The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Snaps - Week 0 Overreaction: Can Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley overcome disappointing defense?

Episode Date: August 29, 2023

Aaron Murray and T-Bob Hebert react to Week 0 and the dominating performance from Sam Hartman and Notre Dame, and the slow defensive start from Lincoln Riley and USC. After looking like the same struggling defense from a year ago, will Caleb Williams be able to carry the Trojans to a college football playoff berth? The guys then discuss the love Alabama is getting going into the season after being picked to win the SEC across the board on College Gameday. Can Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide prevent Kirby Smart and Georgia from winning a third consecutive national championship? #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The volume. Hey, what's up, Bill? T-Bob here reminded you that you can come hang out with me and Aaron Murray live on AMP Monday through Thursday. Amp is a new live radio app. You just download it from the Apple store. You can actually call in, text in, chat with us directly during the show. It's a ton of fun.

We're at Snaps, right? Snaps, your favorite college football podcast at Snaps Monday through Thursday, one Easter, new central on AMP, download it. and come hang out with us today. Yo, what's going on at? What's up, dog? Welcome in. It is Monday, August 28, 2023.

And this is snaps. One of your favorite, or maybe even your favorite daily college football podcast and show. And we have actual football to react to today. That's right. What a day, Aaron Murray. Blessed are those who wait as we have week zero. some big names playing.

We'll get into all of it. Our week zero overreactions of which I have many. You can tell me where I'm right and where I'm wrong, but just a great time on Saturday watching football being played, excited here, how we feel. You and J.D. did a great job Saturday night with little snaps reaction show. Yeah, I miss you, though.

I missed the drunken late night tea, Bob. I can't wait for, I guess it's not going to happen this Saturday because you'll still be sober. We have to wait until possibly Sunday night. We'll do like a post-FSU. LSU. No, no, no, no, because I have to do LSU post game. So I think we will do this Saturday after the, um, after the games. We should do a show this Saturday. Not after you know how, like, I don't know if the fans are going to the full Saturday night, T, Bob, because you're not doing the

your normal post game at the cigar bar. But whatever, regardless. I'm excited. I mean, I can get drunk. Like, if that's what you want, like it's not like an issue. I'm pretty good at it. I've been, I've been practicing it for 20 years now, pretty. pretty much. I got a lot of time. You know how Malcolm Gladwell talks about your 10,000 hours? I've got my 10,000 hours when it comes to consuming alcohol. I'll just say that. I'm excited back with you on Saturday night, but yes, it was fun, fun show on Saturday. So if you miss that, JD, Pekyll and myself, I'm glad I watched a YouTube video before to make sure I pronounce his last name, right? Because I thought it was like Pickle, Picnell, Picnell, Picnell. It's Pekyll. Pekill. Oh, well, very nice. It rolls up to talk nicely.

react to some of these weeks here overreactions. But before we get there, we'll start with a YouTube.com slash at volume snaps. Comment of the day. The opening comment, Kevin Finnerty says, so this is what Aaron Murray is doing. I always thought he was going to make a good pro. What happened with three questions? I didn't make it straight up. I didn't make it to be a pro.

So I will answer the first part. I was a pro. Yeah. It just was for a cup of coffee. Like for everyone who was only like two or three years, we like to say it was for a cup of coffee. You know, that's longer than a cup of coffee. Two or three years is longer than a cup of coffee. I don't know. You call it a tip worker or something. A cup of coffee is what I did.

You don't make the three. If you don't make the three games or three years, three games to get the pension, it's considered a cup of coffee. Okay. So I've missed by three games. So yeah, it's a cup of coffee. I'll give you more than that. But yeah, all roads.

You know, it's like Rascal Flat says. You know, God has blessed a broken road that led me here to you. So any setbacks in your life had led me to where you are right now, which is hosting a show with all SEC coaches team, honorable mention utility, offensive linemen, T. Bob Aver. Does the NFL sound that tight compared to that? Absolutely not, okay? Because here on snaps, what do we do?

We take and we talk college football. And my God, was it a fun week zero of college? Well, look, we're going to talk about Georgia three people. repeating. Aaron is fired up. The universe seems to be turning on Georgia, believing in Alabama. It's kind of funny to watch the same things that I've been telling you about Georgia for months now, be bandied about by all the national experts and analysts. So, you know, Aaron, I hate to say that I've, you know, kind of start a lot of this, but here we are. And we'll discuss that as well. But let's get to weeks ago. Let's get

to actual football. I've got overreactions that I want to know. to answer me if I'm wrong or right here. My first week zero overreaction, Sam Hartman is the best Notre Dame quarterback since Joe Montana, true or false? Yeah, how about that? Best looking quarterback since Joe Montana. That's for damn sure I could throw that one out there.

