Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - BIG 10 SQUAD: The NCAA Tournament is EXPANDING | How this affects Iowa

Episode Date: April 30, 2026

College football playoff chaos looms as postseason expansion rumors ignite fierce debate. Could the Big Ten secure eight playoff spots in a future super-sized format? The Big 10 Squad tackles the growing influence of money on NCAA tournament and College Football Playoff changes, questioning whether tradition or TV contracts will shape the future of Big Ten powerhouses like Michigan State, Penn State, and USC. The crew breaks down Michigan State’s outlook under Pat Fitzgerald, with FanDuel setting a three-and-a-half win total. Can quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and the Spartans shock critics with a stronger season? Plus, hot dog eating contests and schedule traps add intrigue to a season already rich with drama. With insiders debating expansion fatigue, scheduling quirks, and long-term survival for non-revenue sports, this heated roundtable asks: Where is college football heading, and who will rise or fall when change arrives? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

One college postseason is going to expand. Will college football be next? And does that mean the Big Ten will just get eight teams in the playoff? And can Michigan State win games? Matt Sheehan is actually here. You have to stick around for that. On today's Locked on Big Ten squad. You're talking ball with the Big Ten squad, sponsored by game time.

From USDA to Ohio State, from Michigan to Oregon, from Nebraska to Washington, it's the local experts of the Locked On podcast network bringing you, poops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive preview of the upcoming Big Ten weekend. No hurt feelings and thin skin allowed. Squad up, you're part of the Big Ten Squad. Happy Thursday, everybody. Welcome to this week's on Big Ten Squad. I'm your host, Spencer McLaughlin, neutral arbiter of all things college football.

Zach Seiko, as he entered backstage during the intro, is in the primary slot. That can't be. It's got to be Matt. Give it up for Matt Sheehan of Locked on Spartans. He decided. that work was actually worth doing. He decided to honor his contract and actually show up and all it took.

We signed contracts? Oh, my goodness. We have contracts? No, I thought it was like to show public- Paid? Seiko, was that a reference to Weir the Millers? You guys are getting paid? Yes!

Yes! About the only reference you can make of that movie on this show without getting fired. No, if you thought, um, yeah. I mean, there are some lines. I mean, we would all like to go back and forth making out with Emma Roberts and Jennifer

Aniston, though, so we can mention that. Like, that's totally, totally fair game. Anyway, Matt Sheen is here. Mark Colkin of Locked on USC is here with Zach Seiko, locked on Nittany Lions, Jacob Goans, locked on Hoosiers, Jay Stevens, locked on Buckeyes, Trent Condon, locked on Hawkeyes. Who did we just, wait, what just happened? Isaiah left.

Isaiah had enough of your crafts. Oh, Isaiah was over it. Craig Sheiman have locked on Big Ten will have to represent the amazing blue. And then we have Goins. I just got so thrown off by that. I don't know whose name I already said. I think you spent too much time saying welcome the Michigan state guy. Isaiah just said,

wow. He's protesting. Yeah. It's a rosy episode for the green and white over here. That's right. Yeah. He couldn't handle it. As many of him know, I have insider information that his internet may have just gone down.

Oh, not good. That is not. Why are you leaking inside information? I mean, the season's over. I'm allowed to leak it now. That's true. That's all Goans ever wanted to be. He wanted to just be a famous leaker.

And now he's, now he's pulled it off. So Matt, your team doesn't need help getting into the NCAA tournament. But they might need some help getting into the playoff. Is this inevitable? You, you finally have the chance to weigh in here. Now that the big dance is going to 76 teams, gross. Yeah. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead, Matt. Start us off. No, who wouldn't want to see more of? And I'm sorry, Jacob. A, nothing but respect for you.

