The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - McCarthy wins Michigan starting QB job, Importance of nailing a coaching hire & "Hey Fans"

Episode Date: September 14, 2022

In this episode of the Joel Klatt Show, Fox Sports' lead college football analyst Joel Klatt talks about J.J. McCarthy winning the starting QB job at Michigan. He breaks down how McCarthy's stats look compared to other Michigan QB, Cade McNamara. Then Joel raves about USC's electric offense and shares whether or not he thinks the Trojans are a true CFP contender. Joel also explains the importance of nailing a head coaching hire, and ends the show with "Hey Fans" where he tells fanbases whether they should relax, sit tight, or panic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

on the money. Check this out right here. Young's dead to right. Boom. Clips around. Dime. Touchdown time. What a weekend.

It was. That was a phenomenal weekend. Phenomenal weekend. By the way, shout out to everybody who worked so hard this weekend because we had a big crew. We had a little bit of an extra crew down there in Austin.

It was hot, as you know. And I just want to thank all the fans that watched, because that was not just an incredible game, but that was the most watched game of the regular season so far. 10.5 million, almost 10.6 million people watched that game, most streamed game, NFL or college football in a regular season ever for Fox Sports. Over 500,000 people streamed that game.

It was iconic. There's no doubt. So thank you for watching and thank you for being a part of college football. this is the Joel Clat show. I am Joel Clat. I'm super excited to be with you. Middle of week two of our pod here. And by the way, thank you for being a part of this show. You have made this a very successful launch over the course of the last week and a half. And I cannot thank you enough. Remember, subscribe, download, and share with your friends. Talk about the opinions, whether you like them, whether you don't.

Make sure to rate our show and give us a rating and leave a review. because we love that. And if you're snarky, then maybe you'll make the show, which is fantastic. You can follow the show at Joel Clash Show on social media. Okay, if you haven't listened to Monday's show this week, the reaction after a wild weekend in college football, I suggest that you go back and listen to that one. Alabama, Texas, full recap of that game. And folks, I don't just say like, hey, remember the second down?

Lots of insight that I didn't get into on the broadcast, including why I'm so bullish. on Texas. So Texas fans, make sure to go back, check that out. The concern I have for Alabama moving forward, in particular in road games, Bama fans, go check that out. Again, that's the Monday episode of the Joel Clatt Show. Broke down the Scott Frost firing. That was big news over the weekend. By the way, we're headed to Lincoln this week on Big Noon Saturday. And then the Sunbelt, having an absolute day on Saturday. And folks, I suggest you please go listen to my thoughts on why The college football playoff expansion is so needed and in large part due to the fact that last weekend would have been so much bigger and more important in particular for those programs that actually won games rather than all the reflection about the programs that did not. Okay. So that was Monday show.

Today we have got a phenomenal show for you today because we're getting into a lot of stuff. If you love college football, this is your spot. quarterback situation. Michigan. J.J. McCarthy basically taking the reins as a starting quarterback. I'm going to give you my thoughts on that in a moment, including the fan reaction last week with K. Mcnamara. USC, folks, I'm going to tell you today why I think USC is a legit playoff team. I got numbers to back it up. That's coming up. And I've got a long discussion about head coaches, Why would a school fire a coach after three games? Why would a school give a coach $100 million over 10 years or extend a coach like

Dabo got extended last week for $11.5 million, you know, $115 million over 10 years? Nick Saving, getting $11.7 million. These seems like wild sums of money and they're not. You're going to want to stick around for this. I've got a full description of why the coach is so important. in college football. And then later, a fan base check-in. We're going to check in with five fan bases,

and I'll let you know exactly what those fan bases should be feeling, thinking here moving into week three of the college football season. But to get things started, let's go out to you, the fan. This is how we're going to do it here on the Wednesday episode of the Joel Klatt show. We're going to go out, get some reaction from you, the fan, and then I will give you my thoughts on that topic. So let's start with the Michigan Wolverines and their quarterback situation.

What do we got? At Gloria Gene 1104 says J.J. has brought excitement to Michigan football. Okay, Gigi. Okay, Gigi, by the way, is this a burner for Jenny Taff's daughter, Gigi? It might be. It might be. They actually, you know, you never know, although they're not Florida fans. So Gloria Jean, I don't think that you're Jenny Taff's adorable daughter.

