Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Big 10 SQUAD - What Big Ten's CFP Stance Means for Iowa

Episode Date: July 17, 2025

Big Ten takes a stand against SEC's 8-game schedule. Will this reshape college football's landscape?Spencer McLaughlin and the Locked On Big Ten Squad dissect the conference's bold move, demanding SEC alignment for playoff expansion. The hosts analyze Indiana's controversial non-conference schedule changes and debate Ohio State's projected 10.5-win total. Key discussions include the impact of road games, particularly Ohio State's trip to Wisconsin, and the push for scheduling uniformity across major conferences.Can the Big Ten force the SEC's hand? Will Indiana's scheduling decisions backfire? Tune in for expert insights on these pivotal issues shaping college football's future.

The Big Ten's not backing down against the SEC, Indiana's making everybody look bad, Ohio State's win total on today's Locked On Big Ten Squad. You're talking ball with the Big Ten Squad, sponsored by Game Time. From USC to Ohio State, from Michigan to Oregon, from Nebraska to Washington, it's the local experts of the Locked On Podcast Network bringing you scoops, 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 Locked On Big Ten squad. I'm Spencer McLaughlin, your host and neutral arbiter of all things college football.

In case you forgot, Craig Schiemann of Locked On Ten is here. Jay Stevens of Lockdown Buckeye. Zach Anderson, Yaks Zimmer of Lockdown. UCLA Bruins and Roman Tomashoff live in the wilderness from Lockdown Huskies with a dead car battery is just right outside of his car. True story folks. So let's hop right into it and Craig we'll get to your Hoosiers a bit later on but into it and Craig will get to your Hoosiers a bit later on, but the SEC doesn't wanna go to nine conference games. The Big 10 says, well, we're not going to a 16 team playoff where we're seen as equals if you're playing one less conference game than us. I for one applaud the Big 10 for standing up

for what is best in the sport. I think the SEC and the ACC should play nine conference games like everybody else and have 10 power for opponents on their schedule every year. I think that's better for the sport. Craig, what say you? Anything that puts us toward uniformity and doing the same. So we're comparing apples to apples is a good move. And I'm tired of the sec argument.

Oh, but our schedule is so much tougher because our conference is better. No, it's not. Not anymore. That was yesteryear. They got to get to nine games. I would allow for one exception. Maybe the Florida Gators because I think they have nine brutal games already. They got Miami.

They got Florida State threaded. I don't know. Craig. What is this defense of Florida? Who cares? I'm down here in Florida and I got to hear this every day and there's some truth to that So I'm just gonna let that ride But in general no, they got it

They got to play big boy football here and play nine games like everybody else so we can start comparing everything on a same level I'm kind of tired of it actually of them hiding behind their eight game schedule It's time to step up be a big boy and play nine. Especially when they haven't made the national championship game in the last two seasons. And Jay, you guys saw to that last year. What do you make of Tony Petiti? Say, yeah, we're going to go. I mean, we'll have a chance to ask him a big 10 media days next week. I don't know that it's necessarily as hostile as it might be amongst some of us here at the lockdown network. But I mean, kind of looks like they're saying,

no, you don't get to just act this way and have this advantage over us. I'm glad he's sticking up for the conference and standing by what has already been going on before he got there. It's kind of weird that Greg Sankey and other SEC coaches consistently say our nine game schedule is tougher,

or excuse me, our eight game schedule is tougher than your nine game schedule. When if it's truly tougher, you don't have to tell me it's tougher. I already know it is. For you to come out here and try to bash it down over and over and over to get me to believe something you're saying,

it's almost making me not believe what you're saying because in the spring meeting, in the SEC media days, the message has been the same and I don't get it. I find it stupid. They may want us to believe what they're saying, but it's hard to do that when it doesn't make sense. Yeah, you know what it reminds me of, speaking of the great state of Ohio, Jay? of the great state of Ohio, Jay, Hard Knocks had the Hugh Jackson led Cleveland Browns many years ago. And he kept reminding people that he was the head coach. I'm the head coach to the Cleveland Browns. Well, how does that go for like if you have to think Nick Saban ever had to tell people in an interview or a press

conference, I'm the head coach of the University of Alabama. It just reeks of insecurity to me. Roman, would you care to chime in? I mean, if the SEC wants to brag about their schedule, maybe they should win some of these non-conference games also, like losing to a bad Michigan team in the whatever Reliaquist Bowl that one was. I mean the just you look across the SEC over the last couple of seasons like they've lost a Georgia lost to Notre Dame. There are so many examples that we can go down from the last few years of the SEC just

not being what it was and it's time for them to adapt and choose this nine game schedule. I mean choose is probably the wrong word here But it's time for them to adapt to where this, like where college football is going as a whole, because this is not the SEC that we saw five, 10, 15 years ago. And I'm just, I'm frankly exhausted of this elitism that comes from that entire conference. The SEC put a couple of eight win teams on the field against the USC Trojans, who couldn't beat Maryland and Minnesota last year. And yet, Mark, maybe USC should just go to the SEC because it's clearly better for Lincoln Riley.