But, like, who wouldn't want to see another game of just a team mail it completely in that might wear some crimson and cream for Bloomington Hoosiers here? But, yeah, like, more of those teams in the dance. Awesome. Great. But no, it's inevitable. This is going to turn to 24 teams for football, right? Like, we could we could all just skip to the plot. right now. Why even waste other season? Let's just do it this year because I feel like the eye word is hovering inevitable for this, right? Or my just complete looney tunes here. No, I mean, you sound very much like Thanos over there. That's a great way, great way to reintroduce yourself to, uh, to the show. Uh, pretty sure he was bad. Yeah. Well, that's a matter of perspective. You're going to have to like hold my hand and walk me through a lot of these movie references. I'm sorry, but, uh, yeah, that's why you and I don't do very many shows together.

you wouldn't last you wouldn't make it past the the the first segment mark should we just keep going like why stop at 24 let's go to let's go to 36 sounds like a 36 team college college football playoff why not right yeah like i said last week this this idea just is total toilet um at 76 teams let's just let's just start the tournament that's the season you don't i mean i like that what's the point of playing i get i know it's The point is more money, more money, more money. But it just seems like college athletics, football, basketball, it just, it is so far out over its skis right now. It is losing its direction.

I mean, there's talk that USC is doing something with their uniform. And I'm like, stop. Too much freaking tradition going out the window at one time. I can't keep up. Do we have concepts of this uniform design? go on social media. Go to X. You'll see plenty of concepts.

I don't know if it's going to be a color scheme thing or if it's going to be a brand change. That's, I think. Is it a patch? Brand patch? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And states interested in that. Yeah, very, very. I tell you, I, look, Mark, I understand the tradition there on the USC uniform,

but I have to say a couple of tweaks. It could look really good. I wish I had that meme up right now where I could just reach their computer and slap your face. It's a non-starter with me. Oh, it's never a non-starter with me. It's always a starter. This administration could literally be responsible for being part of the USC Notre Dame rivalry going to crap and then doing something really strange with their uniform. In the same season.

And you're thinking, who are you? You don't have the right to do this. going to be USC forever. Yeah. Zach Seiko, are, uh, are, are, are there just going to be, I don't know, eight big 10 teams in the playoff one day? Like, what's, what's the limit? Uh, whatever the super mega conference decides when we, we get that inevitably, uh, between playoff expansion and CAA tournament expansion, uh, non-revenue generating sports getting cut left and right from, you know, big time universities. St. Louis. It's all going to be it's all going to be a push towards how can we maximize football men's basketball and i guess

the the market's the market i will say this the NCAA tournament expanding to 76 teams i don't know that that gives me any more confidence for penn state to get into one of those that's so sad that's so somehow oregon and pen state would not have even come close to a 76 team tournament last year no sir no indiana would have we were there two years in a row goins what a world for you to live in where the NCAA tournament expanding is more essential than the college football playoff expanding. What, what a timeline. Yeah, the basketball tournament adding more teams is more beneficial than the football tournament adding more teams. Like that's, that's where we're, we're at. And look, when it comes to either basketball, but especially football, I'm just tired of

seasons being guinea pigs, right? They're like, well, let's try this format for a year and see how that works and maybe we'll try this format for a year and see how that works like matt said it they know what they want to do why not just make the decision go to however many they want and let's just stick with it and move forward Isaiah any thoughts after your team won it all any worry that you know those battle tested 16 seeds would beat michigan now well first just since she and is here finally uh jay got to witness my national championship shirt but i just want to reiterate Michigan did in fact win the basketball national championship. That's right.

Make sure. Unfortunately aware. And I'm still surviving just even more unfortunately. So, yeah. That's a miracle. We are well aware. I do want credit for that. Thank you.

I'll give you some credit for that. Like when it comes to just like with the football of it all, right? The 24 teams like and you know, 72 in basketball. Like who actually wants this that isn't part of the brass? That isn't like a coach or like an administrator somewhere. or actually part of like the TV organizations, right? No, no one is clamoring for this. There's not like a any fans that are sitting there saying like,

this is what we want. This is what we need. Like the 14 football playoff, yeah, that had that support. 12 to maybe just a little bit. But like generally like people were not clamoring for this. And especially with basketball, it was already a perfect tournament. So why mess with it? And it's only for greed.

