The Kevin Sheehan Show - Huddling Up + Stanford Steve

Episode Date: September 2, 2026

Kevin opened today's show with lots of Commanders talk including the latest on Odafe Oweh and what Dan Quinn said about Stefon Diggs. Kevin discussed some specifics from a story in The Athletic about Jayden Daniels and Washington's offense going to a "huddle up approach in 2026. There were a few interesting nuggets that had nothing to do with the "huddle up" approach that he pulled and reacted to. ESPN's Stanford Steve jumped on to preview the College Football season and share his thoughts on what will be a big season for Mike Locksley's Terps.   For all your football betting needs: DCRELOAD at MyBookie for a 50% Deposit Match   Download the PrizePicks app today and use code SHEEHAN to get $150 instantly in Lineups if you win your first $5 Lineup!   If you want to try Momentous Signature Spec Creatine, head to livemomentous.com and use code SHEEHAN for up to 35% off your entire first order.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it, but you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Sheehan Show. Here's Kevin. One guest on today's show, Stanford, Steve from Scott Van Pelt Sports Center, and ESPN's College Game Day will join me for a college football season preview, something that Steve has done for about the last five or six years prior to week one of the college football season, which gets underway tomorrow night.

Maryland fans, I'll get Steve to give us his thoughts on the Terps upcoming season as well. He's actually been to a few practices in College Park this summer. This show is presenting sponsors Window Nation. If you need new windows, I highly recommend calling Windonation. 86690 Nation is the number. You can also go to Window Nation.com to schedule a fast free in-home estimate. This from Adam to open up the show. Adam tweeted me at Kevin Sheen, D.C. Kevin, when you take the tact you did with yesterday's podcast episode, that basically nothing that went wrong in the preseason is of any real significance.

If you're doing that Chris Russo thing where you're just trying to get attention to your show, you like to bet, do you want to bet me that Allegrety gets injured again and misses at least a couple of games this season? and who are they bringing in the sixth round rookie to play center? The rookie that Adam is referring to is Matt Gulbin, who I think they actually really like. And no, I wouldn't make that bet, Adam, unless you're willing to give me really good odds, 20 to 1, 30 to 1 maybe, I'd think about it. I mean, Aligretti getting injured again seems like,

look, most players are probably at least even money to get injured. and miss a couple of games during the regular season. Look, Adam, I wasn't taking any tact. You know, I don't seek out the side that will be the most interesting or the most provocative. I've never really done that. By the way, I don't think Chris Mad Dog Russo does that either. I've been a huge fan and a big listener of Mad Dogs for years. But what you heard from me was 100% the way I feel about the NFL preseason.

NFL training camp and NFL, you know, preseason games and joint practices. I mean, some out there on social media, honestly, I think it's embarrassing the way they talk in such certainties about the last month and a half. Let me be clear on what I've said, though, Adam. I haven't said that nothing that went wrong in the preseason is of any real significance because I've actually said that two things in particular are of significance, that tonsil injury and then the addition of Stefan Diggs, two things we didn't know before the camp got underway. And the other thing, Adam, is you need to understand the difference between

me saying, I don't know, with what I haven't said, which is I don't think. I don't know is different than I don't think. I personally don't know. And my contention is that. that you and everybody else don't know based on the last six weeks, what the team will be in 2026. It's just never been a meaningful predictor of anything that will come after training camp and preseason shuts down and the regular season begins. I just don't believe much of anything that you've seen read or heard over the last month matters. Again, with the exception of the loss of Tunsell, which I do think will be impactful. I don't think anything at this point.

I have question mark areas about the team, but I've been through this too many times to speak with any certainty about anything in August or even for that matter, you know, early September. I think three regular season games, which is what they'll play during the month of September, aren't probably enough to know anything for sure either. I mean, Dan Quinn told me on this podcast last year, I think it was, that he needs half the season before he really knows what he has in his team. I think most people behind closed doors in Ashburn have no real certainty about most things entering this season. They know more than we do, more than we do for sure.

I just think it's incredibly impulsive and more so inexperienced to speak in certainties this time of year. That's essentially what I've said every single year for the last, I don't know, decade doing these shows. Now, I do think that Jaden Daniels is somewhat of a certainty if he's healthy, meaning I think he's very talented. and if he's healthy and the team around him doesn't crumble and the new offensive coordinator David Blow knows what he's doing, I think it is for me the closest thing that I would be to certainty about anything is to say that the team isn't going to suck if Jaden Daniels play 17 games and that I think that they will be a competitive team

and have a good chance to win more games than they lose. That's about the only thing that I think at this point, that I would even remotely suggest, is a near certainty. Other than that, man, I don't know, the calls for Quinn's job on social media, Peter's job, the declarations about how bad the offensive line is going to be, how bad the corners are going to be. You know, the people that are absolutely certain that Jaden is injury prone and can't stay healthy.