So you're saying, I'm not, I'm not, yeah, because Brady Quinn may have both of those. Like, let's not forget Brady Quinn was a pretty damn good quarterback. And it also a very good looking quarterback. himself in his own right so uh i got to see more i got to see more than just a one week wow verse navy to to say that he goes above brady quinn and in the the hierarchy of of notre dame quarterback lore so you beat u sc ohio state you put them in the playoff i'll i'll maybe grant you that you know best since joe montana okay here's the deal with sam hartman

And that's fine. You know, these are called overreactions for a reason. But look, I love the final stat line, right? It's about his chat of a stat line is you're going to find 19 to 23, 251, four touchdowns, no picks, just a pitch perfect, clean stat line there. But the Sam Hartman effect to me goes so far beyond the stat line. It's the intangibles, right? The only way that you show the math.

mastery, the full mastery and control of an offense in the way that Hartman did is if you have that unteachable QB1 belief and confidence. It's the very thing that I doubt about Carson Beck. Sam Hartman has it in space. Like to show up in January, whatever he transfers, to show up in January and to be at a new school, new culture, new coaches, new teammates, new offense. And I mean, like a completely new offense coming from the slow match, something that nobody else does to show up in January and then against Navy, a team that was pretty frisky against you last year, again, that ends with you only winning by seven against David to come out and to cool, calm and collected lead five

touchdown drives out the gate again, not just the stats, but the feeling, how it would open up the run game, just the overall calm and control. Like that was the most impressive part to me, the intangibles, the toughness to stay in there and take the big hit while still delivering the touchdown. Sam Hartman was fantastic. He was fantastic. There's no doubt about it. He brings a sense of calmness to the position for Notre Dame.

He brings a sense of confidence for Notre Dame fans. And I think for the football team too, but he really didn't get touched. Like you go back and watch it, man. Like he was sitting there pretty three step drop, five step drop, hit the back foot, let it rip. One, two hitches, throw down the field. His offensive line was dominant. Like it was, it was as for how good he played, that offensive line looked even better and which should give Notre Dame fans also confidence on that they can handle and hang

with the USC team that we're going to get into as well that maybe didn't look as domine as we thought they could in week one versus a lesser opponent could possibly, you know, hang with Ohio State and protect Sam Hartman there. So I want to give the big boys credit first. They set them up for success because you and I both know this. If you're able to run the football, if you're able to dominate the line, a scrimmage you're going to give a guy like sam hartman time in the pocket and he's and he brought the point of it's a brand new offense it is a new offense but playing the quarterback

position's playing the quarterback position can you play pitch and catch can you do a three seven drop or five side drop and throw the football i mean the slow mesh is unlike anything else in football i know it is but he there are certain quarterbacks that are um that need to be in certain Offenses system quote unquote system quarterbacks. Yeah. He's good enough where he doesn't need to be. Did he benefit from being at Wake Forest in that system? Yeah, I think most quarterbacks would benefit from it. Is he a quarterback that doesn't necessarily need it? No, I don't think he needs it from watching what he did for three years. Seeing up close and personal last year, he's a really good quarterback. Why? Because he is great footwork. He's athletic. He has the arm strength. He can throw with anticipation. You saw all of that even inside a kooky ass offense at Wake So I knew he could make the transition. He's a veteran quarterback. He's a mature quarterback. He's older.

So I'm not surprised he went out there week one and had success. But once again, it's the offensive line to me that I have more confidence in that this team will go as that offensive line goes. Well, we already knew the O line was good. I mean, last year when they got good is when they said, F it and just started running the ball. Yeah. Like, remember, like when they were trying to throw it. So that's why Hartman is so dangerous because the offensive line wasn't the missing piece. the quarterback was.

And now they have that. And I don't know here. You go back and I mean, I look, it's a possible of a clean sheet, but like, you look at that touchdown up the sea, maybe it was the second one. I mean, he gets hit low as he's releasing that ball and he still delivers. He stands tall. I think it hit. I'm just saying the offense line dictated the football game. 31 straight games with a touchdown throw for Sam Hartman, longest active

stretch at FPS. All right. Second major overreaction, Notre Dame will make the playoff. So in order for Notre Dame to make the playoff, and the schedule sets up nice. It's a tough schedule. It is a tough schedule, but you do get Ohio State at home.

You get USC at home. The one tough road environment you have to go to is at Clemson. So you have three games versus top 10 teams. Like that's a grind. And I don't think you have to win all three. I think if you can win two of those three, you're in. And it doesn't matter which two at all. Well, you're definitely winning USC.

No doubt about that. No doubt about that. winning SC, that's a wrap. We'll talk about it in a second. Fucking the Trojan suck all over again. They're good enough to beat one, the other two. So I don't think that's an overreaction at all. I think Sam Hartman once again brings a confidence to the entire football team, both sides of the football. That's the power of the quarterback position. You get a guy. It affects the entire football team. So can they beat two of those three teams 100%? And the fact they get two of those three at home and And you know how I feel about Clemson heading into the season anyways.