It's only for money. It's sickening and I'm tired of it. Yeah, Jay, way in here and talk about the sickening greed and the infiltration of money into college sports. Go ahead, host of Lockdown, Ohio State. Well, think about the basketball tournament this past year. It was really good. Yeah, I know there weren't the Sunderrellas that were there, but you got really good basketball from round two, sweet 16 elite eight.

You got really good basketball the entire time. Really, the best teams in the sport were competing. We're going to expand it when it was, like I don't like 68. all. But we're going to expand something that was already working and money was flowing well to allow more teams. And it really is, it's weird that the people that are in charge don't have their finger on the pulse of the sport or what people really care about or want. They just care about themselves. And it's the same thing in football. Whenever this super conference comes or they break off from the NCAA, I wouldn't be shocked if there are at least 30 teams in a

in a college football playoff. That's coming. I don't like that at all, but the money's going to be there, and that's why they're going to potentially make that move. Trent, why don't you weigh in before that stoplight turns green? No, I'm parked.

I'm good. I'm parked on it, so no worries there. Don't have to worry about any stoplights. No, you know, for somebody that's stuck here, kind of in the meaty middle of the Big Ten, I love it for both perspectives for Iowa. Getting into an NCAA tournament in a down year, a bubble year, hey, you got a shot,

and you get shipped out to Dayton or maybe get shipped to Vegas or wherever they put some of those West Coast games in the opening round. I think that's good for a program like Iowa. And certainly a 24-team playoff for football is a much more attainable. In fact, the Hawkeyes would have been a playoff team a year ago as crazy as that sound and multiple times here over the last decade. So as somebody that is kind of stuck in the middle and rooting for a program and watching a program like I do, I like it from that perspective.

Plus, you are what, the self-proclaimed neutral arbiter of college football. well, I am the self-proclaimed degenerate gambler of the state of Iowa, and this just means more things to bet on, and I love that. Craig, why do I feel like you're the one guy in this chat that can actually fix it? I'm always anti-expansion. I'm just looking at the final RPI for basketball this year. So if we expand to 76, and if we were to use RPI rankings, your last four in Stephen F. Austin, Winthrop, Oklahoma State, of Florida State. way your first four out would be Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Indiana, and Troy. Look, my argument is the 76 team or the 24th team of football aren't going to win a championship. Stop wasting my time.

I think that is very, very well put there. Craig, good job. You don't want to see Illinois State? Try to make a run. Hey, that's FCS Football National Championship runner up, Illinois State to you. Yeah. How many people have that information ready to roll at a moment's not? Not that on my. What if the NCAA is going to take all this extra money, put it in an account.

And so schools like Arkansas and St. Louis don't have to cancel their tennis programs. That makes too much sense, Mark. I bet more cancellations are on the way. Godspeed to the Arkansas and St. Louis tennis players. Hopefully they can enter the portal. We have that caveat. If your coach leaves, then you're allowed to enter the portal no matter the time of year. Hopefully if your program gets demolished, then you're also able to enter, enter the portal.

I think that that'd be the best for all involved. Is Michigan State going to be the best at anything except for finishing towards bottom of the conference? Matt Sheen is going to tell us, don't miss that. Win totals. Continue here on the squad. First, this episode brought to you by our friends at Indeed. Workplace, chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill still sitting open. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs.

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Matt, do you want to go first or last? Good news. You're first. So according to our friends at Fandul, Michigan State's win total is a whopping three and a half, which is, by the way, before the year, two wins lower than it was for year two of Jonathan Smith. He's shown the door, insert Pat Fitzgerald, longtime head coach at Northwestern. And well, what do you expect from Michigan State here, Matt? Any surprises?

Oh, surprises. Oh, my. I think that all of a sold-out game the first week. think that might surprise some people. But no, the smart band base is still true, baby. Come on. So we're still undefeated against Toledo. We're going to pack that stadium.

But I actually just did a show a few days ago, knowing that this would be the discussion, because I wanted to get ahead of it. I wanted to do some damage control like Rossini Rable style, except to actually do a good job at it, and get ahead of the story and talk about it first. And my conclusion on the show was, I'm not sure what's going to happen with that three and a half. I would love to beat my chest to finally flex my muscles and say, we're getting at least four, baby. For sure.