I can't be certain about any of those things based on anything that's happened this summer. I can't. And honestly, I think the people that talk that way are either, again, impulsive, lack experience or knowledge as to how NFL teams approach summer, training camp. preseason games. It's more about player evaluation for what we see than anything else. And usually about kind of roster spots 48 through 53 and practice squad players. Or, by the way, there's another possibility that people are so certain at them, and I'm not. They're just trying to get attention. They're trying to do that, you know, take that tact where they're trying to get attention.

social media or elsewhere. My position about this team entering 2026 is essentially, I have no effing clue how it will go. It won't stop me, by the way, from making a prediction next week before the season begins, but I really don't think anybody has any clue on how these teams will play in 2026. There are certain things that can be predictors, but for the most part, as it relates to our team, my confidence in anything is exclusive to two things. One, Jaden Daniels is really talented, and if he plays all 17 games, the team's going to be a competitive team. And then two, I do think the loss of Tunsell will be felt. Everything else, I need to see. I need to see their actual players play actual games. And then, and only then, I'll have more certainty about the team than I do.

now. But even after a few games in the NFL, you can't be totally certain. This league is week to week. It is so unpredictable. And that's what makes it so great. Even when the real games begin, it's hard to know what will happen each week. Those that think they know Adam at this point, those that have identified all of the things that went wrong during camp and are certain will play out the way they believe they will in sort of disastrous form in the regular season. I personally think those people are total marks, you know, whether they are friends of yours or on social media or even, you know, in regular media. I think they are total marks.

It's like the line in rounders, Matt Damon's line where he says, you know, sitting at the table at a poker table. If you can't spot, you know, the mark or the sucker, then you're the mark or you're the sucker. I have several friends in warm tropical locales that will gladly book every bet, you know, guys like Adam want to make, except for the bet about Nick Allegretti. All right, one week from tonight, no more silliness. It starts for real. one week from tonight, Seattle and New England, in a rematch of last year's Super Bowl.

I cannot wait for that. Meantime, our team, they are done practicing until next week. This will be the last break for the players they practice this morning, but they get tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off, and then they are in regular season format, which takes over Monday, and they will, of course, be in full prep for Philadelphia and the opener. Kalevon-Cheson practiced today. That's good news, as did Bill Kroski merit for the second consecutive day. Quinn was asked about Adafi O'A, and he said that practice next week is a go.

Now, he did not commit to O-Way being available for the opener against Philadelphia, but he is a full, you know, go for practice next week. The team added one more player late yesterday, and that completes the practice squad total of 17. They added cornerback Terrell Smith. He got drafted by the Bears in 2023 in the fifth round. He missed all of last season with a torn Patelor tendon, which he suffered in training camp. But in his first two years, 2023 and 2024, he played in 26 games for Chicago, started six of those games.

I went back and looked just to see if he was on the field for the Hail Mary throw by Jaden Daniels when Washington beat Chicago in 2024, 18 to 15. He played in that game, but he was not on the field for that play. He's six feet, 200 pounds, mostly an outside guy at corner. So the practice squad now is completely filled. Four of those 17 practice squad players are cornerbacks. That is the most for any position. Right now, the four corners on the 53-man roster are San Ristel, Amik Robertson, Russell Douglas and Fabian Moreau.

Trey Amos, of course, out for at the very least, the first four weeks of the season. I think with Kroski Merritt and Chase on back practicing and right now, full go ready for the opener, I think the two players left to kind of keep an eye on for week one are Ben Sinit, who's dealing with an oblique injury, and then, no way. because Quinn would not commit to Oway being available for the game. I don't think I'm missing anybody, but Dorrance Armstrong, remember, is suspended for the first game of the season. All right, up next, what Dan Quinn said today about Stefan Diggs

and some under-center David Blow talk. I'll get to those things and more after these words from a few of our sponsors. Football is finally back, guys, and prize picks is bringing out their best offer yet. New users who sign up will get $150 in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. That's right, if you win your first $5 lineup, you'll get $150 in lineups. Prize picks is my go-to daily fantasy sports app, and it's the best way to win real money this football season. It's so easy. You simply pick between two and six players, then pick more or less on their projected stats.

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four purchased, with no money down, no monthly payments, and no interest for two years. I've known the people at Windonation for nearly 20 years now. They're the real deal. 86690 Nation, Windonation.com. So, four weeks ago today, Stefan Diggs signed a one-year deal to play in Washington for the 2026 season. Real quickly, before I get to what Dan Quinn said about Diggs. It was announced yesterday that Diggs will wear numbers. number three. So the number seven Joe Thysman request from Diggs, clearly somebody, and I would imagine it was ownership, said no. That is for now a protected jersey. Good for them. I don't think Joe said no. Joe told me on the radio show a few weeks ago, maybe a week and a half ago, that he's not

participating in this conversation anymore. That is above his pay grade, which it should have been, of course, back in 2019 and wasn't with Dwayne Haskins. So Stefan Diggs is going to wear number three. Remember, in the moment four weeks ago, sigh of relief. Okay, an area that many were concerned about, big question mark area, the number two receiver filled with a guy that is a known entity, has played recently and played well recently for a team that went to the Super Bowl and obviously has a huge track record of playing at a high level.

It doesn't guarantee anything. You know, it doesn't guarantee that the addition of Diggs is going to make the supporting cast around Jaden so much better. Perhaps it's one of the other receivers that were maybes heading into this year, a Berks or the return of Diami or Luke McCaffrey in his third year. Maybe they step up and end up being the true number two to Terry McClearn. Maybe Terry McClearn doesn't bounce. back from last year and isn't the true number one.