I think there's a lot for me that needs to be proven for the Tigers before I feel like they are going to be an 11-1 or 12-0 football team. That's a winnable game, even on the road. So overreaction scale, I would not say that's an overreaction at all. Yes, let's go, dude. And look, I said it going into the weekend, right? Notre Dame, as we're going to get to with USC, this is a weekend where you're either going to crank up that hype train or you would just going to cause negativity to affect the program. All of a sudden, Marcus Freeman's riding hot today, feeling good.

Irish fans flew all the way over to Ireland. They enjoyed all their Guinness and everything else and all the festivities. And then they watched their team put quarterback play that hasn't been out there since 2006. It's a great Monday to be a Notre Dame fighting Irish fan. Marcus Freeman feels like an elite coach, a defense that struggled to stop Navy last year, holds him to just 169 total yards. you have the quarterback. And again, the improvement from the Navy game last year to the nave game this year,

how could you not be a static if you're a Notre Dame football fan? So it's just a great weekend for the Irish. Not so much for the USC Trojans. My week zero overreaction, I would have Lane kiffened Alex Grinch. Overreaction or not, Aaron Murray. Alex Grinch should have been fired in the Coliseum before the team left the field. I would say this is an overreaction. Does the defense look like they improved much from last year?

Not a ton, no. Not at all, I think is what you were looking for. Not at all. Let me kind of give a couple points here. One, San Jose State has a great head coach, a Chavon looked really good at the quarterback position. This wasn't a terrible team. This wasn't like you look at the SEC slate this weekend.

And some of the teams the SEC's playing, you're like, wow, like, come on. Like San Jose State is not to that level. So you were playing a little bit better. There was seven and five last year. Seven and five. Not in a Mountain West conference, once again, you're not, you're not playing middle Tennessee or some of these other teams that the SEC is playing. So I will say that wasn't, wasn't horrendous opponent, T. Bob, was not horrendous opponent.

Second, look at the, look at the stat sheet, played 22 guys on defense. I think they're still working the system. I think they're figuring out the pieces, who's going to fit where, who's going to play when. This was essentially a preseason game for USC where they never really thought they were going to feel threatened. They went into the mindset of we're going to play a lot of games, a lot of players, see what sticks, throw it on the wall, see what sticks.

And we have six weeks to essentially do that. Their schedule is backloaded. I mean, they can essentially continue to play a lot of. guys build depth, hopefully gain confidence versus Nevada, Stanford, Arizona State, Colorado, Arizona, and the goal being, we need to be prepared for Notre Dame on October 14th. So I think they're, I think they're still figuring out. I think they have better pieces than they did last year, which gives me confidence. And like I said, this entire offseason, I don't need this team to be elite. I don't. I need this team on defense just to be a little bit better than they were last year.

So the fact that they look the same with all those new pieces week one, I think you will see a small improvement throughout the season. And that's all I'm asking for. Just give me a small improvement with how good that offense looks. I think it's an overaction on your part that they're not going to be a team that can contend. Well, no, I said I would have fired Alex Grinch. But that is one of the other ones, right? The fourth best team in the Pac-12, we can get there.

You should have read Plasky's piece in the, LA Times here. Bill Plasky's headline reads, USC wins its opener, but there's no defense for its damn defense. Yeah, and you just tried to offer up a USC level defense of that awful defense. 396 yards to 7 and 5 San Jose State, but more importantly, contextually, a 72-yard touchdown drive to end the first quarter and tie the game at 7-7. Right after you go up 21-7 with mere seconds remaining in the first half, you allow to touch-down. drive at the end of first half to make it 2114, a 75-yard touchdown drive to end the third quarter, a four-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to end the game.

Fucking disgusting. And you mentioned the new players. Mason Cobb from OK State, two TFLs. Anthony Lucas from A&M, two TFLs. Bear Alexander, half a sec. What did it mean? Not shit. Okay.

So if the new players aren't getting it done, you got to go back to Grinch. And I love this from the L.A. piece where Plashky immediately asks Lincoln Riley about Alex Grinch. And here's what Riley had. I'll read the whole excerpt that I highlighted here. Afterward, Coach Lincoln Riley, surely weary of defending his pal Grinch, displayed equal parts resignation and frustration. And this once again is an issue.

I asked him if he was already concerned about the defense. He sighed, quote, here we go again. Everybody's going to write that narrative after the first game. listen, it's going to be a climb. It's going to be a climb. End of excerpt. Here's the fucking problem, Lincoln. It's not a narrative.

It's just not a screenwriter. It's not fantasy that some author is trying to cook up. Okay. It is just you. It is what you are doing. You are writing the narrative. If the defense was good, nobody would be fucking talking about it.

Like this idea that they're being somehow persecuted by the media for shitty defense, play better defense. I talk about it all the time. Football is one of the last remaining meritocracies in our culture, right? And what I mean by that is, you get what you deserve, right?

I mean, I think we've all, you know, this myth of America, you work hard, you're always going to be successful. That's not fucking true. You know what it is true? You win football games and people are going to write positively about you. If you perform well, nobody can go out of their way to shit on you.

