean? I think it means Ohio State and Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator, have got to start running Will Howard, 10, 12, maybe upwards of 15 times a game. Get that extra hat that puts pressure on Penn State to have to defend the quarterback run. I don't think we've seen enough of that. And if that can help open up the Ohio State run game, provide pressure to the Penn State defense, I think that might be the way that you ignite the run game for the Buckeyes. Luke, speaking of pressure,

how much pressure is Ohio State under in this particular matchup? I think they're under a tremendous amount of pressure. Understand that Penn State doesn't have Oregon, doesn't have Michigan, hasn't lost yet, right? If Ohio State were to lose this football game, that would likely mean that

their two losses would be to ranked teams in Oregon and Penn State, and then they would have one remaining maybe ranked victory, if you assume they're going to beat Indiana. So this would essentially knock them out, by all intents and purposes, of the Big Ten championship game.

Does that mean that they would be out of contention for the playoff? I think that's yet to be determined. But remember, and Sam knows this too. We've talked about this before. Ohio State took all of their chips, pushed them to the center of the table when it came to free agency and talent acquisition to build a roster that could compete

and beat anybody in the country. So, yeah, there's pressure on the Buckeyes to win this football game. But I think the pressure lose comes more from those two losses. The reason I say that is if they were to lose this game, yes, they'd have those two losses, but now you're competing for a college football

playoff spot against other teams and other conferences with two losses and potentially better wins. Let's say a team like Alabama who would have a win over Georgia. Now the committee's going to look at Alabama's schedule and look at their losses and say, okay, both teams have the same number of losses,

but Alabama would have a higher ranked win. And so I think that's why this game matters so much to Ohio State. Yes, it matters for Penn State, but I think Ohio State more. And we're going to talk more about that next on Champ Drive. I also want to add that Ryan Day is 0 and 5 against teams that enter the game 7 and 0 or better. Ouch. All right. Before the action on the field kicks off, you can catch recent the college game day crew live from Penn State Saturday at 9 a.m.

On ESPN, shift over to the ACC where Pitt visits SMU and Dallas. And according to the Allstate playoff predictor, a Pitt victory boost their playoff chances to 41% while SMU's chance of reaching the playoff rises to 40% with a win. A lot is on the line in this one. And both QVs could be out there. Now, which team has impressed you more up until this point, Sam? I've been more impressed by Pitt. And the reason why hasn't just been because of their offense.

Yes, their offense have been outstanding. Eli Holstein has played great, not just as a passer, but as a runner, Des Reed, is. been great as well. Canate Mumfield as a receiver. He's been outstanding. But the pit defense has been elite. I've covered two of their games, and they bring it specialized pressure that Pat and Arduzzi essentially founded, and it's a

pressure where they only have five guys covered and six guys rushing. So they'll have three guys deep, two linebackers underneath, and they'll make you make a decision quickly. And so they bring so much pressure, and that pressure forces bad decisions by offenses if you don't have answers immediately.

Yeah, as in Fonbock. forced turnovers and three pick six is against Syracuse last Thursday. There's no question. I think for me, I would probably lean towards SMU here because, number one, their record on the road is outstanding. And what do you have to do if you're going to be a championship team? You got to win games on the road. You've got to win one possession games. Second longest road win streak in college football. But maybe more importantly is when you make that transition from the group of five up to the power four conferences, where you are most voluble. vulnerable is up front with a lack of competitive death.

You end up getting worn out, worn thin, and it's tough to compete the longer the season goes on. That hasn't happened with SMU because of the acquisitions they made on both sides of the line of scrimmage throughout the transfer portal this past off season. So they are primed and ready to compete at the power four level and are showing so obviously with the record to this point. But what could be the key to this matchup, Sam? Well, honestly, I think it may be the experience that SMU's quarterback has if Kevin Jennings doesn't play. Why do I say that? If Jennings doesn't start, well, all of a sudden you're going with a backup quarterback.