None of these things are going to get answered until they start to play real games. But that was a piece of news that was of substance because Diggs we know a lot about. And Diggs, by the way, has done well in systems like the one we think David Blow is going to employ. Anyway, today, Dan Quinn was asked about what he's learned over this last month working with digs. Here's what the coach said. I knew he was a good competitor. I didn't know like how good the fire was, you know, around others, the skill work in the huddle. Like he's the one, let's go, we're going to, you know, blah, blah, blah, bah. You can fill in the letters and the words, but I liked the fire that he has in him. The tape is the tape. It's skills and competitor. I knew he's good zones.

he's probably better and beating the man to man than I thought just from the good route running. But I do like the competitor a lot. I really do. Yeah, that's what everybody has said about Stefan Diggs over the years. Coaches, teammates, he's just a badass competitor. And if you have followed Diggs's career, you know that. On game days, there isn't anybody that competes harder. He is one tough SOB. And look, it may be a part of why he's eventually worn out as welcome in places, is that it's constantly that.

But look, for one year on a team that needed more known entities on offense and in skill position spots, let's just hope that this isn't the beginning of the end at his age. And I think you can make the case that last year, given that he played really well, And he wasn't even a full year removed from the injury in Houston that this year potentially he'll be physically better than he was last year. Fingers crossed on that one. All right, I wanted to talk about something that I read right before recording this show. And I just decided I wanted to talk about it because I thought it was a very interesting story with some nuggets in there about a couple of things related to our football team. a story in the athletic written by Jonathan Jones.

Jonathan Jones, I think for many years, was with CBS Sports. Now he is an NFL columnist reporter with the athletic. The story is titled, Jaden Daniels is ready for a new offense, his first task, learn how to huddle. And the story starts with last season, the median NFL offense huddled about 82% of the time.

When Daniels was on the field, the commanders huddled about 32% of the time. If you remove the first play of the drive when almost every team huddles, that number plummets to 20% of the time. Taking away huddles after timeouts or penalties would drop it even more. For all intents and purposes, Daniels has never huddled play-to-play in his pro career. Let me just say one thing, because it's been a bit of a knit that I've picked at since Cliff Kingsbury was, you know, departed, Washington. You know, I think that some looked at his offense as people had caught up to it or it just wasn't, you know, an offense that worked in 2026 or, you know, it was an offense that just wasn't. what everybody else was running.

Look, my preferred offense is the one that I think Blow's going to bring, but I think some of the Kingsbury talk got way, way off track. It is true that they didn't huddle as much as the other teams. And there is a benefit to not huddling, meaning pace. And there's also, you know, a disadvantage to not huddling because you can't communicate as much to your team. as you can in a huddle.

As to, as an example, hey, this is the play, but we're going to can, or the second play, if we check to it, is this. That's Cliff Kingsbury's offense with Jaden Daniels, which was much more no huddled than any team in the league. There is no doubt that that was a unique aspect of it. But the part where people say the under-center thing, you know, he's got to go under-center, Look, I'm going to be glad to see him under center. I think there are benefits to him playing under center.

I think it's a system that will fit him. But Washington wasn't running some college offense. I've heard, you know, the Cliff Kingsbury offense referred to as, you know, some level of air raid or, you know, Mike Leach or Hal Mummy. Like, no, they didn't run 90 plays a game. They weren't throwing 65 times a game. This wasn't the spread with different sets for offensive linemen and four or five receivers in the game on every snap. That's something you get from people that just don't know much about college football, don't watch or consume college football. Cliff Kingsbury was not running a college offense just because Jaden was playing with pace and he wasn't under center as much as other quarterbacks around the league.

Under center part versus shotgun pistol, you know, there are plenty of offenses that work doing that. Their offense did in 2024. It's worked for the Philadelphia Eagles in Jalen Hertz, who isn't under center or wasn't under center a lot. They went to two different Super Bowls and won one of them playing that way. The chiefs have Mahomes in shotgun, you know, a lot of the time, a lot more than many other teams. And, you know, teams like Washington, Philly, and Kansas City in the last few years have run more RPO because of it. It was an offense that fit Jaden perfectly well for Jaden being a young player. Anyway, I wanted to get that out of the way.

I know I've talked about that before. But I'll just tell you, anybody that tells you that they're running and Cliff Kingsbury was running the air raid in the NFL or some college-style offense, That's not accurate. Did they run with, did they play with more no huddle? Absolutely. By the way, the no huddle last year didn't necessarily mean faster pace. It actually didn't. And in this story, Jonathan Jones spells out that last year on average,

there were 9.6 seconds remaining on the play clock when Washington snapped the ball. that was the eighth highest in the NFL, much closer to the league average, than the Cowboys League leading 12 seconds. So they weren't the fastest team at all in the league in terms of pace. So there no huddle didn't lead necessarily to faster pace. And I pointed that out a lot during the season last year. For those that were complaining, hey, huddle up or play slower, why are they playing so fast? They weren't playing as fast as they did in 2024. Anyway, Jonathan Jones talks about the lack of no huddle so far in Jaden's career.

And he says that with one training camp and three preseason snaps in the books, Daniels hasn't decided on whether to stand up, hunch over, or take a knee in the huddle. Daniels told Jonathan Jones for this story, quote, It might depend. I might get down on a knee. I tried that a little bit. I kind of like it. It's easier for guys to hear me if I project up.

