Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - BONUS EPISODE: COLLEGE FOOTBALL KICKOFF: Expansion, predictions, and local insight from across the College Football Landscape.

Episode Date: September 2, 2023

Week One is officially here. Breaking down the biggest game of the week between the LSU Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles. Updates from the BIG 12, SEC, PAC-12, HBCU, BIG 10 and ACC conferences.��Hosts, Drake Toll, Alex Donno and Kenton Gibbs go through the College Football Landscape. Don't forget to check out the live version of College Football Kickoff, every Friday starting at 11am ET on any Locked On College YouTube channel. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Athletic BrewingGo to AthleticBrewing.com and enter code LOCKEDON to get 15% off your first online order or find a store near you! Athletic Brewing. Milford, CT and San Diego, CA. Near Beer.BetterhelpThis podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedoncollege today to get 10% off your first month.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Terms and conditions apply.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED.  Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Friday, everybody, and welcome into Locked On College Football Kickoff Live. That is Alex Dono from Locked On Canes. I'm Drake Toll from Locked On Big 12. Thank you for making Locked On College Football Kickoff Live your lunchtime listen every Friday. Alex, look, the news is broken about SMU, Stanford, and Cal going to the ACC. I can tell you this much. Yesterday, I was flushing the toilet as one does, accidentally knocked my college class ring into the bowl, flushed it away forever.

Gone. It's gone. It's over. It's gone. And it's the second most embarrassing thing that's happened this week is the first is Stanford, Cal, and SMU going to the ACC. You've got a team in that conference for how long? You know, the SMU one is the one that I can stomach a little bit because Dallas is not that far away from the other ACC institutions and I'm sure none of the ACC teams would mind going into Texas and doing some extra recruiting these Northern California teams though Drake there's a reason why with all the realignment and additions the Big Ten have made and the SEC and the Big 12, why everyone has passed to this point on Cal and Stanford because they're not moving the needle athletically. And then you add in the logistics, the travel costs, because, listen, this is college football kickoff live.

All right. We're focused on one sport, the biggest revenue sport. You also have to consider non- biggest revenue sport you also have to consider non-revenue sports you have to consider swimming and diving you have to consider golf teams making these trips to northern california and from northern california because really the heavy burden is on travel is going to come to cal and stanford and again these are not you know teams within the pack 12 that move the needle like the other ones who have already been picked up by other conferences so um i hate almost everything about this.

OK, the only part of it that is at least somewhat sensical is the idea. And, you know, this is one of the things they ironed out in bringing these three schools in are, you know, in the case of SMU, they're not going to be able they're not going to be taking any of the TV revenue for nine years. And Cal and Stanford are only going to be taking any of the tv revenue for nine years and cal and stanford are only going to be taking 30 of the revenue shared during that time and so you know there's talk of 50 to 60 million extra dollars in revenue that will be distributed throughout the conference so this is bringing some more money in but it's a move of desperation and that's what

it reeks to me drake it reeks desperation alex we're in a position where the acc is is building a safety blanket with the knowledge that florida state is likely going to jump ship unc obviously is unhappy i don't think clemson and miami are going to sit around in the acc when those two brands leave it's inevitable at this point these three teams were added just so that tv deal with the espn just so 15 teams are in this league so that tv deal cannot be reworked but i can tell you this espn's not gonna like that and there are a whole lot of executives right now that are laughing what the acc just did yeah and one of the questions i've been asked you know since this rumor mill which has turned into fact today has been churning is is this going to be enough to appease the Florida states and the Clemsons

and the UNC's and the Miami's and I don't think it's a matter of appeasing them especially Florida state and UNC who have probably been the most vocal about this I don't think this is making them happy I just think the reason why Florida State is still a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference is they've not yet found an affordable way to leave. It's only a matter of time. It's only a matter of when, not if. As soon as they can figure out a way to finance a buyout, or I'm sure most of these ACC institutions have legal teams combing over that grant of rights agreement, trying to figure out a loophole somewhere. To this point, they've not been able to find one because that is more than a hundred-year-old precedent that is kind of defining that grant of rights agreement.

But, you know, something we have to remember, Drake, is every single year, it becomes just a little bit cheaper to buy your way out of it. So it's only a matter of when, not if. Dono, Lockdown College Football Live, we've got a lot. We'll recap last night's Florida and Utah game. We're going to preview LSU and Florida State this weekend, Colorado and TCU as well. But I want one big prediction, one massive prediction

about the NCAA from you. Well, here's something I'm sure we're going to talk a lot more about on the show today, but there's so much hype this year. Coach Prime in Colorado,ado shador the roster turnover turnover more than 80 scholarship players are new there in colorado all this hype i'm telling you right now that buffalo's team is not going to win more than two games this year and maybe that's not a bold enough prediction because two wins would actually be an improvement from an obviously completely different coaching

staff completely different roster they only went one and 11 last year Colorado all this Colorado hype Drake they're not going to win more than two games this year and listen I think they're laying foundations there I think coach prime is going to end up making Colorado more of a power than they are now but they could easily open their season 0-5 if you look at that schedule. They've got TCU opening up the season. It would take a miracle to win that game. They're against Nebraska, who obviously didn't have the greatest of debuts, but on paper they should still beat Colorado. You play against an improving Colorado State in-state rival team in week three. Then you're against Oregon and you're against USC so that's a one and four potentially oh and five start there and it doesn't get a whole lot easier for the Buffs so I think

that team is not going to win more than two games this year Dono money is where my mouth is on this one my big pick to shock college football this year is get this it's crazy everybody lean in here Texas doesn't go to the Big 12 championship game. It is everybody. Everybody has picked UT to win the Big 12 outright and maybe even go undefeated. It's the best roster in the league. Dono, it's the best roster since 2019 Oklahoma in this league. They will lose to Alabama. They will lose to TCU. They'll lose to Kansas State.

They'll get upset by Baylor. Texas finishes eight and four. And before everybody goes crazy, hasn't this always happened? Every year we say this is the year. This is it. Texas is back. And they never are. So I, for one, am not falling for this trap.

That was a topic of conversation amongst our hosts in the college football conference previews as well. And Alex, speaking of those, we talked to everybody across the Locked On College channel about their conference and what to watch out for across the country, which games, which players, what is most important to keep an eye on in week one. We look at the Pac-12, the ACC, and we start with Craig Schmon of Locked On Big Ten. There are so many great college football stories just in the big 10 i'm about to explode i can't wait for this season to get up and rolling first of all let's start with the ohio state

buck guys there is so much pressure on this football team and ryan day you know that ryan day can go through his fifth year get to the the Michigan game undefeated. He will have won 90% of his games at that point in the five years. And if he loses to Michigan the third straight year, I don't have to tell you what's going to happen. Meanwhile, the quarterback battle going on there, Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, I think both guys are going to take snaps in Bloomington against the Indiana Hoosiers. And speaking of the Hoosiers, Tom Allen, 23 portal kids on the roster, a complete redo over there. The Jim Harbaugh suspension begins against East Carolina this weekend. Offensive coordinator, Sean Moore also out. He has to sit out a game. This is going

to be it. So defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter will be the head coach for this game. And don't forget Jim Harbaugh's 84 year old father, Jack Harbaugh is going to be be the head coach for this game. And don't forget, Jim Harbaugh's 84-year-old father, Jack Harbaugh, is going to be an assistant head coach for this game. It's unbelievable. You can't make this stuff up. Also, former Michigan quarterback, Cade McNamara, he's now at Iowa. Look, at Michigan, he won a Big Ten title and he got to a playoff game. Now, he's going to go to Iowa.

