The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Defining a Successful Season for 10 of the most interesting teams in CFB

Episode Date: August 19, 2024

With the new 12-team Playoff format, fans are wondering how to measure success for their teams this season. FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt gives his opinion on what should be considered a successful season for 10 of the most interesting teams in the country. What should Alabama fans realistically hope for in Year 1 without Nick Saban? Is it truly championship-or-bust at Ohio State? What should be expected out of Michigan as they defend their title but also replace Jim Harbaugh and the majority of their starters? Would a Bowl Game be a strong enough season for Deion Sanders and Colorado or should they be targeting higher? Klatt also discusses teams like Georgia, Penn State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and USC. Tickets for Live show in Madison, Wisconsin on September 12th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/995516967047?aff=oddtdtcreator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've got a massive announcement about the show at the end of the show. College football has never been better. Interest has never been higher. Believe that we are at the dawn of the golden age of college football. It was an epic day of college football. It was one of those days where you fall in love with the sport all over again. Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome into the Joel Clat Show, presented by Hampton by Hilton.

Cannot wait to get things started. We are barreling towards the college football season. It is almost here, but we've still got some of these preseason shows that we need to get out there because it's important to try to define success for some of these teams that were thinking about this season. Before I get into the show, though, I do have to just give you a quick announcement. We've got a massive announcement about the show at the end of the show. So make sure you're listening all the way until the end of the show because we have a huge announcement. I'm very excited about this.

I'm very excited. You're going to love it. And I'm going to announce it at the end of the show. Okay. Remember, follow us wherever you're listening. Subscribe on YouTube, all the things, leave a comment. I'll try to jump down into those comments like I have been doing on each of these episodes and we'll go from there. I'm going to try to define success today in my terms for these teams that I'm going to talk about.

I've got 10 teams today that I want to talk about, and I want to try to define what would a successful season look like for those 10 programs. It's different because with a 12-team playoff, I think it's opening the door for a lot more teams to feel like they've got heightened expectations, and that's a good thing. I've been talking about how that's a good thing for a long time. A lot of fans are wondering, okay, well, what does that mean for us? Where do we need to get to in order to feel like we've had a successful season?

So that's what we're going to do. And this is my definition of success for these programs this year. I've got 10 of the most interesting teams in the country. Because listen, as you know, fans, they can, everybody thinks like, oh, we're going to go to the national championship game. Here's my five, I would say, landing spots of criteria or success of where I'm going to be putting these teams, bowl game, college football playoff, college football playoff quarterfinals, because that's a big jump winning that first round game.

Is it the semifinals? Do you have to get to the final four or do you have to get to the national championship game? And I want you to take note, and we'll get to this a little bit. I did not say national championship. I said national championship game. Part of that, and I'll talk about this a little bit later on the program, is that with the new format,

I just don't think that you can go out there and say, oh, you know, you have to win the national championship. There's going to be too many quality opponents late in the season. We don't know what happens from an injury standpoint. point. We don't know, and as we know, you get some of these teams that are really equally matched up, and it's a play here or there. It's a fumble here or there. It's a missed call here or there, unfortunately, at some points. So that's why I didn't put national championship or bus for anybody. That's not how I'm going to roll. That's not how we're going to roll in this show. Here we go. Let's

start with 10 teams, and these are random order here that we're going to give these teams out. Let's start with Alabama, because this is an interesting one, obviously. Nick Sabin leaves the tide after what was the longest sustained era of greatness that we've ever seen in college football history. I know we said this about Florida State with what Bobby Bowden did finishing in the top four of the AP poll. I think it was 14 straight years. But we're never going to see what we just saw Nick Saban do at Alabama.

Now, Georgia fans think that they're on their way with Kirby Smart and maybe so. Maybe so. But man, it's going to be, I think, even more difficult to replicate what Alabama just did when you're talking about an expanded playoff because you're going to have to prove it more times. And there's going to be more games. There will be more quality opponents. I just don't think that we're going to see this ever again. So now Kalin DeBore, he takes over at Alabama.

and I think that the question is looming, well, what does success look like the first year for Kaelin DeBoer and the Tide? They are top five in the preseason AP poll for the 16th straight year. Now, they weren't in my poll, which, you know, fair enough. And I think that a lot of the AP is conditioned just to put them in that spot. If you really look at it, I think that there were other teams that you could categorically say we're going to have better years or are going to have better years.