So it's still a process closed. Interesting. I hadn't given it any thought in terms of how Jaden would enter a huddle and how he would position himself in a huddle. But we do know this. He's going to be in a huddle. a lot more than he was in his first two seasons here and probably in college and maybe even in high school. And the benefit, you know, again, is you can communicate much more to the other

10 players on offense, meaning you're going to get to the line of scrimmage with more opportunities after you see what you think the defense is going to be in. When you go no huddle, that is limited to a certain degree because it hasn't been communicated to everybody in a huddle. The benefits of no huddle, if you're going to play it with pace, are that you can get a defense scrambling. You're giving the defense less time to get organized, to get a play call in, to have a second, you know, call or a check. But yeah, we're going to see him in a huddle a lot more.

There were a couple of other things from this story that I found interesting, one of which was a discussion about David Blow being the offensive coordinator and when that became something that Dan Quinn considered. Quinn talked about to the athletic, and we've heard him say this before, but that when he was the head coach in Atlanta and Kyle got the head coaching job in San Francisco, Kyle was obviously his offensive coordinator in 2016, the year they went to the Super Bowl and blew the 283 lead. to New England. But instead of hiring somebody like Mike McDaniel or promoting Mike McDaniel or Matt Lafleur or even Mike Lafleur, all of whom were on the staff with Quinn and Kyle, he went outside the organization and hired Steve Sarkesian. And the offense in 2017 wasn't very good. And Quinn told the athletic he wasn't going to make the same mistake a decade later. His intentional development of Blow, as Blow calls it, began before he was even on the staff.

Listen to this, because we know, and we've talked about, that once they hired Blow and he was in the building, it was like, whoa, this guy's great. He's going to be our future offensive coordinator. And if he isn't here, he's going to be it somewhere else. Well, it actually appeared to them and Quinn that he was going to be, that before he was even hired. When Blow came in for a visit after his time on the Lions practice squad as he was transitioning to coaching, Quinn told him what his plan was, meaning he told David Blow before he hired him, look, if you take this job, you're going to be my future offensive

coordinator. He must have been really impressive. He said about blow Quote, there are certain people who have that it factor. He does. Anyway, there was a little bit more from this story

that I thought was interesting. And it's not like big reveals, but just confirmations of, I think, things that we think. Jonathan Jones writes, the edict for 2026 is clear. Jaden Daniels must take

fewer hits. And Jaden says, to the athletic, quote, let's just say there will be less designed quarterback runs, closed quote. Yes, of course, we're not going to see quarterback power, quarterback counter. In this offense, we may not see a lot of zone read. I would be shocked if some zone read isn't in the offense. but those designed runs, I yelled and screamed about those in 2024 and in 2025. Like, why would you run Jaden Daniels on a quarterback counter into piles most of the time?

He's not built like Cam Newton or Josh Allen. He's not that type of running quarterback. It was the single biggest issue that I had with Kingsbury's play sheet and play sheet. calls. I thought those should get tossed from the beginning. Now, those are the designed runs. You know, a quarterback draw is a designed run as well. So I think when he says specifically, let's just say there will be less designed QB runs, I think he's talking about those quarterback sweeps, quarterback counters. I really do. I think that's what he's talking about. I would be surprised if some zone read isn't in the offense. And that is,

an option run. And of course, a quarterback draw should be in the offense, I would think, for a guy like Jaden. Anyway, here's what Quinn said about Jaden's running in 2026. He said he estimates

Daniels will have four or five rushing attempts off scrambles, scrambles alone each game. Adding designed runs to that is how you end up with 10, Quinn said. So, you know, four or five scrambles per game is absolutely appropriate.

You do not want to take that away from Jaden Daniels. You want him to be able to play off schedule. And if that off schedule ends up with him scrambling, I mean, that is something you have to have, I think, as a quarterback in 2026 for the most part. And then, you know, his comment, adding design runs, which Cliff has. had as how you end up with 10. Personally, you know, I wouldn't say that there were four or five designed runs called with Jaden Daniels in those games.

That might be a bit of an exaggeration. But if he had four to five scrambles, then designed runs were another two or three. Take those out. Is Quinn also suggesting that we're not going to have any, you know, option runs, zone read or any quarterback draws? Quarterback draws a designed run. I don't know. We'll see. I mean, there's typically in the, like in the McVeigh, Kyle, you know, true sort of zone run scheme and all of the past stuff off of it.

There really isn't a lot of, you know, zone read, but they haven't had necessarily, like in Matt Stafford, a quarterback that you would run zone read with. I'll be interested to see if they do away with Zone Reed. Most teams, even with immobile quarterbacks, have it as part of their offense. Anyway, I thought that that was interesting. What else was in this story? Yeah, that was it. I thought the comments about the huddle and Jaden's thoughts about how he'll handle it, you know, the Blow stuff, Quinn basically met him and said,

you're my next offensive coordinator after Cliff gets a head coaching job, I think was the plan. And then some of the stuff with regard to designed runs. Yeah, I mean, I was pretty absolute about get those designed quarterback sweeps, quarterback counters out of the offense, and knowing that David Blow wasn't going to include those. in the system. Now, will there be some quarterback sneak? Will there be some quarterback draw? Yeah, I think so. The zone read is a big question mark for me. It'll be interesting to see if there is, you know, any zone read and how much RPO as well is in the offense. Of course, that is more

a running back running or the quarterback throwing it. All right, I think that's it from that story. Let's get to Stanford, Steve. We'll do that after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey guys, creatine is one of the most researched and effective supplements available. But as the category has exploded, most brands have focused on flavors, formats, and marketing instead of actually making the creatine itself better. That's why Momentus created Signature Speck Creatine, their most advanced creatine ever, setting a new standard for creatine quality. Momentus Signature Spec Creatine is one of the only creatines to be manufactured in a