JJ has brought excitement to the Michigan football program, and he will be starting this week again. Now, listen, folks, what an advantageous time to do this, to bring JJ in as a starter against Hawaii when they were, what, 51.5 point favorites. Now, this week, a similar game where they're well over 40-point favorites. J.J. McCarthy is a dynamic player. There is no doubt about that. And in some cases, you have to understand really uniquely what you are as an offense before you can make a quality and informed decision about who's going to be the quarterback for that offense. And not every season is the same. So, yes, it's the Michigan offense.

I would make the argument that this year's version of Michigan football needs a very different style of offensive. player at the quarterback position than they needed a year ago. Last year's team was built a little bit like Ford F-150. And they were rugged. They were run first. They needed to protect the football, manage the game, and allow the defense to go out there and seal the victory with a great pass rush. So that was largely the blueprint. They had Asan Haskins a big back. They had a great offensive line. They lost their number one wide receiver in the first game of the season, Ronnie Bell. So all of a sudden, Kate McNamara went out there and he became a game manager. That's not a knock.

Some people think that like, oh, man, that's such a knock. You can't say that about a quarterback. Listen, I was a game manager. Everybody's a game manager. The best game manager in the history of football is Tom Brady. Okay, so everybody to a certain extent that that position has to manage the game. Now, it's what you do above and beyond the management that makes you an above the X's and O's player or a guy that's just running the system.

You can make the argument that Kate McNamara was very. running the system a year ago, but that's exactly what they needed. Okay, so they had this tank of a football team that was very physical and was going to win games a very specific way. And he was kind of tailor-made and built for that style of team. And offense, more in particular, tight-end oriented in the passing game, running back oriented. He was that guy. They would sprinkle in J.J. McCarthy as a change-up. They would allow him to come in in order to neutralize the linebackers with the quarterback runs, some of the RPOs, but what was clear when he was coming in and kind of getting sprinkled across the game plan last year was the fact that he was very

dynamic. And I was speculating last year, as were many, that there may come a time late in the year that he was going to need to be the quarterback. In order to beat Ohio State, the thought was J.J. McCarthy was going to need to be the quarterback. Why? Because he was the one that could go above the X's and O's. If they needed someone to go and score 35, 42, 48 against Ohio State, they would need a more dynamic playmaker at that position. That was the train of thought. But what happened was is that the defense got even more dominant, the run game got even more dominant during the course of the year. and Cade fit with that model to the tune that when Ohio State rolled in there late in the season, they only had to throw four passes in the second half. Okay, so Cade was perfect for that system.

This year, I think, might be a bit of a different model. Not an F-150 this year. They're much more of a sports car. I don't know how fast they are. I don't know if we're working with a Ferrari. I don't know. what are they this year? But I do know this, that that offense is not just a game manager's offense this year. And by the way, they probably need someone to take that offense to the next level because I think that the offense is better than the defense. Last year was a defensive led team and a run-oriented offense. I think this year's version of Michigan is probably going to be an offensive-led team with some dynamic of run pass in both of those, not just running, not just throwing, but both and they're going to have to help along an inexperienced defense and an inexperienced

defensive play caller. That being said, J.J. McCarthy is probably the better option. I know that you know it. I know that you were excited. Okay. So now J.J. McCarthy is going to start for the second straight week. He has played better than Cade McNamara during the course of this quarterback battle this year. If you were just going by this year and neither of these guys had started before, then you'd say, yes, easily. J.J. McCarthy is your starting quarterback. The problem is is that Cade McNamara just beat Ohio State for the first time in a decade. Okay, so Michigan fans, stop booing. All right, that was pathetic.

And you know it, and you know it. So don't do that, and I know it wasn't everybody. So I'm not going to call out all of the Michigan fans. Michigan fans, in a general sense, are awesome. I love going to the big house. I can't wait to go to the big house in a couple of weeks. By the way, we've got Maryland, Michigan in a couple of weeks on Big Noon Saturday. Can't wait to get there.