But this is where I'm going to fall on Alabama, excuse me. Kalyn DeBore is a great coach. I've said this. I loved my interview with him on Big Noon Conversations. Go back and watch that one. Alabama cannot take a giant step back or two steps back. They just can't. They're Alabama.

We just saw the greatest era of college football that we've ever seen. They've got the resources. They just hired what I would deem as one of the most successful coaches in college football. You know, he just went to the national championship game with Washington. He won a national championship at Sue Foles. The guys won over 100 games in his head coaching career. He's lost just a few games.

Like his record, as I said in the interview, I said, like he's got kind of that Tiger Woods aspect to him where it's like he just wins and he learned how to win and he was conditioned to win as a head coach. So while I didn't put them in my top four and while I think, think that there are two clear teams right now in the SEC that might be better than them in the preseason, Texas and Georgia, I still don't think that Alabama can go and take a massive step back, nor do I think they will take a massive step back. He's too good and their players are too good and they believe in what they're doing at Alabama. So for me, Alabama's got to make the

college football playoff quarterfinals. They have lived rent free in the top four in college football for a long time. I can expect a small step back, but not give them two steps back. If they just make the college football playoff and a 12-team playoff, I think everyone's looking around, me included being like, I don't know. I don't think that that was a great year. So for me, they've got to win the first round game and get to the final eight, get to that college football playoff quarter final. That to me is success for Alabama. And I think that they can do it. So Alabama, I'm putting firmly in the middle of the college football playoff quarterfinals.

Okay, Colorado. This is one I think a lot of people are wondering about. Colorado, CU is going to be one of the hardest teams to project year over year as long as Coach Prime is there and their roster is so transfer-centric. It's just going to be difficult because we don't exactly know what they are, who they are, to be quite candid. Now, I think to be fair to Colorado, and most people are not. Most people are not. And I totally understand if you want to say like, hey Joel, you played there, you're just on the bandwagon. That's fine. But I believe that that's negating the facts.

And here are the facts. Last year, they played six games against ranked opponents. And I would categorize them getting blown out in only one of those games. In fact, in the other five, Oregon, Oregon blew them out. Oregon was a great team. They went up there. Oregon wasn't playing for clicks, even though Dan doesn't like that comment. That was also in Big Noon conversations.

Go check out Dan Lanning's comment. but Colorado got blown out by Oregon. In the other five games they played against ranked opponents, they were in a one-score game in the fourth quarter. Nobody wants to talk about that. Everybody just wants to throw dirt on this program, you know, or just sing their praises from the rafters. It seems like it's totally hyperbolic.

The pendulum is wildly one way or the other. And for me, I just think that Colorado was better than most people believed last year. They lost some games that they shouldn't have. might have won a game that they shouldn't have as well. You could say that about the TCU game early. But five, one-score games in the fourth quarter against ranked opponents, and they're better this year. And here's the thing with Colorado.

They're over and under, over under in Vegas is only five and a half. That's way too low. You've got one of the best, if not the best college quarterbacks in the game. You've got probably, I think, the best position player in the game in Travis, Hunter. And they've upgraded dramatically on the line of scrimmage, which is exactly where they needed to upgrade. They go to a bowl easy,

and I say eight wins for Colorado is the definition of success. So my definition for success for Colorado is eight wins. That far surpasses what Vegas thinks that they're going to do. So yes, Colorado is in a bowl game. I'm giving them eight. I really wanted to say nine, but I do think that the level of attrition in the Big 12 is going to be hard to get over.

All right, let's move on. Colorado's rival, Nebraska. We're going to see that game early in the season. Matt Rule told me on Big Noon conversations this summer that he feels that they're ahead of schedule. A year ahead of schedule is how he put it. Great interview. He is bullish on Nebraska,

and it just so happens to be that I'm also bullish on Nebraska. When you dive into what Nebraska was a year ago, they were a team that in some ways similar to Colorado lost games that they shouldn't have lost. the turnover situation was brutal. They should have won eight games last year. They should have won eight games last year. That defense is a top 15 defense and they bring everybody back.