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off. Live momentous.com promo code Sheehan. Joining me right now to talk some college football on the eve of week one. Yeah, there are games tomorrow night and then on Friday night and then all day Saturday, games Sunday and Sunday night and then one on Labor Day night as well is our guy Stanford Steve from Scott Sports Center and of course from college game day at Stanford Steve 82. Who can win the national championship? Oh, right off the get. Here we go.

All right, here's... As of right now, Kevin, I don't think there's an SEC team that can't. But I do believe that they could get to a level that they can't. And the first two teams that come to mind are Georgia and Texas. I need to see more from the Texas offensive line. They have to get back to running the football. You saw what disarray that was beginning of the year with Arch. I thought Sark was broken all the way down, got simple as hell,

didn't use his motions and shifts. He just tried to do things to clear up throws for Arch, and he played his best football at the end of his season. So I need to see there's more validity there. When you talk to people there, they are dying to show off the new toys that he has to play with, in receivers like Camp Coleman, running backs like Relief Brown and Hollywood Smothers.

So I need to see them first. And obviously, in two weeks, but they get Ohio State. And Georgia's, the other team I put in that tier, finally they have an offensive line that is solidified. It feels like everybody knows where their spots are going to be. Stockton's a trustworthy quarterback. Again, the team that's not going to spend a ton in the portal.

That's what way Kirby's going about this. But he did go get some playmakers at wide receiver. I love the running back room, and I want to see the depth on the defense. They need to get the quarterback on the ground, which we just didn't see. Their defense was fine, but it was that bend but don't break, which was weird with Kirby. And then you saw that breaking, you know, against Trinidad Chambers in the Sugar Bowl. And then right under that, I would probably have Alabama.

And I just, I'm super fired up to see the quarterback. The offensive line, they're not going to be as one-dimensional. Every word, every other word out of DeBore's mouth is consistency. And that's because he wants to run the football and give us a young quarterback time. They got plenty of weapons. The defense, I believe, is going to be very good. an NFL secondary. So I think Alabama is right underneath them.

All right. Well, you just broke down the SEC, but you started by saying, I don't think the SEC has a national champion, correct? Oh, yeah. I saw you. I thought you, yeah, the other five teams. It's the three big 10 teams, Indiana, Ohio, State,

Oregon, Miami and Notre Dame. That's who I put in the upper tier right now. Okay. But you actually got to a question that I was going to get to, and maybe you misunderstood me. I was asking you, who can win the national championship. So you've got the two big 10 teams, Ohio State and Oregon, and Indiana, the third big 10 team. You've got Notre Dame and Miami. Do you have Notre Dame and

Miami in that group simply because their schedules are favorable? Or do you think they're legitimately great teams? No, I think they're, they both bring a ton to the table. I love how I have Notre Dame one, Indiana, two. And it's because of how they're built on the lines of scrimmage. I love what they bring to the table there. They have experience mixed with some new youth and proven players. I believe any quarter, I mean, look at Cignity as quarterback goes. I think it's going back to Elon or even the stop before that.

IUP, every quarterback's been an all-conference quarterback he's had. So I'm not worried about Hoover. People talk about Hoover playing at TCU and turning the ball over. this is going to be different, and he has absolutely NFL wide receivers to throw the ball to. Nick Marsh is an absolute stud. You know that from what he did in Maryland. He did a couple times. I mean, that kid, he is a bona fide NFL wide receiver better than Surratt last year.

So in the end I have an upper tier. Notre Dame, again, the line's scrimmage. I think C.J. Carr is the best quarterback in college football right now. Him and Mensa, I put in a tier at the top. And that's the best defense, I believe, on paper right now. I think Leonard Moore, the corner is the best player in the sport. Their linebackers are awesome. They're defensive line.

It's deep. You just don't see that anymore with the way the NIL and portals go. So those team, Miami actually could take another step with Menta at quarterback. He's better. His feeling's better than Beck was. Malachi Tony's a freak. He got his Cooper Barcate. And the only thing I have Miami behind those teams is they have the tour.

rules on the offensive line, and Maribol, the offensive line coach is as good as there is in the country, and obviously you have Mario looking over that. I just need to see them. I expect them to go out to Palo Alto Friday night and absolutely put a whoopin on Stanford. They can score as many points as they want to score. That's what they're going to do. They're that talented. And the defense, I think, has plenty of to prove because everybody's going to say, you lost your defect event to the NFL. They have so much speed and playmaking ability. that they're going to be a nightmare for teams. They are so far ahead of any other team in the ACC.

It's not funny. I think it's more than Texas Tech in the Big 12. But I just want to see it with Miami before I put them ahead of some teams. By the way, Steve mentioned Nick Marsh, if you haven't seen any highlights of him, Michigan State last year and the year before, he is a true bona fide 6-3-220, and an NFL Sunday player for sure. forget they still have the guy from last year. Becker, right? Charlie Becker.