He doesn't have to be awesome. Look, last year, Iowaowa their defense was great their offense stunk so all k magnum air has to do is just be mediocre just be okay bring the defense and the offense closer together for complimentary football and iowa could be representing the west in the big 10 championship game this year a couple of new coaches of course matt rule the new head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They're very excited about him there. They opened up the season against Minnesota last night. And Luke Bickle at Wisconsin.

The Badgers take on Buffalo to start the season. Bickle and offensive coordinator Phil Longo are changing everything up at Camp Randall. They're going to run this air raid offense. What's Wisconsin known for? Big, beefy offensive linemen and big power running backs, right? No. They're airing it out. Maybe.

Maybe. I did a little research. Found a little nugget this week. When Phil Longo was at North Carolina, you know he ran the ball 45% of the time. Maybe a much more balanced attack at Camp Randall. We'll wait and see. All right. Sunday, Big Tens on national TV.

Northwestern Rutgers, 12 o'clock CBS. Only game of town. I believe the last two teams I picked put on national TV, but that's just me. I still love it. I love all things Big Ten. Let's get back to the Saturday games here. Most Big Ten games are like double-figure point spreads,

some 20 to 30 points as well. One game to keep an eye on right here. Write it down. Fresno State at Purdue. Purdue's only a three-and-a-half-point favorite in this game. Fresno's coming off of back-to-back 10-win seasons. They've won the last four bowl games. Their defense only gives up about 19 points per game.

They could be tough for purdue of course ryan walters making his debut as the head football coach by the way his mom is singing the national anthem at ross aid stadium and of course hudson cart the transfer quarterback from texas he was at texas he saw the writing on the wall quinn ewers is there arch manning is there he was never going to see the field so he's going to west lafayette and he's going to be the quarterback of the Boilermakers and he might be the most intriguing quarterback in the conference this year. So enjoy all the games. For Locked On Big Ten, I'm Craig Sheeman. What's up everybody? Candace Cooper here, Locked On ACC, and I'm here to talk about the best matchups out of week one. You have got some really good ones,

but the one that you should have your popcorn ready for is Florida State and FSU. It'll be must-see TV that Sunday night at 8 p.m. The Seminoles are going to try and hold it down for the conference. They're going to let everybody know that they are here to be the ACC champions this 2023 season. Jared versus the boys. You got Johnny Wilson, Jordan Travis,

some very talented players ready to lock and load. But if you're looking for some inter-conference matchups, I'm trying to tell you Duke and Clemson will be a good one on Monday. Will the Clemson Tigers be able to keep their reign rolling as they try to defend their ACC title? Duke is a team that nobody saw coming last season, but will there be film on them this year? Remains to be seen how well they can produce under Mike Elko in year two. It's not a fluke, according to them, so I want you guys to be locked and loaded on the Blue Devils, quiet as it's kept.

Last matchup, I would say, is Louisville and Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is a team that has a fly under the radar for me and Kenton Gibbs. If you listen to our show, Coach Key has those boys ready to go. But it is Louisville and Coach Brom who are trying to bring back a new era of Cardinals football. Can you have a strong quarterback in Plummer? Can you find and rejuvenate this defense and keep things going? That's what the real questions are.

I'm excited to see how it all plays out. Some really good games for your weekend. Thursday through Monday, the ACC is fully loaded. They have so many games top to bottom that are going to be exciting. So don't forget to check it out. And check us out at LockedOnACC on Twitter if you want to talk about us or talk to us during the football weekend. But more importantly than that, follow us wherever you listen to the podcast.

Until next time. Spencer McLaughlin here for Locked on Pac-12. Only one game this weekend in the conference has a point spread in single digits. But there's still a lot to watch for this weekend. Because you're going to be looking at teams that are trying to win the Pac-12, trying to make a statement this weekend one way or another. Let's start with Colorado. They've got the big noon kickoff game against the reigning runners-up in college football in TCU down in Fort Worth. They're going to be greater than 20-point underdogs in that game, and everybody wants to know only about 75 different things about Coach Prime's team,

most notably all the new players that they brought in. What does it look like? How competitive are they? Do they cover a 20-point spread? Do they keep it close? Do they hang around? Or do they get the doors blown off them and look like they're in for another low single-digit win season in 2023?

Then you have the Washington Huskies, who play a Boise State team that's been a thorn in the side of many Pac-12 football programs over the years. There are two touchdown favorite in Seattle. What does Michael Penix have in his new kind of revamped offensive line? Are his weapons just as good with the chemistry that they had a season ago? Many expect that to be the case, but that's a Boise State team that you should not take lightly even though they're heavily favored in the game. But the most interesting game individually is Cal going at North Texas. The Bears are trying to become bowl eligible this year. Justin Wilcox

might be coaching for his job this season. He might need to get the Bears to a bowl game to retain his position as head coach of the California football program. They're a seven-point favorite at North Texas. Now an American Conference team on the road. Sam Jackson's going to be their starting quarterback. Look to see what we get from him and what to expect from him as the season goes on. And lastly, don't overlook UCLA. They're expected to play up to three quarterbacks this weekend in a quarterback-rich conference.

It's interesting to see who's going to emerge and if one player does emerge at the quarterback position for Chip Kelly in 2023. Just a reminder that SEC, Big 12, NHBCU coming up next. Dono, I don't think any conference college schedule is crazier than whatever McLaughlin was wearing in that last video. A lot of boring stuff going on in college football this weekend. Well, the thing I am

excited most for is the LSU-FSU game because two top 10 teams, that could show you one of them is a national title contender and if the other one loses a close game early enough in the season they still have time to brush themselves off and recover and get back into that conversation that game makes the

SEC and the ACC the de facto most entertaining conferences this weekend and especially in a week filled with 20 plus point spreads and cupcake schedules there is one game it is the one game it stands out LSU Florida State and it is our Game of the Week. And you know what? Caroline Fenton of Lockdown LSU here on Lockdown College Football Kickoff Live. LSU, Florida State, biggest matchup in the country this week. Did the Tigers win? It's a good question. My heart says yes.

Yeah, the answer is yes. It's supposed to say yes, caroline my head says perhaps and i think that this is such a tough game for me just taking my my fandom and my emotional investment out of it it's tough for me to pick because these two teams are so evenly matched because you're going into this game with two teams that overachieved expectations last year, two teams that return their starting quarterbacks, two teams that return a ton on the offensive line, two teams that return their leading receivers, two teams that return their leading rushers, and two teams that return their top defensive players. So you got a ton of continuity and a

ton of turnover from year to year. And you also have two teams that have expectations that have exponentially risen from last year into this season, because Florida state and LSU are both going into this season as top 10 teams. And both of these teams are going into two years with get a bold divisions and conferences like this season, the sec West is really up for grabs Alabama's coming in to a questionable year you know two new coordinators don't know who's going to be the starting quarterback Texas A&M also has a lot of questions so it really is anybody's West

and I look at the ACC and I think it's the same thing Clemson not quite sure what's going to pan out with them I can Drake may really carry UNC to an 11-1, 12-0 season? We have yet to see that be decided. So it could be Florida State's ACC and it could be LSU's SEC West. And you win this game and your hopes for the college football playoff are still alive. You lose this game and yeah, you can still go 11-1 on the rest of the season and perhaps win a conference championship, but your margin for error just gets that much slimmer. So the stakes are high for both teams, and the expectations are high for both teams. So it's tough for me to pick, but Eileen LSU in this one, just simply given what this team accomplished last year,