But that would be disingenuous. I think, I think we can. But I come to you as a feeble meek man. And I say, I'm not that confident in that. There's a lot of depth issues at a lot of areas. The schedule could be a lot worse. We're missing Indiana. We're missing Ohio states.

We're missing USC. But when you are the bottom feet of the Big Ten, which is unfortunately what we are, is any schedule a great schedule. So that's what we got. That's what we got. I could ramble on for the next 20 minutes if you'd like, but we have some other straffies. I mean, that would make our jobs easier.

I did want to touch on something that you brought up in there in on a serious note, Matt. I booked a trip to Sedona for a luxury resort for two. Do you have any interest in going? My God, I would actually love that. Isn't that funny? Like how beautiful that place looks. I bet that place is a lot of the next three years. Anyway, so I'm sorry.

Yeah, yeah. Mark, anyway, three and a half on Michigan State. State your case, over. By the way, for those who don't have it memorized, you probably don't. Toledo Eastern Michigan at Notre Dame, Nebraska, at Wisconsin, Illinois, on Homecoming, Northwestern, then at UCLA, then a buy, then at Michigan, and then Washington at home, hosting Oregon, and at Rutgers. that is the schedule for Michigan State. Mark, do you see four or more wins for Pat Fitzgerald? I just know Matt's going to be feeling like a 16-year-old when he's 2-0

and thinking he's going to score. Every year I do it. That's right. He got the girl, and then all of a sudden, the girl's going to play hard to get for those next two wins. Look, I'm looking at that schedule, and I'm thinking, hmm, where are the extra two wins after Toledo in eastern Michigan? And Pat Fitzgerald, he gets to host his former school.

I mean, right? That's one of those getcha games. That's winnable. Little extra motivation. I don't know. At UCLA, does everybody believe in the Bob Chesney train right now? Is that thing? I think right now, those two first year head coaches

and the situations they're walking into, I think I would take UCLA in that game. Yeah. I think I would think that would, sir. Okay. Well, I'm going to take the under. I'm going to take the under. So, you know, I feel bad for you, Matt, because you're a good guy.

No, you know what? I actually like hearing that because we did this last year, of course, and every single little frame on this little video said over, over, over, and my heart was, oh, it was so full, it was overflowing. And then, silly me, I should have known those were famous last words before. Your team marches to a fourth straight, bowl gameless season. So the more unders I get here, actually, the better I'm going to feel walking away from this phone call. So Mark, I'd actually like to thank you, sir.

I appreciate that. And that was the last, that was the last time we saw you, by the way. For a good reason. That was about 365 days ago. I was so upset by you people that I couldn't even bear to look at you guys after you cursed and jinxed my Spartans. That's right. Yeah. Saco, are you just ever grateful that?

I mean, Penn State's schedule is so easy. I'm surprised Michigan State isn't on it. Ah, but you can't say anything that'll hurt me. Whatever, man. That's fine. That's the need for wins. Then that way you can live guilt-free, right? For, I just, I can buy into Pat Fitzgerald, right?

Long-term. I want to buy into the Michigan State Pat Fitzgerald program long-term, but short-term I'm not buying the 20-26 team, right? If we're trying to treat this like stocks and it's like, are they going to go up? Are they going to go down? They're going to go down. And that I didn't realize how tough.

that schedule was in the games that okay uh like a wisconsin for example that's at wisconsin if that was at michigan state i would feel better about a contest like that or an at rutgers if that was at home that's one okay i can talk myself into that but after toledo and eastern michigan and honestly i'd be scared for for the toledo game if they didn't have a head coaching change because that toledo team is always at the top of the max so you guys kind of get lucky there and not embarrassed in game one yeah jason can't handle left Toledo, right? That was the coach's name.

Yeah. Yeah. I'll take the under. Oh, Seco with the under, a dagger into a heart that doesn't exist. Matt Sheehan is Davey Jones out here. He's just getting stabbed and then he looks at it and goes, what? Did you think that was going to do something? So yeah, Matt, Matt's got no idea.