Well, who's that backup quarterback? The backup quarterback is Preston Stone, a dude who started so many years outside of when he was injured. So Preston Stone may have the advantage in this in that he's seen some of this pressure before. He has experience. And so he should have pre-snap answers to the pressure that Pitt wants to bring. Now, it just won't be playoff implications on the line in this one, but also ACC championship chances as well. Take a look at this, all right. SMU's ACCC championship game odds soar to 75% if they beat Pitt, but if they lose, they drop down to 18% while Pitt's ACCC championship game odds rise to 28% if they beat SMU,

but fall to a shocking 2% if they lose while Miami with a win. this week increases their chances at the ACC Conference Championship game to a 87% chance, almost solidifying their spot in the title game. Now, speaking of Miami, they are a part of our ABC Triple Header Saturday, Miami hosting Duke at noon. Then it's Georgia and Florida at the swamp. And we end things with Texas A&M taking on South Carolina. All right, we are turning now to the FCS last season, the South Dakota State won its second straight football championship subdivision title. meeting Montana, 23 to 3.

The Jack Rabbits are looking to become the first team to three-peat since their rivals. North Dakota State did it from 2017 to 2019. All right, we are going to take a look at this because playoff time is among us, so we're going to look at the FCS playoff format. The field is made up of 24 teams with 10 of the conference champs receiving automatic qualifiers. Well, the remaining best 14 teams will be selected by the Division I Football Championship Committee. The FCS selection show will take place Sunday, November 24th at 1230 on ESPNU, and today's top 10 reveal will be the only one between now and the selection show.

All rounds of the FCS playoffs will be broadcast on ESPN Plus or ESPN linear networks. Now it's time to reveal the committee's selection of the top 10 if the season were to end today, starting with number 10, the Montana Grizzlies lose. Well, listen, it's the fourth-ranked rush offense in the FCS, the fifth rank scoring offense. And on defense, Hayden Harris is tops in the country and sacks and tackles for loss. And if you haven't been to Missoula, Montana, it is arguably the most difficult place to win a football game. If they get a home field advantage or a home playoff game, good luck to win it.

I can't argue with that. All right. Number nine, incarnate word, Sam. Well, so I'm looking at quarterback, Zach Kowzada, transfer from A&M. So he's leading the offense from the quarterback position. Then I go to their running back to Kaylin Taylor. He's a running back from Longview, Texas, but also he's a punt returner. He's scored on the ground, scoring the punt return game.

And so this offense loves to put up points. And you can see how guys love to block for him. That's why you're one of the top 10 teams. All right. Number eight, Mercer, Luzz. Defense, defense, defense, the top defense in the FCS, their defense, the Bears, defense, and special teams have scored 44 points this year. They also lead the nation in forced turnover.

So moving the ball on the Mercer Bears is going to be a lot. a tall order. We love that. All right. Number seven, Idaho. Sam. Well, Idaho, so they played Oregon earlier in the season. Held Oregon to 24 points, lost that game by 10. But quarterback Jack Lane, who actually broke his collarbone in that game, came back last week and had an outstanding week. While he was gone, Jack Wagner, who played defense in high school, was playing quarterback, leading them to victory after victory after victory. So this Idaho team is battled tested. They know how to win. We love that. All right, number six, Southeast Missouri lose.

Yeah, old Simo's got a quarterback in Paxson-Day Laurent. He's fifth in total offense at the FCS level. 23 touchdowns through the air. And Simo has won seven games in a row. All right. To recap, the FCS rankings number 10 through 6, mind you, this is just so far. It's the season where to end right now.

There is still plenty of football to be played, folks. We've got Southeast Missouri, Idaho, Mercer, Incarnate Word, and Montana. But wait, there is more. Five more to be exact. All right, coming up, the final top five FCS teams will be revealed. Who will get the coveted top spot? Find out after the break. And it's that time of the week again where Lug's gives us his top freshman of the week.

And this time, it's the true freshman that truly shine. More college football live in just a bit. College Football Live is presented by Google Pixel. And in part by Elk. Elka Seltter Plus, bounce back fast with fast, busy relief from Elka Seltter Plus. When you're flying Emirates business class, enjoying a good night's rest in your lie flat seat, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates, fly better.

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It's wide open. It creates more hope for more teams. The top 25 rankings reveal and 12 team CFP projection Tuesday on ESPN. Yeah. We are revealing the top 10 teams decided on from the FCS selection committee. So let's recap team 6 through 10 Montana Incarnate Word, Mercer, Idaho, and Southeast Missouri. And now for the top five, starting with UC Davis, Sam. And starting with their offense, UC Davis has the top 10 offense in the FCS, led by quarterback Miles Hastings, over 2,500 yards, 20 touchdowns and six picks.