This is nothing new. Every year, it's like Roundhog Day. They trot out this manifesto and they repeat the same lines year after year. It's the toughest conference in the country. We play the best football in the country. You got Diego Pavia popping off. I mean, when you're the quarterback at Vanderbilt, sit down, shut up, wait till you're spoken to. I mean, you talked about the insecurity earlier. I mean, you give credit to Florida this year for their out of conference schedule, but let's just talk about recent or past history.

Out of conference schedules in the SEC, terrible. Terrible. And there was a reason why, because whenever they left out of, whenever they left conference to go play other teams, as you alluded to Spencer, they get their butts handed to them. So yeah, I mean, when a mediocre USC can go to and against the SEC, including LSU, and Texas A&M, which has been loading up their rosters with the best players you can buy, which I have no problem with, but I'm just using that as context, you're not the best conference. So whether it's Nick Saban saying it, Kirby Smart saying it, some random quarterback at Vanderbilt saying it, it's the same contrived lines year after year after year.

Play nine conference games. Shut up, tired of hearing from you guys. You know, I agreed with a hefty amount of that, Mark. I don't know if I'm with you on the Diego Pavia slander. This is a pro Diego Pavia network here. That's the father of the state of Alabama football that you're referring to there. And the actual year of some college athletes' careers.

Yes, yes. And the eligibility king. Call him the Aaron Kraft of college football in the modern day You shall treat him with respect, but everything else Yeah, you kind of got to go prove it because the SEC of course loves their hypotheticals, you know Well, they'd be favored that well They would do all of these sorts things and I believe their record against the Big Ten in the postseason last year was one in five I

Don't I don't think that that is good. But I could be wrong. Spencer, I do have a quick question for you on that regard. Who has a better record in hypothetical scenarios, Justin Herbert or the SEC? Well, the SEC is undefeated and I wouldn't even put Herbert there in the undefeated category.

Yeah, I'll go SEC probably undefeated in the hypothetical realm. Anyway, Zach, before I was so rudely interrupted by Roman down below, you did not yet have a chance to opine on the matter. I'll make it short and sweet. I'll agree with everybody. The SEC not playing nine games has been a

travesty to college football. It's one thing if we're in the 11 game era, we're in a 12 game era. Adapt with the times. We're playing more regular season games, more games than ever. Well, why not play more games? What their fans want to see more games against their bitter rivals and sell out the stadium instead of like Georgia Southern 10 times in a row, right? In week 12 or something, or you know, an FCS program like Mercer, play that extra conference game. I think it's better for everybody. Yeah, I agree.

And I have an issue with the timing of the late season cupcake, not the fact that it exists. Spy games are an important part of the funding mechanism in college athletics. I'm not advocating they go away, everybody gets a free, like I'm good with that. Doing it in the heart of conference play before rivalry week, very, very less down with all of that.

Speaking of scheduling and the caliber of a non-conference schedule, Indiana is making us look bad, so we need to dunk on them next. But first, this episode brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel. Summer sports are in full swing with college football right around the corner. And whether you're all about baseball under the lights,

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being one who are dunking on Indiana because well their non conference schedule just got even weaker. It's a joke this year. There are nine conference games. She got nine power Four teams at least, but Craig, what are your Hoosiers doing here? This is not the direction we want to be going. Everyone should have one FCS, one group of five,

one Power Four, and nine conference games on the schedule. It's not that hard. What, they bought out of Virginia, they're gonna have no Power Four teams in their non-conference. What's going on here? Now, first of all, are there tickets still available for the Montana State Oregon game?

Cause I want to go to that one. One FCS game a year is fine. There's nothing wrong with that. It's different when they've just played the FCS national championship game. It's a little different there. Yeah, I like that point. I like that point too.