Tony White did a great job with him. I think their quarterback play is going to get much better with Dylan Royola. I believe he's going to be the starter. Even as a true freshman, I think that the turnovers are going to go way down from the quarterback position. And so because of that, I think that we get to November and they're playing meaningful games in terms of playoff scenario. Think about that now. Think about that. The way their schedule sets up, I believe that in November, Nebraska is playing really consequential games towards a college football playoff berth. I think that they're that good this year. They could be 7 and 0 heading into

Columbus pending that game against the buffs. They could be 8 and 1 going into their final three games. If they're 8 and 1 going into their final 3 in November, then they're going to go to USC, their home against Wisconsin, and then they go to Iowa. Well, guess what? what? At 8 and 1, they're right in the thick of the playoff discussion, a 12-team playoff discussion. So for me, Nebraska's definition of success, and I even pulled the reins back on this, nine wins. Knocking on the door, knocking on the door of a college football,

depending who they beat and win, they are right there in terms of the college football playoff discussion. So nine wins for Nebraska. How about the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines? I think this one is as difficult as any as I'm trying to sit here and define success for Michigan in 2024. If you ask an ardent Michigan fan, they'd say, nothing's changed, Joel, we're going to go out there, we're going to beat Ohio State, we're going to win the Big Ten,

we're going to go to the playoffs, and we're going to be right there for a national championship. And you know what? Fair enough, because a lot of people did not see what was a lot of people. what was happening in 2021 and then 22 and then until they finally got over that hump last year and won the national championship. 18 new starters. They have to replace their head coach, their offensive coordinator,

and their defensive coordinator. And they're going to play three of the top four teams in the AP poll and in my preseason poll, Texas, Oregon, and Ohio State. Here's the thing with Michigan. And this is why I'm just going to pump the brakes a little bit in terms of defining a successful season for them, is that at Michigan, and admittedly so, they will be the first ones to admit this.

They are a program that develops. So they're going to take players that might not have the stars, even though they've done a nice job on the recruiting trail, but they're not sitting in the top five in the country in recruiting. They're not sitting in the top two in the country in recruiting. Sharon Moore is going to lean on the exact same model that Jim Harbaugh used to go win a national championship, which is get the right guys in his program and develop them into players

that they feel like they can be physically dominant with. That's what their blueprint is, which means they generally have to be a veteran team to go out there and win. Now, they've got a lot of talent at the top end. I do not think that they have the depth that they had a year ago, which was a huge strength for them. But because of that developmental aspect and the fact that this is still a honeymoon phase,

Michigan fans, if you're being honest with yourselves, go back to COVID, and the question wasn't, will we win a national championship again? It was, will we ever beat Ohio State again? That's fair. That's completely fair. And then they did three times in a row. And when undefeated, beat Nick Sabin in the Rose Bowl

and won a national championship. I think that the honeymoon phase is ongoing. I believe that with all the distractions this offseason about the NCAA stuff, everything with Jim Harbaugh, all the newness of coordinators and players, I'm going to say that a really good successful season is making the college football playoff. To me, if Michigan goes to the college football playoff, that's a really good year for Sharon Moore. And listen, if they're hosting a first round game, I would certainly not pick against them with the way that they have played the last couple of years. By the way, you beat Ohio State again and don't go to the playoff,

and I think those fans are like, yeah, I'll take it. I think that they would take it. Speaking of the Buckeyes, let's go to the Buckeyes. Oh, man. You talk about sky high expectations, man. and this is one of those teams, and there's two of them, and I'll do them back to back, and I'll kind of talk about these almost in conjunction. I'll start with Ohio State, though.