I think is more impressive than what Florida State was able to do. Florida State had a solid record at the end of last season, but Florida State also didn't beat a single ranked opponent on their schedule. LSU was able to take down an undefeated Ole Miss. LSU was able to take down an Alabama team with the best quarterback in college football last season. So I think that LSU is just going into this game a little bit more battle-tested. Yeah, from Jaden Daniels to Jordan Travis and Harold Perkins, who I think everybody's excited to watch hit the football field again. And you talk about Jared verse, right? You've got NFL talent across the field in this game on both sides. You mentioned how

much is coming back for each of these teams. If there's an edge anywhere for one of these two squads, where is it? Where's the hole that somebody could exploit? I think the hole is LSU secondary. And that's why I think the defensive line is the most important position group for LSU going into this game is because LSU basically rebuilt it secondary or more. So it's cornerback room for the second year in a row. LSU last year, Matt house and Brian Kelly defensive coordinator,

Matt house were forced to basically build up the entire cornerback room through the transfer portal. They're finding themselves doing that again. LSU only had one returning scholarship corner on the roster, and that was LaTerrence Welch, who was a true freshman last season and saw limited reps. So we don't know what this cornerback room is going to look like. We don't know if Matt House can make something out of a whole lot of questionable pieces for the second year in a row. I mean,

Brian Kelly even talked about Sage Ryan safety and nickel, even taking snaps at corner. So that concerns me that the depth is, is so, you know, so little that you've got safeties playing corner. So I think that if LSU is defensive line can step up and get pressure on the quarterback,

then that takes a lot of the load off of the secondary, but that job got so much more difficult given the news that defensive tackle Mason Smith is suspended for the first game of the season. So Florida State's offensive line can protect the quarterback and a defensive line is going to have to do a lot more work. I'm not sure how many battles the secondary is able to win against Florida State's experienced and massive receivers. Caroline, you said that this game is going to be close. You lean LSU. Finally, give me the prediction here. How do these four quarters play out?

A final score, who wins? I would say final score, 31-28 Florida State. I think it's going to be fairly high scoring just because you've got two offenses with so much experience. And you've got two offenses that want to run the ball and that want to throw the ball. They've got two balanced offenses. Neither of these offenses are one trick ponies. I would say at the half that Florida state is up maybe by a field goal or maybe by a touchdown. We've seen LSU at least last year, they were a slow starting team. And I wouldn't be surprised to see the pivot of the game being massive LSU defensive play.

Last year, it was almost like clockwork. Like it was almost weird and eerie that, you know, LSU would start slow and it would take either an interception or a big sack or, you know, a, a strip sack or whatever it might be just a massive defensive play to just unlock this LSU offense. Like it was, it was crazy the way that a big defensive play could energize this team. So I think that Florida state could be up at the half. And I think that it's going to take a big defensive play from LSU for them to just, you know, to really, to let loose and, and, uh, to play the kind of football that they want.

And I believe that LSU would pull away in the second half and ultimately take that game 31, 28, 31, 28, the final score. That's Caroline Fenton locked on LSU right here on lockdown the second half and ultimately take that game 31-28. 31-28, the final score. That's Caroline Fenton, Lockdown LSU, right here on Lockdown College Football Kickoff Live. We've got so much more coming up here. College Football Kickoff Live, the Florida Gators. Man, they sucked last night, Dono. I'm sure you were so torn up about that.

Primetime inado this weekend and some realistic expectations for coach prime and the buffs that is next donno well folks buying those last minute tickets to see your team play on saturdays doesn't have to be a stressful experience i know in the past it might have been are you getting the best deal guys you always get the best deal at game time game time is the fast and easy way to buy tickets for all the sports music comedy and theater near you killer deals on those last minute tickets i was looking at tickets for my miami hurricanes against miami of ohio for as low as four dollars for tonight folks forget planning months in advance game time

has deals on tickets right up to the day of the event. The flash sales are amazing. You want to download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off. You're going to find the best deals on this app. And, guys, if you find tickets in the same section and row for less game time will credit you 110 of the difference use code locked on college for 20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed guys uh it is time for our newest maybe

my favorite segment of the show it is sell me why he we're going to go around the country here and sell you on spreads in college football the number 12 Tennessee volunteers host the Virginia Cavaliers and I know what you're thinking power five game the spread can't be that crazy well at noon eastern tomorrow it's a 28 and a half point spread here's Eric Kane of locked on balls to sell you why he the ball should cover 28 and a half hey what's up everybody eric kane host of locked on balls and this is why tennessee can cover the 27 and a half point spread against virginia first and foremost it's pretty much going to be a home game games in nashville nissan stadium a neutral side game but big orange is going to be everywhere so you're already going to have that

home field advantage if you will secondly virginia know, on paper it's the opener, so truly you don't know, but on paper it's not a very good football team. A lot of personnel changes on offense for sure. Tony Elliott's second year at the helm, but you've got a new quarterback in Tyler Muskets, or Tony Musket. You've got four new starters on the offensive line. Your top four wide receivers left the program. So a lot of question marks there.

Your best defensive player for Virginia, Chico Bennett Jr., is out. And I think Tennessee's really going to try to start this season off with a bang with a new starting quarterback, Joe Milton, who is going to take some shots down the field. And this defense is going to be a whole lot better. That is why I believe Tennessee has a great chance of covering the 27-and-a-half point spread because Josh Hoppel is just going to continue to put the pedal to the metal here in the season opener.

It's going to be the Joe Milton Show. Tennessee's got the better run game. Tennessee is better at all three levels on defense and is better on special teams. So I think it's going to be a big orange win, and Tennessee will cover the 27 and a half point spread. Stay locked in to Locked On Vols on Monday for complete reaction. Tennessee and Virginia in the season opener.

Book of four touchdown win for the Balls this weekend. Guys, the Dukes-Mayo Classic is tomorrow night. Number 21, North Carolina. The Tar Heels against Shane Beamer, South Carolina. Game Hawks, Gamecocks. The Tar Heels favored by three points. Two and a half at some books. Kenton, ACC guy.

Is North Carolina top of the SEC in the Dukes Mayo Classic thank God we got somebody that could put on the decent representation of the ACC because Lord that first game they don't have to sell me why they don't got to sell me something good they don't got to do none of that that is going to be an absolute devastation but in talking about this game with USC UNC who's the real Carolina per se, we're going to see a game that is going to be a lot like what we just talked about with USC's pundit. And I'm talking about Southern California here. It's going to be a track meet on turf. This is going to be a race to 50, whoever has the ball last type of game, because you look at UNC's defense and they couldn't stop a runny nose

with Robitussin tissue and eight different COVID vaccines. And you look at South Carolina's defense and they lost, the SEC is known for being big and physical and defensive linemen flying at you from everywhere. And lo and behold,

that may be where they're emptiest, that especially their defensive end room where they lost a ton of talent basically overnight. So you'll see Drake May and Spencer Rattler potentially have great games here. I'm not sure about the line. Fan duel, I don't know. But whatever the over is, go hammer that thing.