Montana State elite FCS program. I mean, there no Idaho, but they're elite. Well, clearly, they know that the committee values the record, the 11 and one record more than the strength of schedule. And Indiana has gone all in on making sure that there are no hiccups along the way. I mean, I would say they will be well better off to keep the Louisville series and the Virginia series because those aren't exactly cream of the crop power for teams, but they still look loose on your schedule. I would have kept them and it may also be part of where they're losing home and home so they can have the extra home

game every other year because now Indiana sells out and it never has before. That's the only reason I can come up with it. But obviously Kurt Signetti wants an easy ride into conference play and the schedule's looking a little light in the preseason. Look as an Indiana grad I there's nothing else I can say. I think it's about money getting an extra home game but that's the only reason I can muster up Craig Are you implying that major college football decisions are made just because of money? That's what you're saying all of them. This is the first time hearing about it. I'm I'm hearing about this for the first time I've never seen such a thing happen in this pure honest and sport that is just littered with integrity.

Speaking of which, Jay, I wanna bring you into this conversation. That was a wildly unnecessary shot at Ohio State, but when the shoe fits, kinda, maybe, anyway. So Jay, Indiana's going out there and playing nobody. Like that's their whole- That's a good way to play it, nobody, yeah. Yeah, Ohio State has had their fair share of these schedules

Now this is not the time to dunk on Ohio State for it because they've got Texas this year Which I'm like five stars ten out of ten. No notes I don't care who you play in your other two games You can play two FCS for all like if you give me an Ohio State in Texas in the non-conference I'm not gonna give you a bunch of crap but Should India like how should Indiana? be Penalized for this because I think they should be

They're going to be penalized they're going to be because their schedule just got weaker a lot weaker by taking off Virginia and like Craig said taking off Louisville as well Ohio State has been a team that has been, they've done the same thing Indiana did. There was a time when they could have kept Washington on their schedule as a non-conference opponent. Once Washington came to the Big Ten, Ohio State said, no, get them off completely.

They brought in a cupcake. I wasn't a fan of it. I'm not a fan of it at all. Ohio State is in a weird spot right now where they have a home and home series scheduled with Texas, Alabama, and Georgia. And I think in 2035, they already have a home and homes inked with Boston College.

For Boston College is not a premier team in the sport. They're still a power for school. And that's still a team you have to prepare for, not like you're preparing for a Grambling State or Ohio. They bring out the best in you. And so, not a fan of it, not a fan of it at all. I wish it would go away, but until we get someone to govern the sport,

to get the schedules done, like at the end of the previous season, I would be here for that. Spencer, I know we're on board with that one as well, but I'm gonna pick either. Oh no, I was saying I'll do it. I'll do it. Not on here for that. Spencer, I know we're on board with that one as well, but I'm gonna pick either. Oh no, I was saying I'll do it. I'm not on board with that. I'll do it.

I'm not on board with that. Just me. Absolutely not. No, but it's annoying that we have schedules inked 10, maybe 15 years in advance. It's dumb, but college football has been like this for a long time. I think we're closer to getting it changed,

but it hasn't changed yet. Mark, it looked like you didn't want to play any FCS games at all, which I understand, because USC doesn't really play them, right? They typically do a trio of G5s and then Notre Dame. Yeah, no, that's what I was brought up on. That's how I was reared. And the fact that USC tried to get out of the LSU game, got out of the series with Ole Miss, that really irritates me. And the direction of college football irritates me. You said, it's okay to have one FCS team

on your schedule. If that's what you're used to, sure, fine. I think you're cheapening the schedule. And if we're going to lambaste the SEC for the way they do things, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. And that means no FCS teams, no welfare checks for these programs

to keep their athletic departments open. You don't need to do it. For me, give me Notre Dame, give me a state school from California, San Diego State, whomever, San Jose State, and give me a BYU kind of fluctuates up and down. But that was your typical USC out of conference schedule. And then on occasion you had those matchups with the home and home within Arkansas and

Auburn. I know Alabama was a neutral sight game. That's how major college football should be played. And if we're going to debate the whole five and 11 versus four automatic qualifiers, you've got to make sure your schedule is up there. You can't be playing Kennesaw State three times a year. You just can't do it. Yeah, like Auburn's schedule this year, for instance, they early in the season have home games against Ball State and South Alabama.

And then they play Mercer late in the year and they have a quality they have a quality non-conference game against Baylor. But why should a schedule like that be viewed in the same light as USC's, for instance, that has an extra game against a big 10 team. Like Auburn has nine power four games on the skeet. And that's just one example. There are some that have 10, like Alabama's for instance, because they are playing both Wisconsin and Florida State this year. I'm not harping on those quite as hard, but I think you make a good point.