Georgia and Ohio State have national championship aspirations. Not that everyone doesn't, but it's like these two teams are like, hey, if you could put a championship or bust mantra on any two teams, it would be Ohio State and Georgia, they were my number one team in the preseason, Ohio State, because they're not just talented, but they've got veteran talent. All these guys coming back, it just smells. so similar to what happened last year at Michigan. With all those guys returning,

could have gone to the National Football League and didn't. And then they had this veteran team that had great depth and they had great culture. And then all of a sudden, the purpose of that season for Michigan was far greater than any individual on that team. And it feels at least visiting them in the spring similar at Ohio State. Will Howard's going to be their quarterback. And I think their quarterback play is going to be.

an upgrade. I think Will Howard is an upgrade. Okay. And I think the play is going to be an upgrade, namely because Chip Kelly is going to know how to run the football. That has been inconsistent over the last couple of years. And this year with Chip Kelly, I expect them to be one of the best rushing teams in the country. I've talked about all of this. Their defense is going to be outstanding. I think their defense is going to be the best defense in the country. But I don't think you can just say championship or bust because college football is too deep. This playoff system is going to be too difficult. So I think that the highest level of expectation that I can give you is just to go to the national championship game because at that point, you're giving yourself a chance. I believe that

a successful season is making sure if you're Ohio State that you give yourself a chance in the national championship game. Think about it. The greatest dynasty in the national football league that we've ever seen is the New England Patriots. And what did they do? They gave themselves a chance year in and year out. And it was part of their brilliance. They won some super Bulls that they shouldn't have won. Marshawn Lynch comes to mind, coming back from 283 comes to mind, and they probably lost some Super Bowls that they shouldn't have. David Tyree, anybody? The point is, is that they gave themselves a chance. If you go back to the Patriots, they made 13 AFC championship games in 18 years with Tom Brady, eight in a row at one point. They were

constantly there. And that's for Ohio State and Georgia, kind of the expectations that I'm going to give them is that you are there with a chance. You can't go to the semifinals and get blown out. You've got to be right there to win a national championship. And I think it's going to be difficult as we move on. And I talked about this at the top of the show. But think about the quality opponents that you're going to have to face now in the semifinal and the championship game. You're not going to have these teams that kind of sneak into a 14 playoff based on politics and record and aren't quite the opponents that you should be facing. When you get to the semifinals, man, these are going to be really good football teams,

really good football teams. And certainly that's going to be the case in the national championship game. You're not going to be able to fake it to that point in the season. And when we have gotten, I know the four team playoff was flawed, but when we got those games that were equally matched, think about some of the epic games that we got that hinged on one play or another. Ohio State was a playaway from beating Georgia two years ago. That likely turns into a national championship game win over TCU.

Last year, I still maintain any of the four teams in the playoffs could have won the national championships. And by the way, Georgia probably could have won it as well. They weren't even in the playoff. In 2019, Ohio State loses to Clemson. Who knows what happens with Ohio State and LSU in that matchup for the title. In 17, Oklahoma loses to Georgia in double overtime. You remember that came with Baker Mayfield?

They had them dead to rights and then they let them come back. They end up losing. Then Georgia goes out there and has Alabama dead to rights and has the touchdown pass thrown on them by Tua and the tide win the national championship. I think we're going to have more of that, which is why all I can say is give yourself a chance, be there in the end, have an opportunity to win a national championship. A loss in the semifinals, I think would be devastating for that fan base. But pending how it goes, I think that you need to be in that.

spot and have a chance. One caveat for Ohio State. One, one caveat. And it's a big one. You cannot win a national championship, go to the playoff and do all of that and not beat Michigan. Not this year. That would just, that would burn for Ohio State. My definition for Ohio State this year starts with beating Michigan and then giving themselves a chance and going to the national championship game. Okay, Georgia, all of that same stuff can be said about Georgia. They are a machine under Kirby Smart year after year after year.

Last year, a three-point loss to Alabama derails what could have been a potential three-peat. If they would have won that game, they might have won the national championship. We could be talking about a four-peat. This team is easily the best recruiting team, in the country, even though I don't think that they have the veteran talent that Ohio State does, which is why I put Ohio State number one in my preseason preseason poll, and the fact that Georgia

just has a much tougher road even before we get to the college football playoff. Georgia's got to play Clemson and Atlanta to open the year. They've got road games, road games, just at these locations, number five Alabama, number four, Texas, and number six, Ole Miss. Hello, they've got a home game against Tennessee, and then easily another top five opponent when they reach the SEC championship game if they can if they get there. Because remember, we're just taking the top two seeds.