Unless that over is 120, go hammer it right now. Yeah. Dono, I am blown away by the South carolina team with losses to florida last year and missouri but wins against tennessee and clemson they don't make any sense and that was spencer rattler as a heisman dark horse who's had a weird journey in college football i i personally like the plus two and a half plus three for South Carolina. I think it's a great line. It kind of reminds you of an NFL line. Anytime you're talking about two and a halfs or threes,

you're the LSU Florida state game. It is in a similar situation. I'm leaning ever so slightly to North Carolina to win the game and probably just cover because three is usually the magic numbers with these things. I think Spencer Rattler is probably getting slept on a little bit too much, maybe not getting enough respect. I know that's been a topic of conversation in that side of the Carolinas,

but I can tell you Drake May is more than likely going to be the best player on that field. And with two offenses, and I know Drake May doesn't get a lot of defensive support, but in what's going to be an offensive-centric game, I'm going to go with the best overall player. And I think Drake Drake Mays he's going to have to do a lot this year is going to put the Tar Heels on his back and just edge it out with a win and probably just cover that three points but I'm not even sure which way I'm going to go on that yet Drake I could make an argument for maybe this game gets decided by a point in either direction or North Carolina squeaks by

with a three-point win. With defenses turned off effectively, one thing I look at Clayton White, when he got to South Carolina, this was a bottom 10 defense in the power five. In his first two seasons, they're now a top 40 defense. Not a massive jump, but in this game, I think it's enough where you're just not going to see a lot of that side of the ball. Now, playoff hopefuls, Ohio State. They opened the season as 30-point favorites against the Indiana Hoosiers. 30-point favorites in a conference game. We had a Jay Stevens of Locked On Buckeyes to sell us why.

Sell us why. You should take the Buckeyes to cover. Most of the time, the thought of a team covering a spread of 29 and a half according to our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook you would think it won't happen however this is Ohio State versus Indiana the Hoosiers are not the superior team the Hoosiers do not have the superior talent the Hoosiers do not have the better coaching the Buckeyes are coming in motivated and seeking a season where they do not have the same outcome that they had a year ago the quest to make sure that does not happen starts on Saturday the Buckeyes week one starter at quarterback Kyle McCord and I do think he's

going to do a phenomenal job of connecting with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Buka while he is out there on the field Mayan Williams Travion, I don't think the Hoosiers can slow down the Buckeyes' rushing attack as those two guys are looking to make multiple trips to the Patriots. The defense, I think that'll be an elite unit as well. Buckeyes covering a spread of 29.5 against Indiana on Saturday. It can happen. If that's what you want to cash in at FanDuel, be my guest, but I'm not touching that with a 10-foot pole.

What I will do is head up to Fort Worth where Deion Sanders is taking on TCU, number 17 Horned Frogs, and a 20.5-point spread at FanDuel, getting him all over Sonny Dykes and Chandler Morris this weekend. And here's the very interesting thing that I find about this TCU squad. Everybody's like, oh, you lost the Riley brother that offense is going to suffer and I'm I'm asking people does anybody know who Sonny Dykes is like what is happening here did we forget Sonny Dykes problem has never been putting up points that has never been a thought of hey will this team score a lot so with that being said this team is going to score.

They're going to do what they do. I mean, Travis Hunter for Colorado is great. He's amazing. He can only cover one guy at a time. He's only going to be covering one zone at a time. There will be some Colorado defenders looking at the back of Horned Frog's heads as if they're good barbers. That's just how this game is going to work out.

I believe that TCU is going to cover this spread they say good teams cover and i'm sorry good teams win and great teams cover but in this reality it's a good team that's probably playing against the team that's going to be a little outclassed here absolutely and look at the tcu team that fanduel right now that the disrespect seven and a half win total for this TCU team. They certainly beat that out this year with Chandler Morris, who won the job over Max Duggan. Let people forget, this guy was the starting quarterback at TCU until he got hurt in this Colorado game last year.

That was a blowout. Dono, the only difference to me in this game from what it was last season is that Colorado has 73 new players. It was already bad last year. I just don't see it being close. When I saw this line at FanDuel, I started salivating. And I'm pretty conservative with this stuff. When we're talking about 27.5 point spreads, 28, I know this isn't that.

But when you talk about these giant spreads week one between two power five teams, But when you talk about these giant spreads week one between two power five teams, I'm usually either staying away from it or I'm taking the underdog to cover that big spread. Not in this case, OK? Because again, you know, I know the Colorado fans already hate me for starting the show saying they're not going to win more than two games this year. I think that during the season, they're going to start to figure some things out and maybe cover some big spreads like this, but it's not going to happen against TCU week one, right? Gelling, finding that cohesion, first game with 80-plus new scholarship players against a team that just played for a national title last year and won a college football playoff game.

I think TCU is going to run them out of the building, and I can feel pretty comfortable taking TCU minus 20.5 this time. Now, on Monday night, the No. 9-ranked Clemson Tigers had to Durham to open the year against the Duke Blue Devils, and somehow our mighty Clemson, who sells deals in God's name, image, and likeness, only 12.5-point favorites at Fan duel against the duke blue devils the tigers less than two touchdown favorites here's damian parson to tell you why clemson should cover the spread the clemson tigers are a 12 and a half point favorite monday night when they walk into wallace

wade stadium versus the duke blue devils and I think that they can cover this spread. The reason why, defensively. When you have a defense with as many NFL draft prospects as the Clemson Tigers on the defensive line, the second level with the linebackers, and then look into the secondary, you have players at all three levels to make the plays necessary

to hold a potential high-octane offense, a diversified and versatile offense that the Duke Blue Devils have with quarter dual threat quarterback Riley Leonard and Jalen Calhoun, Jordan Moore, those two wide receivers. I think when you factor in a new starting right tackle who's never played tackle in college football, starting for the Duke Blue Devils, I think that gives Xavier Thomas an opportunity to get into the backfield and create chaos. Rook, Arororo, Tyler Davis, Justin Maskell, Barrett Carter, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., those guys will make the impact, and that's why I think that they will cover the spread. If Clemson doesn't cover 12-and-a-half,

I'll saw off my left pinky toe with a rusted knife. What are we talking about here? It's the Duke Blue Devils. Absolutely. Fan duel, 12-and-a-half. I'm all over that one. Now, Kenton, since we got you here, Dono gave his season prediction earlier, his big one, that Colorado goes 2-and-10.

You look across the landscape of the college game. What do you like? What's your one big prediction for this year? First of all, get that rusted knife ready. It's possible. This is not your dad's Duke football, but we'll talk about that later. My big prediction for this season is that Notre Dame gets closer to a national championship

than Georgia this year. Notre Dame gets closer to a national championship than Georgia. I know that people are going to look at me crazy, but there are three reasons that I say this. Number one, no team has three-peated since Minnesota and Betty White was in grade school at that time. And Betty White was in grade school at that time. Yeah. Let's start there. Number two, I know that everybody's lambasting how easy Georgia's schedule looks and all that. Look at Notre Dame's schedule.

Look at it in depth. The only teams that you would say are in the same stratosphere as them is Ohio State, who has problems at tackle and quarterback. Two positions you absolutely don't want to have questions about. Not problems. They have questions there. And then you look at USC. Defense is optional. And you've got Sam Hartman over there. Listen, that team is primed and ready.

Now, will they get destroyed by 50 in the playoff? Very possibly. But this is a team that is primed for an 11-1 or undefeated season. It's Notre Dame for Kenton Gibbs this season. And coming up next, let's talk Arizona State Sun Devils. They have done one of the stupidest things that you could possibly do in college football. That is up next. But first, Dono.

Folks, let's get ready for some NFL action with incredible offers from FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. I've been having so much fun even action with incredible offers from FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. I've been having so much fun even during the offseason on FanDuel. And now it's go time because right now new customers can bet $5 and get 200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Plus, all customers who bet $5 will get $100 off NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. Now that's a great deal, guys. Now is the best time to join FanDuel. The app is easy to use and you can bet on everything from the spreads to player props and more.

The parlays are fantastic. So you need to visit FanDuel.com slash locked on and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won't want to miss. FanDuel, official partner of the NFL. All right, fellas, let's take it around the country with another Conference Confidential. Which games? Which players? What's the most important this weekend that you should keep an eye on? We look at the SEC, HBCU, and Big 12. Oh, it's me. Oh, that's me in a BYU shirt. Hey, me. Take it away. Look, the Big 12 this weekend, there is one game TCU in Colorado. And I struggled to call it a game because it's not going to be a game.