It's like, well, if Auburn's playing nine, if they have nine games where they have a reasonable chance, or at least a decent chance of losing in three where they don't why do teams that are only playing two of those why should they be treated as as the same in in this entire discussion and uh Zach I I know you don't like talking about Indiana much because it brings up what happened last year at the Rose Bowl but bear with us here for a moment. How do you think the Big Ten or the playoff or whoever should approach what Indiana is doing here? It should be an embarrassment.

I mean, if I'm not mistaken, right Mark, USC tried to put an FCS team on the schedule and they got so much flack for it, they took them off. Is that right, Mark? Very recently USC did something. The only reason UCLA did that is because I'm gonna throw some shade on Michigan. Michigan did the same thing

as Indiana and they won a championship. They also have to seal some signs in addition to that, but it's already proven it's won a national championship. So Indiana's like, well, we did this and we got to a playoff. For UCLA, I was disappointed they took Auburn and Georgia off the schedule, but then they replaced it with Cal and Utah. Little less fun, but that's if you're going to change the schedule, that's what you should be a power for for a power for or something out. The only time you see I played in FCS two years in a row recently is because Michigan backed out before they're even in the Big Ten agreement. So what Indiana is doing, it should be ridiculous. And I guess maybe we have to how many home games do you

get a year? How many what's your schedule look like? Is that all gonna be fixed in the future? Do you get eight home games? Right doesn't Penn State play a month at home before they come to UCLA in October? There's many things to fix UCLA schedule USC schedule. Usually not one of those things I'm just saying guys. I've got I I've got a lot of free time. I play a lot of golf. I could cut it back Oh, I don't know that I cut it back that much. I've got I've got a lot of free time. I play a lot of golf. I could cut it back. Oh, I don't know that I cut it back that much. I've got enough time. Scotty Scheffler. Do I what?

Like winning more than Scotty Scheffler. Well, he wins more than me. So I don't know that I can compare myself to him. That's not a one to one. He's not happy. Well, I did find this quite interesting where like, oh, you win a tournament and then you're just like, oh, well what now? I'm like, dang, man, all that work for like two minutes of excitement? Let's see. I'm not going to make that joke. Okay.

When we get back, we're up to Ohio State. Let's say, you know, Brandon and I are not on the same page and he, you know, it happens, it happens. All right. All lines of courts provided by our friends over at FanDuel. Ohio State's win total is up today. I'll start on the Buckeyes here. And no, I don't know how to turn off the team's notification.

I really don't. That's you? Yes, that's me. No, it just keeps popping up. So there's, like, I think a solid amount of value on Ohio State under 10 and 1 half, not because I don't think they're good. But the schedule, Craig, correct me if I'm wrong,

or anybody, is kind of sneaky difficult, right? You've got to go at Michigan, which I think we can establish is not gonna be easy no matter what. You have to play Penn State. You go to Illinois, you go to Wisconsin. Look, they're not schools that traditionally beat Ohio State, but if you gave any other school in the Big Ten this schedule,

I think you'd be looking at it going, wow, that's one of the toughest in all of college football. Well, it comes down to three games, right? It's Texas, Penn State and Michigan. Are you winning one of those three? Are you winning two of those three? That makes a difference as to whether you hit the number or whether you hit the playoffs. I mean, if you hit, if you just win one of those three games your playoff team attended to and You get to defend your title in the postseason you win two of them You got something special going on and you hit the over on the number. So that's the question

How do we feel about Texas week one? How do we feel at Ann Arbor? They seem to have Penn State's number. I'll give them the Penn State game So really comes down to two games the Texas game in the Michigan game one of the beginning and one of the yet Look at the disrespect. What about the Illinois game in the Washington game? Yeah, look at the disrespect to my Illinois fighting a line. I I just I can't stand for it So Craig ten and a half wins for Ohio State over under the the the

the the the the the He's going under 10 and a half wins. Mark. Yeah, this is a step back here for Ohio State. Nine, one, team. Whoa, whoa, whoa. You see the man up here in the right corner nodding his head up and down.

Well, that's just, well, he just won a national championship. He just probably doesn't care. No, he's not the first person to say nine and three. I've heard one of my buddies didn't predict the schedule, but he said Ohio State's floor is nine and three. Um, and I can see how that could be, how he could get there. Okay. So maybe two and one in their first three games. I think that's asking a lot for Julian saying to come out and beat Texas.

Ohio State's got to figure out, you know, they've got some guys coming back, but now they're first springers. We talked about this before on the show. They got to find their footing in these games. And those look playing at Washington is not a fun place to play, especially if that turns into a night game. So that's another potential loss. And again, Michigan has been there, that albatross right now, they can't beat Michigan for some reason. I know how that feels.