So nobody's going out of their way to create some narrative. The defense looked awful. After an off season of promising better results. and then the answers of the postgame were the exact same answers that you heard all of last year. And I love the sigh from Lincoln Riley because it's a sigh that was representative of how the Coliseum felt as that entire crowd was pissed off and frustrated and bored as that USC team did not look like a contender. It looked all right. Zachariah Branch was awesome. Don't be wrong.

Maybe the second coming. The offense is the offense. The offense has a chance to be better than they were last year. Caleb Williams looked like Caleb Williams of last year. And there's going to be moments this year where he looks even better. He's a third year in the system. He will be great. Marshawn Lloyd, I thought, looked really good running the football,

the former South Carolina running back. That's a great addition. Tage Washington's going to be a stud. You said Zachariah Branch is an absolute stud at the running back or the receiver position as well. This offense will be able to score points with anyone, with anyone in the country. just I'm going to wait to pass judgment on this defense until until that Notre Dame game like this is to me this is a he said this is a slow build and a slow grind until October 14th and that's it like if that's that is the moment of truth right there for me because they're not going to lose I don't care how good or bad the defense looks in the next five weeks they're going to win every single game they will be six and no as they get ready to go to Notre Dame.

Six and a year. You have six weeks, including a buy, to figure it out on defense oxenridge. In that case, then yes, I'm with you. If they shit the bed and Sam Hartman throws five touchdowns and Notre Dame puts up 45 points,

he ain't going to be back the next year. Six weeks to figure it out on top of how many years, on top of how many years the construction of this defense seems to be operating at the same way. More weeks. He's got this nut cutting time, Bob. It's not cutting time right now. I'll get six weeks to figure out how to handle this defense,

how to figure out your new personnel, how to get guys confidence, how to continue to tackle better. Shut the fuck. Turnovers like you did last year. You spout another cliche at me in this run of cliches that you just hit me with. I'm going to keep it coming.

I'm going to be furious. I'm going to defend the petite Trojan boys until they fail me, until they fail me. They have not failed me. They're one and no right now. They've not feel burned. I feel burned. I've been defending them and I feel burn, which maybe that's where some of my

anger says. Like I said, we mentioned it last week, right? Hell hath no fury like a sports analyst scored. And I feel like I defended Grinch and the personnel transfers and it just looked like the same old stinky pile of crap that USC fans were treated you last year. I will say this. My one out that I feel great about. I have told you throughout the offseason.

My heart is with Washington feeling better than ever about Washington and Oregon. again, okay? About anybody not... USC overreaction, fourth best team in the Pac-12, okay? Who's the third? Utah. Washington, Oregon, Utah team will get into this

eventually this week. Utah team, that's probably going to go 0-1 to start the season off. Why, you think they're going to lose to Florida? I do think they're going to lose a Florida. I do think they're going to lose the Florida. Oh, there's a take. I'm kind of sneaky excited for it.

I don't really think that's a big take. Cam Rising will not play this week. Oh, I just assumed that he was. I haven't looked into it yet. He's seven weeks post ACL or seven months. Yeah. I played no way in hell four months post ACL. Like you can play.

Yeah, you could absolutely play seven months. You can play not, not to the effect. Not seeing your 100% but you can fucking play. Oh, yeah, you can play. What about what quarterback's going to do shit anyway? You just stand there and throw the ball. Like you said, pitch and catch, right? That's what you just said five minutes ago.

Yeah. Until you talk about, you know, Sam Hartman did get hit a little bit lower in that game with Notre Dame this last weekend. And, and to be fair. Caleb Williams, I know I'm sorry that I just spent this whole time shooting on the USC defense, but I was someone who was a believer and it just felt like being, you know, like I was sold snake oil. But Caleb Williams remains awesome. The fumbled snap into 96-yard touchdown was, I mean, not many people can just rocket it off the back foot without even like a good grip on the football like that.

That was pretty dumb. It was that. It was the third down conversions on third and long situations, throwing seeds into the seam on four vertical plays. Who wins week six when USC goes to South Bend? You know the answer? I mean, we're going to know more about Notre Dame before then, because they have some legitimate opponents. They play Ohio State three weeks before that. They're at Duke at Louisville, which are two, you know, two good football teams heading into the season to ACC.

So I think we'll know more and have more confidence of what the fighting Irish will look like. But if I had to say like these two teams are playing next week, who I think wins the football game? I would put my money in the other day in the football game. Yeah. It feels like a way more complete team. And one who, I mean, again, you mentioned earlier, most important position of the game, you know, the queen, if you will, if you like chess and you want to go by values there. When you don't have that guy, it's debilitating.

But when you do, it's like mana from heaven. And right now, Irish fans have got to be feeling like they were walking around, fucking eating like desert lizards. And all of a sudden they got the land. and they got the land of milk and hummy flowing from Sam Hartman. Just a great time. Well, I think the difference with Notre Dame is you have a defensive minded head coach who is one of the best defensive minds in college football. I mean, Marcus Freeman's a stud.