I liken it to this last year's national championship game. My front right tire three weeks ago on I-35 and TCU, Colorado, all blowouts. There's no way this thing is close. Colorado has what? 70 plus brand new players. Deion Sanders, awesome guy. Great spirit. He's going to be a figurehead

in the Big 12. Not going to win a lot of football games this year in Boulder. TCU wins 42-21. Chandler Morris lights it up. They got transfers from Bama and Oklahoma State and you name it, TCU probably has a transfer from there. They're going to be good this season. They are underrated in the Big 12. Around the rest of the conference, there's nothing I look at and say, hey, this is must-see TV. West Virginia and Penn State. West Virginia, I love you, but I think I know Neil Brown's going to get fired. He's like weekend at Bernie's. We're just kind of propping him up and waiting until his buyout's a little bit less. 20 and a half, the spread on that game. Penn State at home on a wide out at night. It's going to be bad. Brutally, brutally bad. Another game that I might

be vaguely interested in, Baylor, Texas State. I talked to Dave Aranda this week, talked to Texas State head coach G.J. Kenney. I believe Texas State covers 28 in this, and it's a lot closer than people expect. Kenny wins wherever he goes. I don't know if Dave Aranda's team with Blake Chapin gets a hot start out of the chute. And then UTSA Houston. It might not jump off the page to you. UTSA favored on the road.

Houston unveiling new uniforms. It's going to be rocking. UTSA's a better team. A better team than the Big 12s. One of the Big 12s. One of the Big 12's newest members in Houston. However, the Cougars at home get an upset victory. They take it.

Very casual week in the Big 12. At least it should be. I'm Darian Gray, a.k.a. The Mouth of the South. Locked on HBCU hosts. and this is what you need to watch this weekend in the HBCU landscape. We have a monumental game and a potential SWAC East Divisional Championship game in week one between FAMU and Jackson State. This has been the game that has decided it over the last two seasons, and this appears to be the two best teams within that division for the third year in a row. So you haveeremy musa the swag preseason offensive player of the year you have jason brown who just set a

swag niac challenge record for most passing yards and they'll be facing off but this isn't the only quarterback battle to watch this week you have southern university versus alabama state and what fascinates me about this is har Blood for Southern and D. Davis for Alabama State both have a lot to prove. Now, D. Davis is fighting for his job. Many people think he should have been replaced by Damon Stewart, but he's going up against a talented Southern secondary, and this is the perfect opportunity to prove that he is the guy. Same with Harold Blood, who was just named the quarterback. Alabama State has their own talented secondary, so both quarterbacks are going against really good secondaries,

and both quarterbacks have something to prove. Now for more on all things HBCU, you can check out Locked on HBCU every single day, Monday through Friday, your team every day. Chris Gordy here of the Locked On SEC podcast. Coming to you from Orlando, Florida, the site of the biggest college football game of the weekend. That's LSU versus Florida State, a battle of two top ten teams. Brian Kelly and company came up short a year ago. They're hoping to get the Seminoles this time around.

And they have a loaded roster with Jaden Daniels back at quarterback. He is a Heisman contender going up against another Heisman contender in Jordan Travis on Florida State's side. But looking around the rest of the SEC, there's some big games as well. South Carolina taking on North Carolina. Drake May, the quarterback at UNC, getting a lot of hype that he might be a top-five draft pick next year. But a chance for Spencer Radler to make some noise

and Shane Beamer to get a big, another marquee win on his resume early on. Around the rest of the conference, it's all about quarterbacks. It's new quarterbacks in places like Tennessee where Joe Milton will be taking on Virginia. Devin Leary over Kentucky. They'll get Ball State, but how does Devin Leary look in his first time with the Wildcats? And then, of course, the two picks to win the SEC this year, Alabama and Georgia, both replacing quarterbacks with Stetson Bennett and Bryce Young now in the NFL. What's it going to look like with Alabama?

We hear Jalen Milrow might be the guy. Let's see how he looks against Middle Tennessee. And for Georgia, of course, they're just trying to get themselves right. They have about a dozen guys that are banged up right now. We'll see how healthy they can be in this game. But expect big things out of Carson Beck. He's my dark horse Heisman contender. We'll see what the SEC does.

Not off to the greatest start so far with Florida losing to Utah, but let's see if they can make it a good week one in the sec. Wow. Gordy at Epcot and filming it on his Apple watch. What a guy multi-talented. And he picks Carson back to win the Heisman Trophy, a dark horse. Dono, no chance in hell. Well, first of all, it's nice that I am no longer the only person on the Locked On Network

who has filmed content for the channel at Epcot because I have done that before. And now Gordy joins that exclusive club. But you know what, Drake? I don't think the Carson Beck shout- shout out is crazy because listen man i know the heisman is an individual award but let's not pretend supporting cast don't have a lot to do with that and georgia is absolutely stacked at every position on both sides of the football so carson beck uh for heisman it may not be that crazy and i gotta tell you man if we're talking Heisman dark horses, and Kenton might think I'm crazy for this one, or he might agree, I don't know.

But I'm not sleeping on Cade Klubnick at Clemson either. Because, again, I think he has shown some signs situationally. I don't think he was put in the best situations a season ago. He's got a really good supporting cast with the Clemson Tigers. So there's some other players I'm looking at that can get into that conversation in New York uh Kent and I saw an article today from a Georgia source that said Carson Beck could have been our starting quarterback the entire time and I just the the the hype at Georgia is it founded I'll tell you this okay Like Donald said, the supportive cast is going to be there. They're going to be phenomenal.

They're going to be great. They're going to make Carson Beck look like Stetson Bennett on steroids. He'll look amazing. We saw what Stetson Bennett looked like when he wasn't surrounded by the best players on the field in the NFL here in the preseason. We saw it.

We saw it with both two eyes. In the words of Tyler Perry, we seen it. We seen it. Didn't look great. So, Carson Beck is the hype warranted around him. I don't feel comfortable one way or another castigating a judgment on this young man. But I will say, if he is as good as the hype warrants, then, yeah,

let's go ahead and hand him the Heisman now, because that means that my prediction about Notre Dame being closer to a national championship than Georgia would be incredibly wrong. And they're going to be the first team to three-peat in nearly a century. But with that being said, I think that the guy who our correspondent there was there to watch is actually the guy that's going to take it home in Jaden Daniels. You look at LSU, there seems to be a trend with them. They win 10 games and then the next year, what happens?

Undefeated national champs. That's what happened last time they won 10 games with a transfer quarterback who didn't look necessarily great in the first year. This could be his year to show everybody like, hey, I'm every bit as good as y'all thought, plus some. And I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the guy in the SEC that brings home the hardwood. Yeah. Coming up later in the show, Auburn, a new head football coach, the Hugh Freeze era begins.

We also talk about the best bets. If you love making money, your boy Q has got some free money at FanDuel this weekend. But first, a very one-sided rivalry. Rivalry in quotes between Duke and Clemson. But this season, apparently everybody thinks there's a ton of uncertainty with this game and Clemson and them being in the national picture or out of it. And maybe J.J. Jackson of Locked On Blue Devils and Dame Parsons can help us put it all together.