No reason to boo, JJ. excuse me, Cade McNamara. Okay, I, listen, you can, can you imagine what it must feel like to be Cade right now? His job is being won out from under him right before his eyes. And there's nothing he can do about it. That's got to be an incredibly defeating feeling. And this guy is a captain. He's done everything right.

He beat Ohio State. He won a Big Ten championship. He saved Jim Harbaugh's job. He went to the playoff. All right. wasn't just Aiden Hutchinson. Cade McNamara was a big piece of that. Andrew Vastardis, yes, Hassan Haskins, yes, all those guys, yes, Cade was a huge part of that. So Michigan fans, pay him his due. No more of the booing. No more of the booing. I understand that you won JJ

and it's a flashing new object and you're going to get him because that's the type of team that you're probably orienting towards this season as an offense, defense, and holistically for Jim Harbaugh. So there you go. Offensive lead, not defensive led. JJ, I think that they're going to be pretty good. And by the way, with JJ, I think that they're as good as anybody and we're heading for another showdown with Ohio State. That offense is tremendous, folks. It really is. And he takes them to another level. All right, let's get into the USC Trojans. I know everybody rolls their eyes and it's like, oh, USC. We've got to talk about USC and Lincoln Riley. And yeah, they're great offensively, but not defensively.

let's go out let's let's get some of the the feedback online and then i'm going to tell you my thoughts about USC matt linert says not sure there's a team in the pack 12 that can slow down USC too many weapons maybe utah but that's what makes USC very dangerous this year uh I love that we're pulling uh Matt linerts tweets listen matt's excited reggie's excited and they should be So USC is a legit playoff contender this season, this season. And here's the bottom line. Lincoln Riley understands exactly how to win with this exact blueprint.

If you want to see a team that has vastly improved on both sides of the ball, all you have to look at is the USC Trojans. Last year, they gave up 6.37 yards per play. Okay, 6.37. They gained 5.91. So they were in a deficit in terms of yards per play against their opponents for the season. This year, check these numbers out. Offense yards per play, 8.62. Not even the Kyler Murray, Oklahoma offense averaged 8.62 yards per play. They were 8.60, just under that. That's how explosive USC has been. Everyone's like, well, the defense is terrible, Joel.

Just stop it with the USC stuff. Okay, well, guess what they're giving up? 6.37 last year, 5.08 yards per play this year given up on defense. Is that dominant? No. Is it great? No. Is it good?

Neh. Is it good enough? Probably. That's a margin of three and a half yards per play, from what they're gaining to what they're giving up. So why does that make them playoff Cali off? or Joel? Well, because the history of Lincoln Riley is that he knows exactly how to take a team like this that is dominant on the offensive side, okay on the defensive side, and take them to a playoff. In 2018 with Kyler Murray, Oklahoma averaged 8.6 yards per play. It was Thompson College football that year,

they were dynamic on offense and everybody knew it. Did you know that that year they gave up 5.73 yards per play? That's over a half yard more than what USC is giving up right now. So they're different. Their difference is very adequate right now. Very adequate. I'm sorry. I said that wrong. Their defense gave up over six yards per play in 2018. So they gained 8.6. They gave up over 6.6.6.6. This tells me that the track that USC is on right now is a track in which you look at their schedule, they can win every single game that they play. Utah is their biggest threat. There's no doubt. Notre Dame is not anymore, in particular with the way they've struggled

early in the season, and now their quarterback is out for the season and Tyler Buckner. So USC's got to be feeling very good about themselves. And everyone can say, like, listen, that Utah game, there's no way they're good enough to beat Utah. Okay, that's fine. That's fine.

Anthony Richardson from Florida showed you the blueprint of how to beat Utah. You've got to have a mobile quality quarterback. I would argue Caleb Williams is a much better version of Anthony Richardson. Why? Because Caleb is dynamic in the passing game. He's got better wide receivers on the outside. Utah is going to struggle with the speed that USC puts on the field. They will.

And as Alex Grinch in that defense continued to get better, remember now, They went from 6.37 yards per play last year. They're at 5.08 yards per play right now. There's a good chance that they'll stay at 5.5 or under. If their offense continues to play dynamically like they are, which they should, because look at all the weapons, there's no reason why this team can't go to the playoff. I know that that's early and everyone was saying probably two years. Is this the best version of USC that we're going to see under Lincoln Riley?