It's not just winning your division and getting in. Georgia's toughest games are a gauntlet. Now, who's built to go through what you're seeing on your screen? Clemson, Bam, a Texas, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. Georgia is. Georgia is. They have a roster built on top-ranked recruiting classes. They have got a plethora.

That's right. That's a three amigos. reference for all of you that haven't watched the three amigos, I suggest it. A plethora hefe, a plethora of five-star athletes. They expect to go out and win every game, even if their schedule is very difficult. So, national championship game. Excuse me. How about Penn State?

Oh, this is a good one. Penn State. What is a successful year for Penn State? Well, I think that we've got to start with the fact that nobody was hurt more. by the 14th playoffs than Penn State. But I'm not going to allow Penn State to fall into the trap that a birth in the college football playoff is somehow a step forward.

Track with me here. Penn State would have made the playoff in six of the last eight seasons had it been a 12-team playoff. Sorry, I didn't. In a 12-team format, the last eight years, they would have made six playoff. But here's the problem with that. Their average rank in those six playoff years would have been nine and a half.

Okay? So you can make an argument that just going to the playoff is stagnant. Are they really any better if they just go to the playoff? Because haven't they been that for the last six out of the last eight years? Yes. The answer is yes. And this year at Penn State, this is a year that they've been pointing to. This recruiting class of Drew Aller, Nick Singleton, Ketron Allen, Abdul Carter.

These guys are supposed to be top tier talent. And they are. And they are. Getting Andy Koldallnicki to be the offensive coordinator from Kansas, I believe is going to improve the offense dramatically. I think Drew Aller is going to improve dramatically. I can't wait to see them. We'll be there week one when they go down to West Virginia to face the mountaineers.

So we'll get an up close and personal view of Penn State. Their schedule sets up favorably for them. All they have to do is face Ohio State at home, and they don't have to play Oregon or Michigan in the Big Ten. A potential home game and Happy Valley in the first round is not out of the question. So what's a successful season for Penn State? It's a step forward. If I've told you that six of the last eight years,

they're nine and a half, that's where their rank is, then guess what? You've got to get to the quarterfinals. You've got to get over the nine and a half. You've got to get into the top eight. So a definition of success is a CFP quarterfinal. That's where I think Penn State has to get to feel like they've had a successful year. I think they can host a first round game.

And if you're telling me that you can host a first round game in that stadium with that crowd, which I think is one of the best in college football, then they should win the first round and go to the college football quarter finals. Oklahoma. Oklahoma. This is also a good one. Excuse me. First year in the SEC, tough schedule, home to Tennessee, neutral against Texas, at Ole Miss, who's ranked number six.

Then their final three games are at Mizzou, home against Bama, and at LSU. Man, I think it's easy to fall into the trap of saying, hey, the schedule's not going to set up for them. And, you know, eight, nine wins. That's probably good enough. nine, maybe, but only because they've got a chance to get some quality, quality wins in order to get to nine. But then I stopped myself. And I thought to myself, hold on. You've got to understand I grew up in Colorado. I was a Colorado fan. So I grew up watching the old Big 8. I then played at Colorado in the old Big 12. Oklahoma is Oklahoma. This is a premium program. Did you know, Oklahoma has 50 conference championships. That's the most all-time. And nobody in college football has more than Oklahoma. They've won 14 conference championships since 2000. That's the most of any power conference team in the country. I understand that that schedule is tough. But this is Oklahoma. I've been there. I've played there. This is a proud program. I've seen them walk out of the tunnel. I've seen,

seen their jumbotron when they walk out of the tunnel. What does the walkout say at the end? It says, there's only one Oklahoma. This is Bud Wilkerson's Oklahoma with the winning streak. This is Barry Switzer's Oklahoma with the national championships. This is Bob Stoops, Oklahoma, with the national championships. This is even Lincoln Riley, as much as you hate that, and what he did going to the playoff year in and year out and winning the conference title. Do you know why you were so hurt when Lincoln Riley went to USC? Yeah, you can call them a snake, you can call them a liar. You were hurt because OU is the place that people are supposed to leave for, not just leave. That's

why you were hurt. Why? Because you're Oklahoma. So I can't step my expectations back from that definition. I think Oklahoma has to go to the college football playoff because if they don't, that means that they are not a top echelon team in their own conference. And this is a team that has made a living being not just the top echelon of their conference, but the best team in their conference. I think the Big Ten and the SEC have a good chance to get four teams each, probably. I mean, the SEC is very deep.