There's a reason why that he's been promoted to head coach at Notre Dame at such a young age. Like people saw it years ago that this guy was going to climb the ladder fast because of he could take care of one side of the football and he had guys to rally around him. Like remember when he got named the head coach, the team went crazy. They went berserk. Yeah. They wanted him. So he's got the, the, the, the, the defense aside on lock, like that defense will be good. Go back to what they did even last year versus Ohio State.

And how they, they handled Ohio State's offense. Defense will be really good, as always. They will always be good with Marcus Freeman as head coach. And now you do have them missing piece on offense. You know, I, I do question, like, what the receivers will look like against a decent defense. What will the running backs look like versus a decent defense? but quarterback O-line, you got those two pieces of an offense that answers a lot of questions going forward.

So yeah, I agree with you, man. It's a complete team and people are going to get mad and say, don't overreact because it's Navy. You and I have played offense, and you and I know how hard it is even on air to look that good in week one. Yeah, that's what it's not the opponent. It's when you watch how well and how well of an oiled machine that team looks in week one.

Exactly. an offensive coordinator that got hired in February with a quarterback that you Lou to that showed up in January. Like this is just a start for Notre Dame's offense. This offense will continue to get better. That's what I'm saying, dude. And that's why that was the most impressive part to me. It's, uh, yeah, it's, it's, it was a statement. I, wow, that was an empty statement. Because I forgot what I was going to say. And so I was just trying to fill it with something. But, but yes, your point stands. And I agree 100%. Uh, other weeks here takeways, maybe a little

bit of a smidge, Brum's going to have an aneurys, maybe a little bit of smidge on Vanderbilt. I think I want a little more. Glad the doors got the win. Truly awful at running the ball. AJ Swan looked all right, though. And J. won't look great. I feel, I feel, I feel, I feel, I'm worried about, like, they feel like they're going to

be forced to be very one-dimensional this year. And that's going to fuck him a little bit. But, but, but Vandy got good. You got the win. Heck yeah. The thought of them making a bowl. game. The thought of them making a bowl game post that game significantly went down in my books.

Like I went into the season saying I think this team could get to five wins. They think they could push. If they could find a way to split Kentucky and Missouri win one of those, then they could push to possibly get to six. But after watching that, no chance. Sorry. Okay. Relax.

Relax. Investor. Vanderbiltz and Nashville. It's a huge market right now. A lot of excitement in that city. Yeah. investor confidence right now exploded on Notre Dame after the weekend fell off hard on USC even though people like Aaron are telling you to hold don't sell and um and and and with Vandy

it fell off a bit as well though nobody really cared about the stock to begin with uh so there it is your week and anything from week zero that I didn't mention Aaron uh I get it to an appetizer I would have loved some better football on week zero shut up Shut up. You're like, you're like Dudley in the first Harry Potter. 36. Last year, I had 38 presents. I don't know.

We'll get you three more after Sue. Get out of here. Be happy with what you have. I want more. Give me more. Okay. I will. I'm going to give you more takes.

I was watching college game day on Saturday, which, you know, I guess I always watch college game day just out of the corner of my eye. Like I never really sit down. fully lock in. So I was interested to see what it feel any different with all the changes it made. Didn't feel a different. Still felt great, fun, you know, whatever, Zoom, like do stuff around the house, kind of watch for a second, back off for a second. But in that, they got into their NCAA previews and we should have this picture ready to go, bro. Maybe you can find it. But a screen grab that you tweeted out, Aaron, that had all of the college football game day members.

So who's it, Herbie, Desmond, I guess, Macs, Fee was in on this now. Everybody choosing Alabama, not Georgia, not LSU, but the Alabama crimson tied to win the SEC. Kirby Smart once again proven right. The doubters are everywhere. They think Georgia's going to be awful. But look at that Des Pat and Kirk all going with Alabama as the SEC champion. How does that make you feel? I'm sure Kirby loves that. it right now. I mean, this is all the ammunition he needs to, to, uh, continue to build some built some important material for his team. Um, I don't get it. I really don't. I mean, are we trying to get into our whole, uh, is Alabama overrated? Are we getting into that right now? Do we,

do, are you ready for my overreaction? I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm glad that you just completely peeled off the emperor's clothes and let everybody see behind the curtains. Because yes, that's literally exactly what I was trying to set you up for. That's why he asked you how does it make you feel you brought it up I brought the picture I thought we were really moving in the right direction I did that I think I'm still how did you play court I'm just flabbergasted by by Aaron do you think Alabama's overrated going to the season three two one go all right you can edit this Bromley you're a magician with it all yeah I'm giving myself for myself boom I am I am I am I am dumbfounded by this entire thing of

of Alabama. And I went back and just wanted to make sure that I understood Alabama's roster heading into the season. So I went back, looked at last year's roster, looked at this year's roster, just kind of retook some notes of what they're missing from last year, a team that greatly underachieved. Well, this is what you're missing. The greatest quarterback in Alabama history, Bryce Young. You're missing Mr. Do It All, Jemir Gibbs at running back.