Who's also a big target as well. So you don't see any sort of step back for the reigning national champions. You think they're going to be right in it, and you think they're the second best team in the country to Notre Dame. Yes, I do right now. When you look at, when I talk to coaches, player personnel, GMs, now you've got to talk to as a college football level. teams have gone like different ways Kevin like it's like all right do we want to go with continuity

or do we want to just go get depth and i think indiana's kind of like fit the line in between a lot like miami where they are really confident in what they have but hey let's go get these pieces to fill in our holes that we lost to the NFL draft so i think those teams are a lot of like and i in indiana the coordinator state like i think that's huge in this day and age where you you know your lingo and how it advanced all these systems are to keep your coordinators. You know, I think it's a big deal, and that's why I have them ahead of a team like Oregon, who lost both coordinators and lost a bunch on the offensive line. We both loved Miami this time last year, and then it looked like it was not going to happen.

And then it did. Ments is the transfer from Duke for those that don't know, and he's actually, I believe, a legitimate Heisman candidate, especially playing on a team that should win. a lot of games. But part of what I loved about Miami was the O-line, and then obviously Rubin Bain Jr. and Mezador defensively, do they have guys defensively that can end up dominating like those guys did? Because I thought Bain Jr. was the second best player in college football last year after Mendoza.

I totally agree with you. Yes, they have that. They got a defensive end from Missouri. He's along the line of Bain. I'm not going to put him in that category, but he plays the he's not, you know, just a pass rusher, he plays the run, he plays poor and blocks, he's strong. And then when you, I think he's going to be a little different defensively

with Miami. It's going to be like the old teams that beat you with speed and physicality. They're not as brute strength. They have great defensive tackles. Scott and Moten, 99, and 5. Those kids are great. They got some freshmen to fill in behind them, which I'm not worried about when, like I said, when

Cristobal's recruiting lines of scrimmage play. So Miami is set to have a monster. I said if they don't win the ACC this year, they should be on probation next year. They are that much better than the – and like all these years, it's over 20 years now. They don't have an ACC championship. That changes this year. Yeah. Do you think Virginia's legit good again in Tony Elliott's second year?

Very good. when you start going down teams, Kevin, they're a team. I look at the schedule and I'm like, huh, there's could be very similar to last year because here's another thing. You know, I know I know you do so much with the NFL, right? And it's like, all right, who's coming back to the pack this year? And immediately the analytics, they look at who won close games last year, right? And they're like, oh, they're not going to be able to win that many.

So this team's going to regret. With college kids in Virginia, those kids are, aren't there. Everybody changes teams. I don't think that's like a, like a good thing to have verification of that the team's going to come back to the back. They have like three fifth fifth year, a year,

and a seventh year kid on their offensive line. Like that's what I want in college football. Men, men, like, let me figure out the right, yeah, yeah, and give me movement at the line of scrimmage. You, ask any offensive coordinator. You give me size movement on the front and my quarterback's not going to be at touch. I could do

lot more things than if I know you're worried if he's going to get hit on a three-step drop. So, yeah, I believe Virginia is right there. This is a big weekend for the ACC, Kevin. You have, like, you have Louisville and a monster spotting into the SEC school. You know, and then Florida State SMU, like they, you need some good there. Because, like I said, the drop off from Miami to every other team right now, the way I have is monstrous. Yeah. especially because of the schedule with Miami.

They don't play any really other other teams that are in the next year. Yeah, when you referred to Virginia's schedule for those that haven't paid attention or aren't paying attention, they literally have one ranked team as it stands now on their schedule, and that's at SMU in mid-October. And the ACCC, by the way, changed their stupid tie-breaking rules from last year. So last year, Miami would have been in the ACC championship game against Virginia if they had this year's rules. I want to stick with some of the teams you said

that can win it all and you haven't mentioned. Can Dante Moore win a big game? You know, I've talked to McShay a ton about this. He's doing an unbelievable job of ranking his quarterbacks because, I mean, you know the list, Kevin. I mean, there's 14 quarterbacks that are going to be, that have a chance to have monster season. And everybody talks about, oh, you know,

how many first rounders are going to be? be like, we don't know. Like, Joe Burrow was a fourth rounder before his senior year at L. Well, nobody mentioned Mendoza this time last year. Nobody did. Exactly. Yeah. Nobody even knew he transferred to Indiana.

No. So when you, when you look around the country, you know, I just, the quarterback play is so vital. And when you look at the differences, like he would. I forgot who you asked about. Dante Moore. Dante Moore last year, Dante Moore last year was terrible against Indiana.

Not that anybody was great against, although Carson Beck was. And Miami was right there with him. But he was terrible in that game. And to be honest with you, until the very end, he really struggled at Iowa, until the very end.

He struggled against Indiana the first time. And I think that's the question about him. I think he was smart to go back. I'm with you there. Here's what I said, watching him in person as much as I did last year. I watched them at Penn State, and they had chances to close that game out. They're up two

scores in the fourth quarter, and he just doesn't make throws to steal the game. You brought up the Iowa game. He made five throws on the last drive that were incredible. He did. But I'm like, where were you the rest of the game? Right. Like, I have, I, I, I watch him and I want more.