Parsons of Locked On Clemson. They got together this week to preview the game. Talk about the direction under center for the Clemson Tigers. What in the world's happening at the quarterback spot? You go from Deshaun Watson, followed by Trevor Lawrence. Their quarterback is always in the eyes of the entire country. We're really excited as college football fans for what DJ Uyungle could do. And then next thing you know, we've got a young Cade Klubnick who takes over

and really catches people by storm as he gets set for like the first full season where it's his football team. He's the guy at quarterback. How important is that for Clemson's success and what makes him the right guy for this job, Damian? It's very important. And, you know, for DJU, just the offense and things that he did, it just never got off the ground, right?

Like the plane never left the airport for him. You know, they got up a little bit, but they kept coming right back down to surface level. So it's big to have, big to have just continuity that you know the distance to a starting quarterback. A lot of people kind of felt like DJU was going to be on the short leash and everything, that Cade was going to come in games, and he did. That's not a healthy relationship at all at the quarterback position. You want whoever's your guy to know that

no matter win, lose, or draw draw i'm your guy so kate knows he's the guy and what makes him ready for it you everything talking to his teammates the work ethic you know he works his butt off uh they talked about how he looks stronger he looks more filled in to his frame how even back in i think it was january when garrett or gar or Garrett Riley announced when the announcement was made that he was coming to Death Valley, you know, and everything like that, what he did was, he made sure he wanted to learn the offense, create a relationship and build a relationship with his offensive coordinator. And that was what, six, seven months ago.

So having that type of mindset, that attitude, that maturity, right. And just talking about how he has the he has the pulse of this offense down pack where this young man is ready to go um you know he's a leader for these guys as well so he he already and he's a dual dual threat athlete you know i mean at the quarterback position he has a track background i think well i think it was 200 four by four and everything like that like this young man can he can roll with his legs. And being able to make plays, trust his offensive line. So, and this offensive line is very amped to get going.

I've talked to some of them. They're really amped. They're really ready to go. So that's what makes Cade ready for this job and ready for this role. It's just simple, man. He's putting in the work, and he's ready to go. The biggest game of the weekend. We've already talked to Caroline Fenton of Locked on LSU. Now, how about

Locked on Seminoles? It's Brian Smith joining the show live. Brian, you get the biggest game. You get the spotlight this week on Sunday. Caroline Fenton, the LSU host, already picked your Knowles to win the game do you agree I do and we probably agree for the same reason and that's Mason Smith not playing and LSU's corners we're not sure they moved a safety to corner a week or so before the

game that that makes me nervous for any team. It doesn't have to be Florida State, OSU, or anybody. That's not good right before a season opener. So there's a pretty good wide receiver corpse in Tallahassee that's going to be coming down to Orlando for that game. I'm not saying they don't have talent, but when you don't have chemistry at corner, even one bust can be the reason the team loses a game.

It happens all the time. And, Brian, exactly what you're saying there is why my logic tells me LSU can and probably should win this game. But my gut is telling me Florida State's going to pull it off. Because when you're talking about Johnny Wilson at 6'7 in that receiving core, Keon Coleman was a huge addition in the transfer portal. And, you know, Jordan Travis, that's another one. We've talked about a bunch of Heisman hopefuls already on this episode. That's another one that people are looking at in Jordan Travis at FSU.

So how do you see that matchup playing out? And do you think that Florida State's passing game versus LSU secondary, is that the key to this game? I think it's the second key, but I still think like for both teams, the team that can run the football on the interior and bring up the safeties, that never really changes at any level of football. There's a certain guy on this panel that played a little D-line in his day, and I'm sure that he didn't like it when the other team could run the ball

because then you can't just tee off and rush the pass. It's not rocket science. You can do two things. You can run or you can pass. If you're only a one dimensional team, the D lineman eat. So the team that runs the ball on the interior, and both offensive lines are tremendous for both squads. There's some NFL ballplayers there will probably have an advantage, but at the same time, again, LSU secondary is a little more vulnerable, at least on paper.

So, again, I think there will be at least one play. Wilson is the most likely. He's listed at 237 pounds by their depth chart, by the way. That's incredible for a quote-unquote wide receiver. Their tight ends, flex tight ends, are listed at less. I mean, literally. So it's pretty interesting. I think they're going to take shots to him in the red zone.

They're going to probably a flea flicker, a rollout, whatever. He's going to get a few vertical opportunities. You know, I'm glad that that you mentioned that, Brian, and I'm not wearing maroon to root for Florida State here. We just we just happen to have on the same color, brother. But, you know, you're absolutely right about the stop the run and have some fun mentality that all of us defensive linemen have. But I want to talk about one thing that I think is very interesting in this game. Last year, Jared Burse had his breakout game. He made his money in this game against one of the better offensive lines in the nation. Do you think that LSU will be looking for some revenge up front at least and saying we're not going to get manhandled like we did last year? Because that five, he wasn't just a problem.

He was the problem for LSU all night. Well, two things there. Number one, he is a dude. There's no question. How he ended up at Albany out of high school, I have no idea. That's where he was before he transferred to the Knolls. Second, both the FSU's offensive tackles were true freshmen last year. I don't care what level you're playing at.

True freshmen and offensive tackle, again, that's nervous. I'm sure when you saw offensive linemen depth charts when you were at NC State and you saw a freshman, what did you say? Oh, we're licking my chops. We're going to have some fun. We're going to have some fun here. This is going to be good. But both those guys are sophomores and have physical traits

that translate to the National Football League. I'm sure they're going to chip him. I'm sure they're going to do different things. But also, Florida State is inevitably going to move him around. He's not going to just line up at the same spot, do the same thing. Special players do special things. Harold Perkins will move around for LSU too. He's another guy that, I mean, he's going to eat some tonight.

He's going to play inside linebacker, but I bet they're going to move him. I sure as heck would. So you got to find ways to get versus loose stunts, different blitz packages to open him up, whatever it is. You know, I'm going to just say this. I'm jealous of you. You look like you're living in paradise right now. Hell of a great virtual background there, Brian.

Really good virtual background. Yeah, that's the real deal. And so I'm going to answer this. If we're talking about the real deal, they're saying that this Florida State secondary is going to be it. Jaden Daniels and company are going to want to tear this thing apart. That is going to be a big part of what LSU wants to do. We know Brian Kelly is going to want to run the ball,

but ultimately it's a quarterback's game. We know Brian Kelly is going to want to run the ball, but ultimately, it's a quarterback's game. We know that that's what football is turned into. Do you think that Sightrail I'm missing the name. Fintrail Cypress and company

get it done on the back end, or will this be a track meet on grass? I think it's the latter. I think they'll make some plays. But Malik Nabors for LSU, that is a national football player in waiting. Yeah. The only reason he's not there already, he's not three years removed from high school.

Right. You're going to have plays where he does his thing. The question is, can they get Mason Taylor the ball? Obviously, he's a very big time player he was the guy that caught the two-point conversion against bam etc they're going to have to move it around a little but at the end of the day it's malik neighbors for them and they they also have a couple other guys that were highly recruited let's see brian thomas in particular he was a big time player he's a big bodied kid if i FSU, I'm worried about him because he's 6'4". Kind of like Johnny.

Those up-top plays when you get in the red zone, look, man, on the outside you can't – you know, you can only put so many guys out there. That would be my concern. I've got the Knowles winning 41-38 to put the perspective. I don't think it's going to be a defensive game. Florida State last year, number 21 scoring defense in the country, number 15 total defense, but the LSU offense is that

high-powered. Brian, thanks for joining the show and giving us your take on LSU and Florida State this weekend. Thank you, sir. Y'all have a great day. Yes, sir. You too, Chief. Now, look, there's the rundown, Dono, on this game. If you are at FanDuel.com are you are

you taking florida we've heard so much about florida state here but then there's the mighty sec that people love to scream about where do you lean i still i still lean to to lsu over fsu and listen i i know that obviously based on the season florida state just had last year uh mike norvell is starting to change that narrative he still has a poor record against ranked opposition and LSU last year in that season opening matchup it was mostly self-inflicted wounds why why they didn't win that game last year and Florida State was able to hold on and we saw how much better LSU got as the season goes on I just Jaden Daniels and you know, he mentioned the receivers and Mason Taylor, the tight end, who's going to be a big part of that LSU offense.