Isaiah got it though. I saw a smart down there. Isaiah, I'm glad you understand my craziness. By the way, Matt, I just for a for a moment. moment want to talk about that Northwestern game on October 17th. Because of how everything went down and how he felt is Pat Fitzgerald going to just coach the game of his life and how hard will Aiden Childs get booed upon his return to East Lansing? There are so many great storylines that only two fan bases care about.

It is the Pat Fitzgerald storyline. It is Aiden Childs coming back to Michigan State. This will be the most highly sought after game that will be on Peacock of all time coming up. So I cannot wait for it. I don't think Childs will be booed. My guess will be like 50% no one clapping or cheering or booing or anything. 30% clapping, 20% booing.

That's going to be my guess on the split. But yeah, Pat Fitzgerald, he keeps bringing up the Michigan game. He's playing the hits. He's going to the fan base here. I know deep down, though, in a bold sharpie, he's got that date circled for the Northwestern.

Is Aiden Childs even that, like, big of a deal for Michigan State fans? because it's not and you didn't do it. Like I wouldn't care. Yeah, you didn't do anything. I think that's why half would just be muted the whole time,

be like, yeah, good for him. He got out of the guy. And overall, from all accounts, good leader. You know, he was a good guy,

all things, you know, consider. But yeah, so that's 30% and the 20% will be underwhelmed that, hey,

he was his four star, promise to bring us to the heavens of college football. But fortunately, the five guys that block in front of him didn't allow him to even. okay when that happens yeah that gosh gosh darn that is that is a that is a difficult thing to overcome does anyone have the guts to take the over stick around and find out all right isaiah dare you say Isaiah's got me a positive thing about Michigan State because

four and eight would technically be a positive thing that's so bleak right so first off I do want to say, you know, Michigan State is in the state of Michigan, which is the state that I live in. So that's one positive. They have a stadium, right? They're not playing just out. Look at that. So, I mean, those are real big positives, right? First off, actually, I love Pat Fitzgerald. I really do. And personal little quick story at Big Ten Media Days back in, I think it was 2019 in Chicago. a Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Ricky Bobby and literally walked up to Pat Fitzgerald and just said, I just want to say, I think you're awesome, man. Like, I literally just, I straight up out of the movie, did that exact thing. I shook his hand. There's a picture, everything, because someone just happened to see it happening. But exactly. I didn't really know. I thought we were on a

spaceship the whole time. I am, it's weird because I look at this. schedule. And there's a couple games that despite them being road games, I still think are pushes, like Wisconsin, like Rutgers, at UCLA, despite the travel. You look at like Washington coming to Spartan Stadium, and even though that's a much more talented team, you know, just that it's always difficult for the, the teams to cross country travel, right? Like we saw Washington lose to a really bad Washington, sorry, Wisconsin team last year. So with that in mind, and thinking that they're going to win those first two games of the year, despite the fact that I'm looking at their roster, I think it's just, it's one of the least talented rosters in the country,

at least in the power four. Yeah. I do think that they get there. I think they end up beating just by virtue of Pat Fitzgerald. Wow. I see what's doing. I see how my younger brethren. That's nice.

There you go. I see what's going on here. Hey, Matt, can you tell the fine people that enjoy the Big Ten squad every week who Michigan State's quarterback is going to be? That would be one, Alessio, Milovojevic. Oh, he's still there. Good. He's still there. Despite Penn State almost tearing every single limb off his body last year and MSU keeping him in the game inexplicably.

It's okay. I'm totally over it. It was fine. Yeah, he is still around, actually. I like to cut up his jib. I think that he's a really strong leader, good quarterback from what we saw. Yeah, I'm optimistic about him. There's obviously not that a lot of things I'm not.

Yeah, no, sure, sure, sure. Matt, did you notice that you said, hey, everybody take the under. That's what would make me happy. And Isaiah said, cool, I'll take care. Oh, I do. That is noted. Oh, yeah, I've got my legal pad over here. You know, you know what?

You know what? As much of a troll job is that may or may not have been in an effort to reverse jinks from Isaiah. It wasn't. I'm right there with him. I'm going over. They only need two big 10 wins. I think there are four. I think there are four games on the schedule that they could find a way to win.