The Big Ten is very deep. And if Oklahoma is not in the top four teams in their conference, that's a step back. That is a step back. This is a proud program. And my definition for success for Oklahoma this year is the college football playoff. And that's pulling in the reins. Because again, there's only one, Oklahoma. And I believe that.

That's a proud program. And they've got a lot going for them this year with Brent Venables. They should be better on defense. I like their quarterback. He fits what they've got on the outside with their wide receivers. Oh, you should have a good year. They've got a tough schedule. I get it.

You split those six games that I've talked about. Go three and three. You're nine and three, and you probably go to the college football playoff. USC. Why not talk about Lincoln, Riley? after Oklahoma, make everybody happy. People have a short memory with Lincoln Riley, and I know it's partly because of the exit from Oklahoma,

but let's not forget that this guy is an offensive genius. Now, has the defense always come up short? Yes, yes. That's absolutely the case. But when I go back to his head coaching era, this is their rank, his offense's rank, and yards per play since 2017. First, first, first, first, 11th, sixth, third, third.

You really think they're going to take a step back because Caleb Williams is playing for the Chicago Bears? No. No. It doesn't matter that Miller Moss is their quarterback. In fact, some around the program have said that they feel like the system will flourish. This is not a knock against Caleb Williams, but we all know that Caleb Williams liked to play or color outside the lines a little bit. He liked to play outside of the system. He would go rogue a little bit.

Why? Because he was a marvelous talent. Again, not a knock. Only some people can do that and still be successful and he was one of them. Miller is not going to do that. And I think that their offense is going to be very good. Now all of a sudden, you've just got to be better on defense. And I know that this is beaten a dead horse for any of Lincoln Riley's teams.

but with DeAnten Lynn as their coordinator, players they've brought in on the defensive side and the transfer portal, I really believe that USC has a chance to have a very successful season. And this is an important year for USC because like Texas and Oklahoma, USC is a proud program that likes to feel dominant in their own conference. And guess what? You've got to announce your presence with authority.

Yes, Nuklalooch style. If you don't know who Nuclouche is, you're just too young. Google it and then watch the movie because it's phenomenal. And by the way, one of the most accurate movies about minor league baseball, I'm speaking of Bull Durham. If you haven't seen it, please go watch it. USC's got to announce their presence with authority, and I believe that they can this year.

I don't think just 9 and 3 will do it for USC to get into the playoff. And the reason is, is because they're starting too low in the rankings right now. And trust me, it makes a difference. Think about LSU last year. LSU did not have many quality wins whatsoever, but they started so high in the first poll that they were then the top-ranked 8-3 team before the last week of the regular season.

I believe they were 14th in the country. So if you're 8-3, I think that the best you can possibly hope for is 15th in the country. And where USC is starting, if they lose to LSU, if they lose to Penn State, if they lose to Michigan, now all of a sudden you're facing Notre Dame and you're 8 and 3, you might not even be ranked.

And if you're ranked at all, it's probably 23. So just a win over Notre Dame is not going to get them there. So 9 and 3 might not get them there. I believe that they've got to win nine football games before they play Notre Dame. If they do that, then win an in for USC. That means that they have got to take care of business. and all the games that you would think that they were going to be favored in. And when one of the following three, LSU, Michigan, or Penn State,

LSU and a neutral in Vegas to start the season, Michigan in Ann Arbor, which by the way, if you're going to face Michigan, the defending national champion, you'd want to do it in the first month in a year in which they're replacing their quarterback, their head coach, their offensive coordinator, and 18 new starters. So the schedule sets up well for them. They host Penn State later in the year. I think that USC needs to make the playoff. to think that they had a good quality year,

announce their presence with authority, Nuclouche style, hold it like an egg. They need to go to the playoff. Texas. What are we doing with Texas? What are we doing with Texas? Texas is going to have that massive game week two against Michigan.