I'm still leaning to LSU, but the part that I agree about wholeheartedly is high scoring football game. Because again, Caroline laid it out with LSU secondary. Brian talked a little bit about it with how Florida State can attack it. I still have nightmares, Drake and Kenton, about what Florida State did to the Miami Hurricanes last year. Basically just scoring points. It was a game I never want to rewatch as long as I live. And, you know, Johnny at 6'7", Keon Coleman, that addition for Michigan State in the transfer portal. So I think a lot of this season for Florida State is going to be, does Jordan Travis find the sort of consistency he was developing late in the year last year? Because he can be such a dual threat weapon.

He's been inconsistent at times during his career. So if he can have the type of season that they all want him to have up there in Tallahassee, they can take that team to new heights. I'm still leaning to LSU, but would not surprise me if Florida State can cover that two and a half point spread or even win outright. Kent, what do you got? One thing that I find super interesting about the game from last year is you could tell that there was a little bit of trying to get guys to buy in to the program still at LSU. And Florida State was already beyond that.

And that, I think, was ultimately the difference. I'm looking particularly at Keyshawn Boutte, who, I mean, he looked, you know, Boutte looked like Boutte in that game. It was not good. It was very, very rough. And so with that being said, you're looking at an LSU team that at this point, everybody should be bought in. You know that his system can take you to an SEC championship. So there should be no arguing. There should be no, well, I want to do it my way. Well, brother, you have no rings on your finger and this guy has

gotten you to the promised land. You just weren't good enough this year I think that the the buying in of the culture and the talent that LSU has with those tackles getting a year older as Brian Smith talked about I think LSU gets it done I think LSU gets it done and I know Florida State fans are going to tell me how I'm disrespecting them and call me everything but a good Christian I'm all right with that I'm okay with that because I'm telling you, I wouldn't be mad if Florida State wins this game either. I wouldn't be mad at the announcers. I say, and here's Johnny every other play because he's running deep again.

But if I had to put my money on it, I'd go with LSU. Again, if I was a fan, dude, that's where I'm going. Look, LSU Tigers, the SEC, Brian Kelly had a hell of a first year. They're the team to beat here. I really believe, again, the SEC moniker carries so much that LSU has a leg up in this game. But not so fast. Florida State's absolutely going to beat LSU this weekend,

and I will put any amount of money at FanDuel.com. Look, from Jared Verse to Patrick Payton to Gilbert Edmond, this defensive line for Florida State is what I think is the best in the country. And I get it. LSU's offensive line is not bad by any means, but I wouldn't put them in the top three in the SEC, which is daunting in itself, but I think the Florida State defensive line has a way has a way with lsu uh and

in the end i have florida state winning by 14 i have a two touchdown victory for florida state on sunday but that that all boils down i'm sorry but but donald please keep keep drake away from from uh fan duel because he's betting rusty toes. He's betting the house. Listen. He's a really good use of FanDuel. Exactly. I see why FanDuel wants us to talk about it so much because you must be on that thing running up a check, brother.

I keep FanDuel in business. I personally keep them in business. At this point, you should be sponsoring them, okay? They should be reading Drake Toll ad reads during all of their events. Listen, I don't disagree with you that Florida State has a shot to win it. You should be sponsoring them, okay? They should be reading Drake Tola ad reads during all of their events. Listen, I don't disagree with you that Florida State has a shot to win this. A double-digit win here? 14 points.

Wow. For me, honestly, I look at this as a coin flip matchup. Drake clearly does not. He thinks the coin is a two-headed coin with florida state his heads on it yeah yeah and i don't think lsu i think lsu finishes in the top three in the sec west i i have enough confidence in florida state for them to go to the college football playoff win 10 11 11 games in the regular season this year as well uh that and maybe that's one of my bold predictions you know but i just we're gonna get to the end of the year and it's not gonna feel so bold you're gonna look back at the ACC schedule and go, yeah.

All right. 11 and one. I agree with that take. I agree that they could make the playoff. I just don't think that there are 14 points better than LSU. That is where you lost. I was with you. I'm with you when you're right.

But you know, that was the moment where I had to jump off the ship. Okay. Cause that's, that's a little, you know, but I'll tell you this much. I do think that Florida state is going to be an amazing team this year. I feel that. I feel that a hundred percent. This game in particular,

I don't think would be a fair barometer for either one of these conferences to say like, Oh, the sec is this or the ACC is that because of this game. But like you said, that, that Florida state team surely does have a ceiling of a playoff appearance. Well, folks, these days, every new potential hire can feel like a high stakes wager for your small business. You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the

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Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash lockedoncollege. That's linkedin.com slash lockedoncollege to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Yeah, guys, the FanDuel lines for week one look difficult. A lot of them are massive, but is one of them too big? Locked on Bets hosts Lee Sterling and your boy Q have a lock. Open it, open it, open it. Lee has the key to the lock of the day. This time we're going to focus in on Penn State versus West Virginia.

Vandal.com line on this one. Penn State minus 20.5 points versus West Virginia. Lee, how are you seeing this one? Break it down for us. Yeah, so Penn State, talented team. They got some receivers. They got a couple running backs. And defense front seven is really good.

Where they're not so good is quarterback, brand-new quarterback. I mean, do you want to lay three touchdowns when you're facing a team that is competitive with a brand-new quarterback? Also, pretty much a brand-new secondary, four out of five guys left. So I think Penn State, if they find that quarterback, they'll be in good shape. But they might be a tad overrated, 6-0-1 against the spread down the stretch last year. They played Utah last year in that bowl game. Utah lost their quarterback.

Cam Rising went out. As soon as he went out of that game, the game was over. So they were gifted that win here. West Virginia, a couple things I like. They got this running back named C.J. Donaldson. Watch him tonight, 6'2", 240 240. Now you look at his stats, you're like, oh, he ran for 526 yards last year. Nothing impressive. Eight touchdowns, that's decent. But here's what pops out. Six yards per carry. He was hurt a bunch last year, even when

he played. Missed a couple games. And he was a tight end. He comes from Gulliver Prep in Miami. Saw this kid in high school play tight end. Thought, oh, this is a nice tight end. But they saw something. They moved him to running back. That's the high school where Sean Taylor played. This kid's a monster. Could have a big game here.

Once he gets going in the secondary, almost impossible to bring down, and surprisingly good speed here. almost impossible to bring down, and surprisingly good speed here. Also, Pilford, a kid from Kent State named Jashon Polk is a kick returner. He might set up some nice field position for him. And West Virginia's defense isn't great. Their pass defense is not good at all, but Penn State's going to run the football. That's the one thing West Virginia does well on defense.

It gets ranked opponents last year. They give up just 3.5 yards per carry, just 120 rushing yards per game. They're going to be fired up for this game. This used to be a huge rivalry game, almost on the lines of like Pitt-Penn State. So Pitt-West Virginia is going to be a big game. Level two lock. Boom, level two lock right there, and I'm with it. I am with it. I know West Virginia is not the West Virginia that they once were or want to be.