And you're banking on him splitting. Oh, at least four wins. At least four wins. Yes, Matt, go ahead. You could almost actually even make it to the Motor City Bowl if it still existed. That's how about it's not around. So can we do an exercise really quick? Because on the show, I did lean wins, 50-50, lean losses and schedule loss.

I just want to see if everyone agrees with my 50-50 games here. Can we just go through it? Because I think I have five written down. You have five, 50-50 games? I have five. I bet you, I bet you I can name them. Ready? Yeah, let's go. Okay, Wisconsin is one? No, actually, no. I am scared of the road. I got to say.

So I had that lean lost. Okay. Then Illinois is definitely one. Absolutely. Northwestern is one. Absolutely. UCLA is one. It is not. No. after they just dummied us at home at noon on homecoming last year flying out to their place. No, thanks.

Okay, Rutgers is one. Absolutely is. Nebraska has to be one. Sure is. Yeah, it was going to be Nebraska or Washington. It was going to be eastern Michigan. And Isaiah said it kind of for my reason, too, it is Washington because that Washington game, for the Huskies, that game is going to be sandwiched between Penn State and Indiana,

both of their home bar. No buy weeks. Think of a bigger definition for a trap game than that right here. Now here's the problem. Not sure what our depth is going to be looking like for that mid-November game. But that's either here nor there maybe finally, finally, no one's going to get hurt the entire season and we'll have a chance next. Hey, that would be, that would be nice.

Craig, you buying you buying what we're selling on the Spartans here? Let me, let me douse water on this whole operation. And I appreciate Isaiah's feel good story. I'm taking the under. I think they split Toledo and Eastern Michigan. I'll tell you why. Oh, no. I'm a geek.

I watch a lot of spring football. Oregon, great showing on Saturday. Michigan, actual game. Ohio State, actual game. Penn State ran about 100 plays, had practice over the weekend. Indiana had a game. Do you know what Michigan State did? They had a hot dog eating contest in the end zone.

They sat there and they spun around baseball bats over there. did 75 and race to the end zone and ate hot dogs. So unless you're recruiting five-star Joey Chestnut or four-star Kobayashi to eat hot dogs for you, you're not winning any games this year. I was boots on the ground there. I assure you the whole two hours were not spent busy bat racing hot dog ate. And I want to get ahead of that right now. But that's a lot of a lot of the two hours.

That was a bad look at the end of practice here. I'm all for the guys having fun. Like, that's great. but oh boy when i saw that on twitter you know what else is fun matt winning winning is fun winning he wouldn't know what was that word again who was it win win i'm new i'm new to it believing it's fine yeah yeah you are goings you can uh you can be john denver today and wrap it up yeah uh look i like the over and i thought i was going to be the only person to say yeah team over i like it i think they do start two and oh i think the michigan state hot dog eaters

Yeah, the Notre Dame game shouldn't even be put on television because it will be a massacre. But I think Michigan State beats Nebraska at home. And I think they sandwich it with a win on the road at Rutgers to end the season. Anything in between? I don't know. Good luck, brother. That's where I'm at. I think Northwestern could be a win, though.

And so of those three, win two, boom. You get your win total. You go over and Matt Meyer might not be happy. I don't know. We go 7 and 5. We had a really high APR. score last year. They asked us to go to a bowl game in Shreveport. It's going to be

a movie this year, and he slanting, baby. Come on. Oh, what a scene it will be for Pat Fitzgerald and company. Matt Sheen of Lockdown Spartans was actually here. Say goodbye. You'll never see him again. Mark Holkin, Lockdown, U.S.C. Same time next year, guys. Zach Seiko, Locked on Indie Lyons, Isaiah Hall. Lockdown

Wolverines, Craig Sheiman, Lockdown, Big Ten, and Jacob Goans from Lockdown, Hougars. We had Trent Condon of Lockdown in Lockdown, Hockyes, as well. I'm Spencer McLaughlin from Lockdown, you know, wherever, pretty much. We appreciate everyone. We'll see you next time and until then hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.