This team loves to score points, and that's what makes them so dangerous in the FCS. At number four, we've got South Dakota Luges. We've entered into the Dakotas. Don't ever play a team that's got Dakota in their name if you're at the FBS level. And this particular one's got the number one scoring defense in all of FCS. They're allowing just 12 and a half points a game. I mean, think that through. Wow.

And we've got the defending champ at number three. Sam. And this is a team that's full of NFL talent. Last year that Isaiah Davis get drafted, played for the Jets. Mason McCormick plays for the Steelers. But still who's their quarterback, Mark Grinowski. This is a good offense. But let's not forget about their defense.

A top 10 defense in the FCS. and the raining camps until they get knocked off. And at number two, Montana State moves. Yeah, the Bobcats are loaded with the vaunted run game. Maybe the best in all of FCS. Scott Ray Humphrey, Humphrey, 10 touchdowns, 952 yards on the ground. This is the second-ranked rush offense in FCS. First and scoring in third and third-down conversion rate,

you cannot get their offense off the field. And that coveted number one spot, we've got North Dakota State, Sam. Yes, ma'am, the bison, they can beat you in multiple ways. They put up 59 points last week versus Murray State. But the week before, they won by only scoring 13 points. They're the 15th ranked offense, but they beat South Dakota State a few weeks ago. 13 gave up less than 10. And so whether it's holding you on offense or on defense, they'll find ways to win.

All right. Let's take another look at the FCS top. At the top, we have North Dakota State leaving the pack, followed by Montana State and South Dakota State. southeast Missouri and Idaho hold the next two spots with Mercer and Carnet Word, not too far behind. But again, there is a lot of football left, folks, and all of this can change. All right, our Capital One rewarding performance this week belongs to the Colorado Buffaloes. The buffs enter the AP Top 25 for the first time this season after defeating Cincinnati 34 to 23 over the weekend. That was win number six this season for the buffs, making Coach Prime,

Bowl eligible for the first time since 2020. All right, Luke's. We know that Colorado has a very special true freshman that has been catching your eyes. So let's get to your top true freshman of the week. Well, let's kick it off with a true freshman on one of the most improved teams in all of college football. That is Jordan Seton, the former five-star offensive tackle, did not allow a single pressure last week in 36 past attempts. He's continuing to grow and develop and matured. and all of a sudden, Colorado's got a bit of a run game to go with that explosive passing game,

and the offensive line is starting to settle in. So making the adjustment fairly seamlessly, which is very difficult to do for a freshman offensive lineman. How about Arkansas running back Braille and Russell? Remember Wisconsin running back, Braylon Allen, all 6'1, 253 pounds of Braylin Russell? That's who he reminds me up. 16 rushes for 175 yards as Arkansas ran all over Mississippi State this past week. And this guy is an absolute load. You see the sides of this guy.

Now, speaking of Mississippi State, Michael Van Buren, he's a right-handed Dylan Gabriel. I believe that's what he's going to develop into. Now, I understand Mississippi State struggling, but he's played really well, and he's a foundational building block. 309 yards, three accounted four touchdowns, 22, 3.3. 31 last week versus Arkansas. He just keeps getting better and better and better. And when they get better around him, look out.

All right. How about Coy Parent? This is the second time he's made an appearance on our freshman list. He continues to just make place. He leads the Big Ten in interceptions. Had an interception last week returned it for 45 yards. If you want to intercept the ball and play safety, apparently he need to go to Minnesota.

Because that's what this guy does. And he seems to do it each and every week. And really impressed with him. And by the way, he really was non-existent for the first. two to three weeks of the season. So he's done all of this as of late. I mean, you can't go wrong. I mean, Sam, as a true freshman, how hard is that real quick? Yeah, it's so hard because they're coming from high school, but you have to have that confidence to know that you can compete at any level. That's what you're seeing from all these guys. I mean, it's so impressive, just absolutely

impressive. That's a coveted list to get to, Lougs. So I'm just all about it. All right, we'll see what you come to next week. All right. We are less than a week away from our first official bracket, but we have 12 teams who have at least a 50% chance to reach the playoffs. So we continue to talk all things CFP next on Champ Drive. College Football Live is presented by Google Pixel.