No. No, it's not. Is this a good enough version against the schedule that they play to go to the college football playoff? Maybe. Maybe. And I think it's time that we start to acknowledge that fact. This is not just going to be a cool story and look how much better USC is.

This USC team with the way that they're playing is good enough to go to the playoff. They're good enough to be a one loss conference champ, save for one thing. offensive health. Their entire season, entire season, hangs in the balance of the health of those explosive players on offense, namely William's,

namely Addison. They can probably lose Travis die, although it wouldn't be great. Addison makes them totally dynamic in the passing game, and Williams is the trigger man, you can't lose them. If those two guys stay healthy

with the schedule they have in front of them, yes, Utah will be tough, Notre Dame, not nearly as tough as what we thought they would be, then USC can absolutely win the conference, have one loss, and I think that they would go to the playoff at that point. It's time to start thinking about that, folks, because again, the numbers suggest that Lincoln Riley knows exactly what he's doing. This isn't any worse defense than OU has played.

Now, is he going to be national championship caliber? No. And to be national championship caliber, he's going to have to change that model and take his defense to a place where they can play top 30, top 25 defense in the country. You know, get down there in the four and a half, 4.2 yards per play area. If he does that, then yes.

Then they would be national championship caliber. And I think he believes that he's got a better chance to do that at USC than he did at Oklahoma. I think that Lincoln Riley felt like he was maybe a bit maxed out at OU. Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure. But the bottom line is this version, we better start at least wrapping our lines around the possibility that USC could go to the playoffs.

They could get blown out in the playoffs, but they could go. We better start thinking about that, folks, because this version of what we're seeing of this offense and this defense is good enough to do it, in particular in that conference. Okay, the big decision this last weekend from Trev Alberts to let go of Scott Frost. Earlier in the week, we saw Dabo Sweeney get his extension, and the offseason Kirby Smart got his extension. Nick Saban signed a new deal. Who else did we see? We saw James Franklin get the 10-year deal over $70 million total.

We saw Mel Tucker get the big deal. We saw Lincoln Riley. We saw Brian Kelly. Everyone's talking about, man, this is wild. We saw guys get fired after four games last year and three games this year. Clay Heldon was shown the door. And Texas Tech fired their coach with five wins before they could get a sixth in the middle of the year so they could hire Joey McGuire who was on a different staff. It's wild, right? The coaching

carousel is wild. Every single time a coach gets a huge payday, buyout, any of it. I inevitably hear all the same things, which is, this is crazy, they don't deserve that much money. Why are they making these decisions? This is crazy. This is irrational. And it's easy to believe that that's true because that's the way that it looks on the surface. It's not the truth, though. The head coach of the football program is the most important hire that any university can make. And every president and athletic director will tell you that. When I'm talking with athletic directors, and I talk to one prominent athletic director this week in preparation for this show,

And we were talking about the importance of the head coach and more importantly, the football program. And to know kind of like what's going on with both of them, the president and the AD know that the football program is to use an old term, like the front porch of the university. It is in large respect the identity of the institution. The identity of the institution is tied to the football program. presidents know that, chancellors know that, athletic directors certainly know that. That identity is important to them.

I mean, it's all they have. And we know as college football fans that the most important person in a football program is a head coach. When you don't have one, you fall by the wayside. When you fall by the wayside, the identity of your institution begins to fall and crumble with it.

Why is that? Well, it's because the football program is the glue to the entire institution, not just the students on campus, but the students that are gone. The alumni, the fans that have grown up around it. It is what becomes the oneness of the university. It's the only place that everybody gets in the gear and goes to celebrate. We don't go and do that for any of. other institutional party.

You know, graduation, we don't do that. We don't do it when they get a big research grant. We don't do that near, you know, even for basketball games, you don't see 80, 90, 100,000. Football is, though, it's, it's where everyone comes back. It's where the good feelings come surrounding the university. You know how I know that? You walk around and you, you see somebody with a logo.

of the institution that you attended, you immediately are going to go up and give them like, you know, go buffs, fight on, go blue, oh, whatever,

hook them, boomer. It's like, it's an immediate, immediate identification. And then you know with that person, who you've never met before in your life, you have this close,

you have a bond. You have a bond with them. Why? Because of the football program. and the coach is the most important part of the football program. So when you start to think of it from that respect, now you think that these chancellors and presidents and ADs, they better get this right.