I know they're still trying to build, build, build, but there you go. Penn State, 20-and-a-half, minus 20-and-a-half versus West Virginia. I feel like that's a little high. Lee Sterling hits them with the level two lock, and we can appreciate that. Lock of the day, Penn State and West Virginia. More like a level two lock and we could appreciate that lock of the day Penn State and West Virginia more like a level two loss what are we doing here this is the game I I need everybody to gather together and understand West Virginia lost all of its wide receivers all of its corners they

replaced the OC and pretty much the entire offensive staff the only reason neil brown has not been fired yet is because his buyout is so large it is a night game white out penn state on nbc and anybody in their right mind is level two i don't even know what level two means i don't even know if that's good or bad, but I do know that I would not bet against a Penn State team that only lost to Ohio State and Michigan last year, Dono. Penn State is going to win this game by

four touchdowns and five if they really want to. I hate to argue with a level two lock, but the thing is when I started... You know what, Dono? You're a level you're a level two guy. Level two, level two. I'm not even going to bet the other side of it. I think I'm just going to sit this one out because on on the one hand, listen, I am keenly aware of the handiwork of Penn State's defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz.

And I feel like the other shoe is going to drop at some point and they're going to get burned in a few games. I just don't think West Virginia is the team to do that. And so when I start to hear the logic behind West Virginia covering a big spread of 20 and a half point spread, then I start to think, OK, well, the game must be in Morgantown, right? No, like you said, Drake, it's a whiteout game, night game, happy valley. I think Penn State's going to win that game by four touchdowns. That's so – Of all of the games.

Yeah, I don't know. That's the one that they picked, Ken. It's hard, but I agree with you, Drake. I'm going to say this. I never bet against a team with one cast technician, let alone two. Shout out to the King twins up there, Kalen and Kobe. One of the best corners in the nation. One of the upcoming linebackers in the nation.

Not to mention, Singletary is so good. The back behind him is probably going to be all conference who just transferred out of there. We are running backs have the lowest, what's the word I'm looking for, franchise tag value of every position. And yet everybody's talking about Singletary as a first round draft pick.

I'm sold, I'm sold. You know, I don't want to hurt Zach Blackerby's feelings, but I remember watching him against Auburn and I thought to myself, yeesh, this kid's the real deal. This is going to be be some problems so with that being said um you know penn state to cover penn state to beat the boys senseless and send them back to morgantown limping and singing country roads take me home to a field where we belong because it's not an happy valley there It's not there. Oh, look.

You know what? Give me Penn State minus 20 and a half. That's a level 15 lock. Wow. Yep. 100%. Level 15. I don't know.

I will say, Drake, I'm bookmarking this. Because if West Virginia does cover, I will make a video apology to my guys at Locked on Bets, Q and Lee. I will go out of my way to apologize if WVU does cover. Your boy Q, Waco's own. Yeah, guys, I've got Penn State all day. I also, so I went to FanDuel, saw some of these lines. The one that I'm going to pick out, so look, I'm a Baylor grad. I graduated from Baylor like three months ago, right? So I'm supposed to root for them. No chance. They

cover 28 points this weekend. They've got Texas state. And a lot of these games get overlooked like Oklahoma, Arkansas state. Oh, use a 36 point favorite. They don't cover 36. They get backdoored to 28 or something like that. Baylor this week, GJ Kenny, the new head coach of Texas state. We had him on our show. He unbelievable. He went went 12-2 his first year as a head coach in college football. They're going to play this game close against the Bears. They have one of the best recruiting classes in the country. 28, too much. Baylor wins this game by 17-21.

Blake Chapin, still a liability at quarterback at times. That's one of my picks this week. Dono, what do you like on the board right here? You know, I'm going to go back to that north carolina south carolina because you know there are so many of these gigantic spreads scare me a little bit week one when we haven't really seen anybody yet but i've got a pretty good idea uh you know being an acc guy what drake may in north carolina bring to the table i've got a pretty good idea what spencer rattler and company in south carolina bring to the table i I've got a pretty good idea what Spencer Rattler and company in South Carolina bring to the table. I like the line, but I like UNC to cover minus two and a half. I see the Tar Heels winning this one by probably six points to a touchdown, and I think it's going to be an

entertaining game. I'm looking forward to watching probably an offense explosion on both sides. Whoever gets the football last will probably be at an advantage but i think drake may is going to have a field day and i think they're going to cover yeah so in the battle of the orange teams here uh in terms of tennessee and uh virginia last time there was a battle of the orange that tennessee was involved in. It was in the Orange Bowl in which they beat Clemson handily. They are going to scold UBA. That game is going to look very bad. As soon as I heard that Chico Bennett wasn't playing, I don't trust Tony Musket. I don't trust Tony Elliott. I don't trust that team as a whole. And it's really unfortunate with all the things that they've been through but you know at some point in time you've got to play football again if you got to

look at what's going on in front of you be where your feet are and i think that their feet are going to be in the air a lot because uh those boys from tennessee are going to be picking them up and putting them down forcefully 27 and a half ain't enough tennessee covers easily yeah other two that i've circled here. Welcome to the ACC. Cal minus seven at North Texas. I think North Texas covers plus seven here. Cal is just a bad football team. So if you want, you know, take that for what

it is. They're just not very good at the whole game of football. North Texas at home chip on their shoulder. They are facing a team who now got a grant to the ACC. They're going to come out firing and at least cover seven. Cal might win it by three, but it's going to be ugly and terrible. If you have, I think it's ESPN plus. If you have ESPN plus don't watch that game. Uh, and then another new ACC team, Stanford minus three at Hawaii. Stanford is maybe the only power five team that I could see going. Oh,

and 12 this season, I have mapped it out where they might not win a game this year and that you're giving me plus points with what you're giving me a plus money line on Hawaii give me the rainbow warriors all day long you know I don't hate that and it's it is really it hurts for us two ACC guys to look at this and say this, but you're absolutely right. That's their team. It's, it's a little bit of a train wreck and in almost every regard. And,

and you know, you're telling yourself they're also traveling to have a time difference that puts them behind, which West coast teams are not used to. Like that is insane to, to put a West coast team behind their normal time zone. You know, it's right now it's Pac-12 after dark.

Well, the Pac-12 is going to get packed up after this game in terms of Stanford, you know, getting the Rainbow Warriors and all that they've been through and what's going on on those islands and kind of the rallying crowd behind them. I think they cover and win this game outright. Yeah. Well, Dono, before we get out of here, let's take the big one, LSU-Florida State final score prediction there. Yeah, I'm going to go with LSU to win and just cover by the skin of their teeth.

I'm going to go with LSU by three. So I'm going to say pretty high scoring game based on, you know, the quarterbacks and the defensive secondaries. I'm going to go with, I'm going to say a 38 to 35 LSU, which means I'm going to have my popcorn ready for this one. Kenton, same question. You know, I think that these defenses are being disrespected just a little bit. I think that there's a lot of offensive firepower here, but I think these defenses are being disrespected just a little. I've got LSU winning the close one, 28-24.

This game for me, 38-24, 14 point win for Florida State in the end. Again, it might be 24-24. This game for me 38-24 14 point win for Florida State in the end again it might be 24-24 going into the fourth I have too much confidence in the Florida State defense for them to give this game up I've got FSU being the one bright spot in the ACC this weekend after the addition of SMU Cal and Stanford guys that is locked on college footballoff Live. Alex Dono from Locked On Canes, Kenton Gibbs from Locked On ACC, Drake Toll from Locked On Big 12. We'll be back live next week. Thanks for making Locked On College Football Kickoff your lunchtime listen every single Friday. We'll be with you all season long covering the biggest storylines in the sport. Great show, you guys.

Dono, great to be with you. Kenton Gibbs, always a pleasure. Hey, next week, same time, same place. This has been, and it always will be, Locked On College Football Kickoff Live.