Guy, guy, that was your best weapon, running the football, catching out of the backfield, matchup, absolute nightmare. You lose him. Let's flip over the defense. you're losing your top five tacklers from the year before seven of your top 10 tacklers from the year before guys like will Anderson Brian Branch who was maybe to me the biggest playmaker on that defense last year Henry to too leader at the lineback in position demarko hymns Jordan battle like there is so much gone from a good team last year that underachieved that we just think with two new coordinators a a a

shift in the identity of an offense, a still ongoing quarterback battle, that this team's somehow going to win a national championship. Hell yeah. I don't get it. Like, what am I missing? What am I missing? Nick Saban. This is a complete rebuilding year for Alabama.

This is the year where they take all that youth, that new identity on offense, and they build around it and they build confidence and they go 10 and 2 and then next year we're saying oh my god Alabama's returning both sides of the football both coordinators an experienced quarterback this is Alabama's year to now get back to winning a national championship like that's the narrative I don't understand how you can feel confident with all those players that I just lifted off that are gone from this football team that you can say that with that youth and that inexperience that this team is going to win a national championship this year. The Crimson Emperor is powerful indeed, Aaron Murray.

And you seem to just be seeing that now because people are dumb. Look, changing people's minds when it comes to sports, maybe especially, when you're talking about someone that's established the consistency of a Nick Sabin, it's like, uh, I always think about it like this way. Like I have a couple buddies who are riverboat pilots, right? So you have these massive, massive shift. full of, you know, like millions upon millions of dollars with a shipping goods on these things. They have to navigate them through these, through these channels. Think about those boats are, if you fuck up, you can't just whip that thing.

Like, you can't just turn that thing and correct course, right? So it's very slow turns in the same way. It's tough for people to, to change their mind on this place that we have seen be the model of consistency through the years. And I need to go back and do a deep dive on it. I'm just deciding whether or not I care enough to. But I feel like there's been a couple times where Alabama's like maybe some of the teams that we thought were going to be their best ended up not getting it done.

And the teams that we were kind of overlooking ended up winning a national championship. Like did Jake Coker win a national championship? My crazy, am I making that up or is he one of the ones that lost? But see, that's kind of the point. It's like they've won so money and so much that it's almost interchangeable. All the pieces start to meld into one giant empire. That was an era where Alabama was just so much better than everyone else. I think the problem is now there are more elite teams in college football than they were then.

So that's what I was going to get to. There are more teams with the same or similar talent to Alabama this year. Again, yes, but no, right? Yes, but no. Like, yes, but then at the same time, they're the only one at 90% blue chip ratio. No, I get that. Right, like, like there. But a lot of that 90% is.

Ross and experience. I know, but it's a lot of an experience. Yeah, but you combine the best players with Nick Sabin

with the benefit of the doubt thing that I'm getting at here. There's been like, like I still think when I think Seattle Seahawks, I still think Legion of Boom. They've been awful defensively for years now. Or they've been waffling, right?

I think they're actually pretty good last year at Trink and all it. But the point is, I still think, oh yeah, that's like Richard Sherman and fucking Camp Chan's. Like, because that's how they got burned into my brain in that same way Alabama has burned in.

And again, what's hurting Georgia in all of this is simply the whole idea of Georgia's attempting to do something that Alabama's never done, attempting to do something that nobody's ever done. And that's win three in a row. So I think a combination of- This isn't a Georgia versus Alabama conversation. It is, though. It is, though.

It is somewhat. I still, you know how I feel about L.S. I've said a million times in the show. like there's still obstacles in Alabama's way before we can just say they're even going to get an opportunity at the big bad Georgia. There are plenty of obstacles in their way. LSU being one, I think A&M's a team that's obviously given them fits the past few years. I think this is the best A&M team of those three years. If we want to say Alabama in a nutshell over three years, how you would rank those three teams based on heading into the season, I would say this is probably

the third least talented, least experienced, least confident team, I feel of the three years of Alabama football, if that makes sense. If I had a rank them, this would probably be three. For A&M, it's a complete opposite. This is probably the most confidence I do feel in A&M heading into a season. And A&M has had their number for the past two years. Not completely, but you get what I'm saying. Yeah, no, no, yes. No. So like there's plenty of obstacles in Alabama's way this year before they even think about getting an opportunity against Georgia. But you're not going to give A&M or LSU the benefit of the doubt over Alabama, nor should you.