And absolutely that's the case. The entire sentiment and the feeling of the entire institution and the identity of the institution is tied to the football program. When it's going well, it's great. When it's not going well, when I see somebody on a plane with a buff shirt, it's like a nod and then it's kind of like a because they're not very good right now. If they were winning like they did a couple of years ago

and they went to the Pack 12 championship, it's like a high five in the plane. It's like, boom, yes! Are they doing great? Go buffs. It's just different when the identity of the institution is positive. So why did Treve Alberts have to fire Scott Frost after game three?

To protect that identity, to protect it. so that he can maintain the positive nature of the fan base and the alumni. So the president knows that they can put a positive spin on their institution. Okay. Why does Nick Saving get $11.7 million and Davos Sweeney get $11.5 million? Because they mean so much to the institution. Not just wins and losses.

Coaches are so much bigger for a university. then wins and losses. Let me just give you some numbers to back that up. At Alabama, the year before Nick Saban became the head coach, they were waffling a little bit. Was it a great institution? Yeah, it's a great institution. There's no doubt. It's Alabama. They have a great history, a great tradition, but it wasn't great at the moment. They had a total enrollment of 25,000 students. Okay. You fast forward to today, Bama's enrollment is 38,000. Why? Because kids from all over the country have been watching Alabama in every single big game for the last decade plus. We had a girl that was a babysitter for our three small children here in Southern California.

I mean, we live in Newport Beach. She went to Alabama. Her whole family went to USC. Brother played at USC. She went to Alabama. Why? Because Nick Sabin and the Tide made it cool. So 38,000 students, that's 13,000 more students that go to Alabama since Nick Saban became the coach every year. Okay, so that's every year. If you were to just round out what kids pay for tuition at Alabama, in state, it's a little over 11,000. Out of state, it's a little over 31,000. Let's just, like, equal it all out. Let's just say, on average, 20 grand, okay, 20 grand.

I actually think that that's low because there's probably more out-of-state kids, in particular with the way the brand has resonated nationally. But let's be cautious with this estimate. Okay, so that's 13,000 students more that they have now than before Nick Saban came. And they're paying $20,000 a year. That's $260 million every year, a quarter bill because the football program made it cool. It's not just Alabama, by the way. It's Clemson as well. Clemson is a smaller school.

Before Dabo Sweeney became the head coach, 17,000 total enrollment. Now it's 26. That's 9,000 growth. On average, theirs is a little bit more expensive. Let's just call it to be safe 21, 22,000 right around there. Guess what? They're making a cool $190 million more every year.

So when the athletic department, who's not part of the university budget says, hey, you know that guy who makes everything go at our program, which then makes the institution cool across the country, which provides the identity for our alumni, which provides the positive nature moving forward. We're going to pay him $11 million a year. Guess what the chancellor and president says. Is that it? Great.

Sign me up. Can we sign him to a 10-year deal? Fantastic. So when you look at it from that, standpoint and not just, man, that's a lot of money. Yes, that's a lot of money, but these athletic departments are a business. And they are big business, by the way, well into the nine figures annually, these budgets. The football program has to pay for everything. Okay, not only the coach's salary, but they've got to pay for all the other sports to go and compete that don't make any money.

All right. So to have that guy and to have the positivity surrounding your university and institution as a whole is invaluable. So why do you fire your coach after three games to retain the positive movement going forward? Why do you pay your coach $11.5 million? Because in the grand scheme, it's a drop in the bucket when you make a cool quarter bill annually because he made it cool to go there for a kid in Newport Beach, California. All right. Let's get into some fan base check-in to close things out.

I got five fan bases today that we've got to check in with, some bad losses, some injuries. I know you guys, you're like, what are we doing, Joel? Help me out. Where do we go from here? Let's go. Let's start. Who do we got? Notre Dame.