God, I can't wait for that game. I really can't. Gus and Ginny and I will be there. Big Noon kickoff will be there in Ann Arbor. And Texas is going to have all the pressure on them in that game because of all the things that I've just said earlier. Michigan's in the honeymoon phase.

They're replacing everybody, even though they don't think anything has changed. For Michigan, they don't have to beat Texas. They can still go out there. They don't even have to beat Oregon. All they really have to do is beat Ohio State and they're probably going to go to the playoff. So Michigan's got no pressure. Meanwhile, Texas, you can't roll in there.

Michigan is replacing 18 starters, and you have a third year starter at quarterback after you went to the semifinals and lost a bitterly disappointing game to Washington, you can't go in there and lose. You see, Texas is not like Michigan. They don't ebb and flow in development where you're going to take a little bit of time to get back to the top. They're one of these programs like a Georgia. or an Alabama or an Ohio state that feels like they can play at the top every single year, that they can go and reload.

They don't have to develop. It's not a developmental program. That doesn't mean that they don't develop well at Texas. It's just that the expectations don't slide in off years before they go back up. The last thing I would say about Texas is that, like, one year doesn't mean you're back. So they go to the college football playoff, but that doesn't mean you're back. Being back as Texas means that you're replicating what Mack Brown did when he had 10 plus wins every year for a decade. It means being at the top of the sport, at the top of your conference, year over year, over year.

So for me, you cannot take a step back from where you were a year ago when you've got your quarterback back who's a Heisman Trophy favorite and a third year starter. So it's a college football playoff semifinals for Texas. That's the expectation. you've got to get to that point. And I didn't go all the way to where Georgia and Ohio State are only because C.J. Baxter got injured in the preseason, which is a huge bummer. They're down to three scholarship backs,

or else I probably would have had them up there. Texas has got to get to that point because a step back with a third-year starter is not what anyone will expect out of Steve Sarkesian and what he's built. And quite frankly, that offensive line. I can't wait for that game against Michigan. again. That game is going to be so good. So good. I cannot wait.

Okay. I told you we've got a huge announcement and now here it is. We have got the first ever live Joel Clatchew with an audience and it's going to Madison, Wisconsin. That's right. Yes. Bucky Badger, here we come. I cannot wait. Thursday night, September 12th at the Majestic in Madison, two days before that Bama Wisconsin game, which we'll call. The show is going to be at 7.30. The doors are going to open at 6.30. But here's the big caveat. The event is free.

I want you guys to come and enjoy it. And we're going to have guests and we're going to have a lot of, like, it's going to be awesome. Okay, the show is going to be awesome. But you've got to reserve a spot because we have limited space. Okay. So we can't just let everybody in. It is free, but you've got to reserve a spot.

there's limited space. So tickets to the event. The link is going to be located in the podcast and YouTube comment descriptions in the description below. And our Joel Klatt show social media channels, we're going to have all of that out there where you can click and reserve your spot. It's going to be phenomenal. This show is going to be brought to you by Hampton by Hilton. They're making this thing possible. So we're going to be live.

We're going to be in person. And it's going to be a really, a really fun deal. deal. So there you go. There you have it. Make sure to follow the show, subscribe. We're getting awfully close to that 150,000 subscriber mark on YouTube. So make sure to go and subscribe. Share it with a friend. We're getting close to college football. It's the best time of year. We are almost there, folks. We are almost there. I also, by the way, next week, a week from today, we are going to have a guest. And I don't normally do guess, but you're going to like it. You're going to really like it. So that announcement coming later in the week, we got some cool stuff

ready for you during the course of the week as we get ramped up for college football. By the way, at the end of this week, we actually get to see and watch college football games. I'm very excited for that. Thanks to Hampton by Hilton. They sponsored the show. Thanks to everyone who makes this show go. You guys are the best, and I appreciate you, even if you make me do crazy TikTok videos. Thanks for everybody.