And then I watch him at home against Indiana, and they just totally spooked him. And that's the one thing I wonder about Dante Moore, Kevin, is he one of those guys that you could get in his head? Like, can you get him on the ground? And, you know, he's a little rattled. And I think, for your point, him coming back as a major step now, he had half of his team last year in that peach ball against Indiana.

The receivers were all gone. Shadik was hurt. His three running backs were out. the offensive line was beat up. Like this year is going to look really, really nice because he's got Evan Stewart, who's a former number one receiver in the country, he's got the Corian Moore coming back.

They have a tight end and Johnson that's going to be as good at it. I'm probably not as fast as to be, but he's as good of a weapon. He's just got to show up the offensive line. And again, with Oregon, two coordinators gone, I think that might take a little time. Like, they go to SC week four.

They better be buttoned up by that because SC is ready to go. with how they've influx their roster with transfers and freshmen with the number one recruiting class. So with Dante, everybody has a number one. I still see the upside of the two guys we mentioned with Menta and Carr as higher, but there's plenty of capability with what Lannning has done with that roster being in the top five in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. All right.

Of the five teams, the one we haven't talked about is the number one team in the country right now, Ohio State. why don't you see them in the final? Because essentially you're saying you could see a Notre Dame Indiana and all, you know, an Indiana state final in the national championship with Miami right there. So why not Ohio State? A couple things. I look at what that offensive line looked like.

Think about like about a year ago, right? After week one last year, Kevin, we just took the narrative. of what happened in that Texas, Ohio State game and ran the opposite ways with each team. You know, like Ohio State is like, oh, my God, look at his defense. They shut out Arch. He looks terrible. Ohio State's got the best defense in the country. And they probably have the easiest schedule I've ever seen in the Big Ten.

Right. And then we just threw Texas away. I'm like, why are we throwing Texas away if they had the ball inside the 10-yard line three times? And I get it. They only scored seven. But that's Arch's first start to start a season. You know, like, there was things there that we just took off and ran, and, you know, Ohio State's going to have plenty of talent. You know, like, off the national championship team, they replaced eight guys on defense, and then they have three guys in the top 11 in the draft last year.

That's not counting a wide receiver who went four. So I just look at the offensive line, getting beat up and getting sacked ten times in their last two games, where everything, you know, the stage is as big as it was all year. and Julian's saying just I want to see improvement from him I put him in the Dante Moore category he's got no excuses he's got the best weapons in the country I want to see more

and I know I need to see again it sounds crazy doubting Ohio State but I just want to see the defense replacing so many guys again Patricia was unbelievable probably the best job of any coordinator besides Brian Haynes the Indiana guy

and step it in from an NFL real and you know it helps to have talent and he sure had that last year. And they're a team. When I look at all the teams, then I look at the schedule, Kevin. They obviously have a tough schedule. They haven't, the last time they didn't win double-digit games was 2011, which I found crazy. So, I mean, that just tells you how good Ryan Day is in stock in a roster.

But I don't thought they're in the category. They could win it. But I'm really intrigued what they look like in Austin, week, too. You started off by talking about the SEC. You don't see a national championship contender. The teams you didn't mention were, you didn't mention Ole Miss, who's actually ranked higher than some of the teams you did mention. You didn't mention Texas A&M.

You didn't mention Oklahoma. That's the eighth, ninth, and tenth-right teams. They're ranked ahead of LSU. They're ranked ahead of Alabama. They're ranked ahead of Tennessee, et cetera. So after Georgia, Texas, and Alabama, because those were the three you talked about, give me an SEC surprise champion and then obviously by extension playoff team. Well, Ole Miss is good enough to win the SEC. Again, they, I mean, everybody talks about LSU in the portal.

LSU spent plenty of money in the portal, too, and I can't wait to see what they look like Monday night. I think they got a lot of pressure on them. No one was a job to do with the quarterback. No one's talking about. This is a different role for Ole Miss. They're considered a favorite now. Oklahoma is a team. I think that could do some serious damage.

All we did last year at this time was talk about how tough Oklahoma's schedule was. And they ended up going to the playoffs with their quarterback who had one bump. I don't think he's very good to be. Let me just say something. I'm not a big mature guy. Are you? I look at what he was what he was dealt the cards that he was dealt Kevin I think he's a set up for they got a great receiver from NC State or Virginia

they got Virginia's best receiver they got a tight end from Colorado State that's great again they're like Georgia they were just plug and play on the offensive line you can't do that in the SEC you've got to have your five guys you've got to have continuity and you've got to have you know practice time together and they have that now and they have on defense. Like the kid wine that filled in for our Mason last year is a stud

the secondary is great and Venables is as good as there is, calling defenses. So I don't put anything past Oklahoma and if people want to bring up their schedule. I think there as dangerous as there is in the conference and I think week two, they go to Michigan.

That'll be as physical football game as you see all year. Like those two teams aren't going to back down from each other. That'll be that'll be an awesome, awesome game to watch. The Big 12 seems, you know, to be a league with Texas Tech at the top. Is that how you see it? I do. I just have one question about it.