Okay. Oh, Notre Dame is panic time, folks. You might be thinking, like, Joel, what, like, that's a little overboard for you. Normally you're not like it. No, no, no, no. It's panic time. Marcus Freeman was a coordinator two years ago at a group of five school. He gets the job largely based on sentiment of the players.

And that's fine. That's fine. But 0 and 3 to start. That's not good. They haven't played nearly as well as they need to play moving forward. Then they get their quarterback hurt. Now it's going to be Drew Pine moving forward because Tyler Buckner's going to be hurt for the rest of the year.

Personnel-wise, I thought that they were going to be much better up front and on the offensive line more specifically, and they should be. But without a trigger man, without a quarterback and a brand-new head coach who's losing some of that positivity, this is panic time for Notre Dame. They've got to win and they've got to win now. Why? Look at the rest of their schedule. Folks, they've already lost two games.

I see them losing at least three, maybe four more games this year. That's a lot. That's potentially six losses for the Irish in Marcus Freeman's first year. After Brian Kelly had that wild run of success. So is it panic time? Yeah, it's panic time. You still have UNC, BYU, Clemson, USC. Both of those teams could wind up in the playoff.

They've got Clemson, great defense, USC, great offense. UNC, North Carolina, they can score with anybody. BYU, just beat a top 10 team in Baylor. It's panic time for the Irish folks, whether you want to admit it or not. Yes, it's early, but boy, they need some wins, and they need some wins desperately, like they need their next breath of air.

All right, who do we got next? Texas, A&M. Panic. Panic time. Panic time. Why is it panic time, Joel? You have to win this week against Miami, or else where do you go?

There's nowhere else to look. A&M has invested in facilities, as well as anybody out there, by the way. This fan base has stepped up in a huge way and supported this program. I mean, a massive way. That stadium, incredible. Facilities, incredible.

NIL. Probably best in the country, at least most aggressive. Fanbase has done it. The support is there. recruiting as well as anybody. They just signed the best class in the history of recruiting. So the players are there.

Oh, they're young. They're pretty talented. Other teams do just fine with young players. And they've recruited at a high level for a number of years. So what's going on? They paid Jimbo Fisher a lot of money. He's one of the only coaches out there to win a national championship. Folks, like Texas A&M, this, if they don't beat

Miami? Wow. So is it panic time? Yep. Sure is. That video, you know, going all around the internet, a guy, yell leader ripping on App State. App State kicked your ass. Wasn't particularly close. Probably closer on the scoreboard than it was on the field. Special teams touchdown kept them in it. They had 186 total yards. A&M did. A&M! with Jimbo Fisher. So, is it panic time? Yes, absolutely. Mario Cristobal is bringing a team that's better than App State, and they've got A&M's got to win. This is as big of a game for A&M as they've had in a number of years. Remember, folks, for Texas A&M, they had the Mansell year, they had the COVID year. In between that, that's 10 seasons. Mansell year, COVID year, that's two of them. The other eight,

they've at least lost four games. They've finished in the top 25 only twice, and there are 30. and 32 in SEC play. They're average. And yet they spend and act and have expectations as if they're going to go to the playoff and challenge in the SEC for a championship. It's not based on last week. More on that game tomorrow, by the way.

I'm going to have a full breakdown of Texas A&M's offense. So make sure to come back on Thursday and check that out. Okay, who do we got next? Texas. Oh, this is a good one. Okay. And for Texas, this is a relax only because it's about the quarterback, right? I think that they would be very excited.

But I'm just saying like, relax a little bit, relax a little bit. You're probably going to lose a game that you don't want to in the next month because of injuries. Quinn Ewers being down with that injury is no good. You know, why? Why? Because he played great in the first quarter. I love the way he played. I love the plan that they had. So Texas fans, you're just going to have to relax and kind of bear with it.

This is the long game. It's still the long game for them. They've recruited really well. Why is that any different than Texas A&M? Well, because Sark's only in his second year. And it's totally different. In particular, because Texas didn't just lose to App State. So Texas is a big relax for me.

Even if they lose in the next month, you're going to get your quarterback back, hopefully by Red River, and I still think this is a team that likely is in the Big 12 championship game. I think that they've got a chance to win the conference. I don't feel that way about A&M, in particular in that division. That's why for Texas, I'm a relax. All right, who do we got next? Alabama. Alabama fans, you're ready to panic, and I'm going to tell you, relax.