They should make a Washington game, a big noon game. Nine a.m. on the West Coast. I think Ohio State would win by 30. That's the damage to Ohio State at that house. I mean, yeah, okay. Here's the other thing that, 3.30, I'm gonna speak for for Roman here and look I've got a Seattle Mariners shirt on it's as close to

Washington affiliation as I will ever get to I mean I have some Seahawks gear too, but Husky Stadium is meant to be enjoyed during the day like sail gating is a thing that is Wonderful, and I'm a sucker for water and boats. When you have the night game, you kind of remove the sail gating aspect in the view out there at Husky Stadium. So in that sense, I hope it isn't. But to your point, Mark, a night game at Husky Stadium, I guess, kind of electric.

Like it can. Plus Washington's all black uniforms, one of the most slept on in all of college football. the the the the the the the the the

the the the the I'll be honest, I think they break the streak against Michigan this year. So I'll say the game at Washington is the definitive loss. So lose at Washington and then upset Texas and then you take a big... Michigan is a potential loss, but if you're asking me for three losses, that's where I would put my money. OK. If you have to use a different team other than Michigan, can Penn State, you know, can they get over that hurdle?

Can can Ohio State win at Illinois? It's road games and you're breaking in a new quarterback. The road games are tough. The road games are tough. Zach, Buck guys, 10 and a half. Last year, I know road games are tough. 10 and a half. We've we've forgotten that Spencer's biggest sweating night was when Oregon went to Wisconsin last year.

That's where Ohio State goes this year. And Wisconsin, when it isn't even that good last year, and they still almost beat Oregon in Camp Randall. That's a mid-October game. After they go to Illinois, not that Wisconsin's gonna beat Ohio State, Jay, but just something to throw out there as to what happened fairly recently.

Before that, and then you get Penn State. I think they go under. I'm not sure if I'm gonna be bold and say nine and three, something more ridiculous, something less. But I think the under is certainly in play and is not a ridiculous statement this year. Doesn't mean that they can't go in the playoff or the championship, which they just proved. But after they lost to a bad Michigan team at home, like the under at 10 and a half is not ridiculous with what they have going on. But they go through this schedule one loss or undefined. well, obviously I'm defeated, but they go with one loss. I still think they should be able to have a good chance

to be a number one seed, depending on who they lose to. All right, Jay, it's all on you. Everybody's got the under right now. 10 and a half, go for it. Everybody's got the under and I got the full screens. This is a little weird for me, but Ohio State schedule is pretty tough. They do open up with Texas.

That's one of my toss-up games, as I'm breaking down everybody's schedule each week. The tough stretch is at Washington, Home against Minnesota, at Illinois, at Wisconsin. The Penn State game is a little easier than normal because it's after an off week. And Ohio State and Ryan Day generally figure things out coming after an off week.

If I have to pick right now, my gut is gonna say under a 10 and two. And it's not cause I don't think this team is very, very talented. I think that's a win against Penn State if I had to pick that game now. The games that make me nervous is a Texas game, the game at Wisconsin, and Michigan of course.

Now I'm not gonna go nine and three, but I am more comfortable with a 10 and two than an 11 and one. Even if they snapped the streak to Michigan this year, I can still see 10 and two being realistic. It would take an Urban Meyer type let down game in that tough four game stretch for the Buckeyes play three road games in four weeks

for nine and three to happen, but it could. Penn State's very weird to me because they do have better receivers. I'm not a true Allard guy. I don't believe in James Franklin, but it could. Penn State's very weird to me because they do have better receivers. I'm not a Drew Aller guy. I don't believe in James Franklin, but that game is tough. It's always one of the most physical games every single year. And while it is after an off week,

Penn State wants to snap that losing streak. It's a longer losing streak than Ohio State's losing streak to Michigan. And so that game in particular is one circle to my calendar for numerous reasons, but the Buckeyes got to knock that one down to have a shot to go 11 and one. I feel weird saying the under but to me that's a safer pick

right now. How about that five unders on Ohio State? I'm sure no one in the comments will have any thoughts anyway. I add something on YouTube. You can if it's 10 seconds or less while they may go to 10 and 2 their one loss might be to Texas, they'll still be in the Big Ten Championship and win that thing for the first time since 2020. That was 10 seconds or less. Craig Schieman locked on Big Ten, J. Stevens locked on Buck Eyes, Mark Kolkin locked on USC,

Zach Anderson-Yaksheimer locked on UCLA. I'm Spencer McLaughlin from Locked On all over the place. We'll see you next time and until then, hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day.