If you're trying to play it safe, if you're trying to play it safe, right? If you're looking for a little heat, I mean, we talked about it like objectively on paper, sure, you can make those arguments, right? But when it comes to these national guys that have seen it for a couple decades average, somebody like Herbie that's been on this show forever, you probably start to feel that look in the end the answers to the test kind of remain the same right like no matter what you kind of may be thinking no matter how creative you've gotten like look at des does tried to take a shot with his final four last year what happened it ended up becoming one yeah but his final four was pretty

I mean his final four was extreme last year like that he went to that's what I'm saying that's that was aggressive like me saying that LSU's going to win the west is not extreme they did it last year they've done it's like like you can still color within the lines that having to go completely Dez and Howard on everyone. I think the thing that is just more baffling to me of why everyone feels like this is Alabama's year is obviously they bring up Nick Saban, but they bring up the fact that Nick Saban is pissed. He's more determined than ever.

That's a fucking lie. Nick Saban is determined every single year to win a national championship. Like I don't think Nick Saban spending any more time preparing for this season than he's done the past three decades of coaching football. The dude wants to win more than anyone else in the world. The dude prepares harder than anyone else in the world. There's a reason people want to go coach at Alabama underneath him and it is to get the process to see what it takes to be a champion.

So I don't think there is like this even. There is this more lighting of the fire this year than in years past. You can't tell me two years ago Nick Saban didn't want to win a championship or last year. Like I don't buy that. So I agree with you on the Sabin front. He will remain as sociopathic and determined as ever and nothing changes. But it does change with how you motivate players, right? Like I think back to AJ McCarran, what he said in 2014 after they lost the

Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma. And he's like, look, we got a bunch of cats here that weren't here for the climb, done lost their way a little bit. You know, they think everything's just going to be fucking handed to him. Sometimes you have these superstar laden teams that can fall into that trap. It's the old thing I always talk about. wooden clogs on the way up, silk slippers on the way down. It's the very thing that Georgia has to fight against.

And so it's not about Nick Sabin having extra motivation. It's about him instead of having to fight rat poison and find ways to motivate his players for a lot of this off season, he's got ample ammo to be like, no, man, they don't believe in you. And remember, he's talking to the most talented team in the country, not the most experienced, but a man to man full roster basis. he's telling the most talented team in the country, nobody thinks you're good enough.

Well, that's a lie now the new class. And I'm sure every single kid in Alabama, Saul, Kurt Herbstree, and Pat McAfee and college game day, Crown Alabama is the best team essentially in the country. So like that all that rat poison shit, that Sabin's been preaching for two months, three months, that's out the window now because now

of a sudden everyone's picking out of the window. He still got ample. No, not everyone. No, no, no, no. Go look at the responses. for your tweet, Aaron, everybody's been showing like screenshots from other outlets, and it's all Georgia. It's all Georgia everywhere. No, no.

Everything I keep seeing from, from college game day to all these other YouTube shows, it's, it's Georgia ain't going to win the SEC. It's Alabama. It's Alabama. Kirk Herb Street puts his rubber stamp on it. It's God spoken. Truth has been spoken out to the world. Kirk is kind of like football God. I'm not going to lie.

Maybe like a John the Baptist. Like he's not divine in himself, but he's. kind of clear in the way for said divinity. I mean, hey, that's, that, that rat poison is, it's there, baby, it's back. It's creeped in. All of a sudden, Alabama players slept in a little bit better this weekend. They slept good, dreaming of championships.

College game day picked us. What's coach saving smoking? Yeah, that's the conversation now. What is the biggest obstacle to UGA 3 peting there? Like, why are all of a sudden these T, all these analysts, He's national analysts that have like Kirk Gersrb Street knows football way better than me. Why is he now choosing Alabama over Georgia? What's the biggest I think I think the narrative that you you love to hit on.

It's it's only been done once and you know, 90 years the last time it happened. No, but it's never been on the AP era. So we're going to say never, because it's never done it. It's never been done the AP era. There you go. So like people are still like if it's never been done before, obviously just can't happen. So there's that narrative. Obviously now the issues with with Branson Robinson being.

banged up before the season even starts there's a concern about the running back position and i i that's a legitimate concern if you're already if you already banged up at a position that gets banged up because of the nature of the position during the season that's not a good sign going forward so that's a problem and obviously there's a concern of is is to me is carson back going to be that dude like i think i i think it is because i've watched them closely for three years but i think the nation still wants to see is he that dude does he have the brass balls that sets in Bennett had, can he win you a game in crunch time? That's the narrative.

I think defensively, you can talk about the defense line all you want. There'll be fine. They'll be an elite defense. This is going to be a top five units, not worried about defense. It turns into death concerns it running back. And is Carson Beck? Can he put the team on it? I mean, it's not just Beck.

Because that needs to be the other piece that's gaining steam is, were, are, is Monkin leaving? As much of Bobo, it's really about Monkin is, is he's taking on this idea that he was the final piece to the championship. But now that he's gone, can the combination of Beck and Bobo get it done? I mean, I feel like, dude, I feel like we were kind of in on the ground floor on a lot of these Georgia attacks that I'm now seeing being bandied about. So I don't know, I feel like, look, we get a ton of stuff wrong, myself mainly. I mean, I thought Brock Bowers was Carson Beck. Who are you picking?