Okay, folks, and I know it's like it always surfaces every year. I can't remember which year it was, but I went on Colin Coward. And I was like, man, Alabama's got a Nick Saban problem. Dumbest thing I've ever said in my life. Dumbest thing. So let's not repeat that mistake. Nick Saban has adjusted and evolved better than any coach in college football.

He's evolved on offense, and he will evolve this season. They will be better running the football. They will be better at wide receiver. And even if they're not more dynamic running downfield, they will find out what those guys can do, and they will get very good at it. Why? Because he's their head coach. I think Alabama is going to be just fine.

Are there some concerns? Yes. But guess who's most concerned about that? Nick Saban. He's not a guy that's going to bury his head in the sand. he's going to address those issues head on and Bama's going to be just fine. So Bama fans, relax. You escape with a win.

Your quarterback put a cape on his back. Bama's going to be just fine moving forward. All right. Last one. We got time for one more. Who we got? Nebraska. Okay. So Nebraska, this is, listen, everyone wants this to be panic time for Nebraska,

but I'm telling you, Nebraska fans, sit tight, sit tight. There's a little feather in your cap, okay? And here's why. Nebraska, I've heard a lot of people say that Nebraska is no longer a great job, but I think that it is. But here's why. Not in the sense that it is what it used to be, which is a permanent power in college football, but that it's positioned perfectly in the current landscape of college football. Let me explain. If Treve Alberts would have fired Scott Frost this last offseason before USC and UCLA made their move, before the Big Ten did, their new multi-year media deal with Fox CBS and NBC, then he would have been looking for a coach that would have looked at that job and said,

I don't know if that's a very good job because they don't have a natural recruiting base. They haven't had much success clearly over the years. And I don't know if they're a great fit for the Big Ten. I don't know. It's just something's wrong with it. I'm not going to take it. So it would have been hard to get a guy like Dave Orando or a guy like Matt Campbell. But now all the.

sudden, you go past this offseason, and here's what's happened in the off season that is going to help Nebraska hire their next coach. Number one, USC and UCLA went to the Big Ten, which made them a power conference. So now everybody realizes to play at the highest level, you're likely going to need to be in the SEC or the Big Ten, in particular from a revenue standpoint. So one, that's a feather in their cap. Jim Harbaugh said no to the NFL and said basically like, hey, you know what? I'm just going to be at Michigan, kind of the Mike Gundy style of like, I'm going to stop flirting with other jobs. I'm just going to be here. So that job likely not coming open.

We don't feel like Ohio State is coming open. James Franklin signed a massive deal. He's not going anywhere. PJ Fleck is having success at Minnesota. He's not going anywhere. If there is an opening at Wisconsin, they're probably just going to hire the defensive coordinator, Jim Leonard, so you don't feel like that is going to be open. If you're Iowa, yeah, you might move on from Kirk Farrants, but there's a name out there that wouldn't take that job because it's in state, which is Matt Campbell.

So now all of a sudden you start looking at it and you're like, okay, Nebraska is going to be one of the rare, really good jobs out there. And because of all of those things, they may be in a position where they would get a coach to come be their next head coach, that they wouldn't have got last December. I was actually talking with a good friend of mine, and he said, like, I hear people bringing up Dave Aranda. Why would Dave Aranda do that? Maybe he won't, but he's going to have to think about it because of those reasons. Do you stick around in the Big 12th and just stay there with their new media deal?

I don't know. I don't know. Or do you go to the Big Ten? So that's why, standby Nebraska fans. I think that this next hire for Trev Albert's could be really good. And I think it could be better than some in college football expect. All right, that'll do it for us today. Remember to follow the show on all the social medias out there at Joel Klatt show.

In fact, someone told me that we did a TikTok and it did really well. So that's awesome. You can follow me on Twitter at Joel Klatt. You can follow the show at Joel Klatt show. and make sure to tune in tomorrow on Thursday as I will break down matchups for this weekend, a big week three, our matchup on Fox, Nebraska, Oklahoma,

Penn State at Auburn, Miami, Texas, A&M, among others. Thank you so much for listening, everybody. Have a great Wednesday.