But every now and then. Is your mind changed at all of SEC? Who's going to be in Atlanta? Um, no, I'm going to be a coward and I'm just going to say Georgia. I still think Georgia is probably good enough to get through the SEC. It's come playoff time that I'm not sure about. And I'm having a little, I'm having a little crisis with LSU as we get here to the season. I don't believe in the secondary.

I need, I need, I need, I need, I need the second. to prove themselves. This Florida State game's going to tell you a lot. Now that Mason Smith, that doesn't feel good. I mean, appreciate LSUFSU here in week one because as many have pointed out, this is not a original take. This is the last year that you'll actually have a opening game with this many, this much on the lot because the loser will not make the playoff.

Stan and Smith, that'll be possible, but we've talked about the loser will not make it. That will not exist next year going forward. It can be a big game. it will narrow the margin of error, but it will not eliminate you in the same way that this game will. So no, with LSU, I just got to see it out of that secondary, man.

And then as much benefit of the doubt as I'm giving me Jaden and the receivers, you still got to see it. Like I've seen Jordan Travis and how good efficient he could be. Now, I've never seen him do it against the best teams against ranked teams as much, but I just want to see it.

So I'm having a little waffling of time with you, man. I've had the tigers here as we enter the year. I felt way better a week ago, obviously, before the entire. So what changed with you then? Mason Smith. Yeah. I mean, in LSU is improved depth-wise everywhere. I mean, Brian Kelly's done a great job in the year he's been there of building more depth,

a team that can compete for, you know, an entire 12-game schedule for the SEC, but you're still talking about a potential top five, top 10 pick in the NFL draft. It's a big deal. I mean, I'll bring up Georgia again. When Georgia didn't have Jaylin last year, it was a difference in that defense. And it was a difference in the defensive line. They almost freaking lost on the road to Missouri. And Missouri is not FSU.

This isn't a team that a lot of people have favored to win the ACC. So if you can affect Jordan Travis, who's already a mobile quarterback, if you can't affect him, if you can't get him off his spot consistently and make him feel like he's got to get the ball out now with those receivers. against those dbs is against those dbs i do worry a little bit and and and i said i think i said this the night with jd like i think the ls udbs they're not they're not walk-ons these aren't bad dbs i think there's some questions i think there's some experience i think there's some growth that needs to happen i just don't know if that growth is going to be there week one the last thing i want to do is put those guys in a bind where they're having to cover those tall-ass receivers for

florist state for five six seconds so that that is my kind of concerned. Like I am legitimately concerned now without a top five, top 10 pick on that defense aligned in the first game of, of, and already going to be a tightly close contested game of what the outcome is going to look like now. Call my shot. 10 milly. I'm not sure if I think it's going to be average or peak. Because I care last year's LSU, Florida State Gabe did seven million viewers. I think average. Don't have to double check, make sure there wasn't peak. I think this one does 10. We'll see them.

Hell yeah. It's going to be a ton of fun Sunday night, a nice little bow to week one. I mean, how much fun was today? Football is here. We have actual games to break down. We're going to be bringing you all of it this entire football season right here on snaps. If you want to help us out on YouTube, YouTube.com slash at volume snaps. Please, please, please.

Sub like the videos, help grow the show. Shout out J.D. Pekyll for coming over from, uh, on three on Saturday and um and and and and and helping us out filling in with aaron there thank you aaron uh for doing a show remember you can just google snaps podcast apple spotify wherever rate review the show all these things help and um a huge thank you to the volume and papa Colin for allowing us to do this as well as our fearful or fear fear fear fear fearless excuse me production team uh hi ryan brumley chris tran adam gracia danny cardine uh uh they are Pat Gunther, the absolute best.

So day one of the football season in the books. Aaron, any thoughts on the way out here? It's finally here. The long way to wait, we got football, a little teaser this past weekend, but I do think there's enough good week one games. Obviously,

T-Bob and I'll be breaking it down all week. So make sure you hit the subscribe button, the like button. This is our opportunity to keep growing to build the show throughout the season. So excited. do it with everyone. My thoughts are this. First, I'm excited for the new episodes of Asoka. I really enjoyed Philoni's opener there. The NFL script commercial, a comedic subject material

that I thought was completely bled dry of any humorous potential. The NFL's released official script commercials and they're actually really funny and really good. And thirdly, I'm into Mark Ingram joining Big Noon Saturday. He's joining Fox's Big Noon Saturday. I guess Richie Bush isn't doing it anymore. But either way, shout out Mark Ingram. I'm looking forward to that. A little SEC guy, right, on the Big Ten?

As we prepare for the conference wars, you know, the best, is he an Uber conference? I'm intrigued to see. So that'll do it for today's show. Again, you already know what to do. We love you. Thank you so much for listening. And we will see you tomorrow with a brand new episode of Shadda!

Shout out there.