I just look at it and I'm like, it's not going to be this easy. It's not going to be this easy. Like they don't play BYU, they don't play Utah. You know, everyone's going to talk about what they try doing with stores. B and that whole deal. And they've had like, you know, back against the wall mentality. I've heard Joey, and I love Joey. First of all the guys, there is, their head coach, show McIre, say that this defense could

be better than last year. I can't see that. I mean, when you talk about David Bailey and Rodriguez, I just, those guys were cornerstones of a great all-time defense. So I just need to see more from Texas Tech. I look at a sleeper in that league that could come. come out from the bottom. I will get a team like West Virginia. I love the way their schedule sets up with Rich Rod getting a kid that could play quarterback

and the quarterback run game, which makes his offense awesome. Kansas State's a team people are thrown around because they don't play Texas Tech or the Utah schools. And BYU, I just can't get there with Bachmar. You've got to be able to throw the ball in that league. And I just haven't seen it. They're good offensively on the line of scrimmage and very good defensively on the line of scrimmage. but you saw that and when they, I mean, they just,

they had nothing to offer against Texas Tech. So I think a team that is going to get Texas Tech has to have an expansive offense and I look at, you know, way down the list of, you know, people always want a surprise team. I look at West Virginia as possibly a surprise team, but Texas Tech is there. The schedule, I mean, it's just a shame because you want to see them tests. I think that hurt them last year.

Like we were talking about Ohio State, Texas, Texas ran through that conference. The only game they lost where their certain quarterback was out and then they were up against the Oregon that's just out physical. So I just want to make sure because that was going to be a question

that I asked you because every year this time when I have you on to kind of preview the season, I ask for the team that's going to be the surprise team in the playoff. Is West Virginia your answer to that? I mean, they didn't even get a vote in the AP. They didn't even get a vote in the AP. No, I know.

totally new roster. I just have an affinity for what I've been reading about Rich Rod, and like we think about all his offenses, man. When he's had a quarterback, I could go. I mean, he's got the best he has the nation's leading rush or transfer from

the FCS level last year. And in Cam Cook. So I look at this team is dangerous. And those teams, all the teams in the Southwest and Utah, they hate going to Morgan Town. It's a tough place to play. Right, right. So I have them playing in the – I don't think I have any surprises in the playoff.

I have Oklahoma in the playoff. And the other – like, here's the other thing. In the Big Ten, right? You talk – I have those big – I have the top three in the top five. Illinois State, Indiana, Oregon. Yep. And then right below them, you have teams like USC, Penn State, Michigan. I put Iowa in there, and I put Washington in there.

I would not be surprised if two of those teams made it. And what's good is all those teams basically play each other. So that's like when this committee starts getting going, you're going to have head-to-heads that they're going to take into account in conference plays. That's the problem in these super conferences is we're trying to compare teams in a conference that don't play each other. That's the thing that drives me nuts.

Right. You mentioned there are like 14 quarterbacks this year. I mean, there might even be more than that. In terms of, you know, who ends up being a big part of the quarterback conversation, which of course then translates into the Heisman Trophy conversation. You said that you think C.J. Carr and Mensa are the top two, that those are the two that you see being a big part of the conversation. I'm curious as to like if there's a guy from the back of the pack, say 7 through 14.

And you don't have to list all 14. I actually have somebody that I'm very interested in because I loved them at a smaller place last year. But give me a guy off the grid that you think by the end of the year we'll be talking about, quarterback-wise. I don't think NFL people have taken them off the grid, but I definitely think college football fans have. And I think he got just what the doctor ordered. and that's getting a new offensive coordinator and new offensive line coach. And that's when we're sellers at South Carolina.

He's got all the tools. All the tools you want. So I don't think he's going to, you know, not in the high of a trophy conversation, but he's going to work his way up to the NFL board, for sure. I don't see him not being a top three quarterback taken. I really don't. I think he's that talented.

And I think he's getting better. He just, I mean, you know what happens? These young quarterbacks, that he don't have any protection, then they get hit, and then they get nicked up. They're not 100% and they're still trying to run around out there, and you create horrible habits. And that's what happened. So I think him coming in with a new offense, he's going to get his fundamentals back, and he's going to be, he's going to have a really, really good season.

And he's going to be super fun to watch. Are you a Byram Brown fan? I am. I am, too. I am. I just, I, he's, I mean, what he's done, here's the other thing. In that system, you know,

and he's the quarterback at Auburn. He was at South Florida last year. They won at Gainesville. He's played against big teams. He played against Miami. And then his head coach is Alex Golis, who Alex Golis was at Tennessee with Josh Heiple. And that's the one kid I'm dying to see,

is the Faison kid at Tennessee because every single quarterback that has been in that system has flourished. I mean, Joey Aguard came from Appalachian State. They just thought they were getting some middle of the road. He was more than capable last year. Their defense was the problem with Tennessee. They've lost

games because of their defense, but that system is as quarterback friendly, and when I love about Byron Brown, he's got NFL five. Oh, he's big dude. He's a big dude. And he's got a big arm. And, you know, I think a lot of there's so many of these guys, you said,

taking a step up in competition, and everybody points to, you know, everybody points to train that chamber. Like, oh, division two, then he went to SEC

and he dominated. Yeah, I get it, but that's more of a credit to the kid and the coaching staff. You know, now you got Byron Brown

who's familiar with the system. I don't see him taking a step back or being affected by SEC play. I think he's that good. I think that system is that good.

I really do. I'm super fired up to see Auburn and Florida this year. I love the hires those two schools made and they're going to get teams. They're not going to

to go to the playoff, but they're going to be, say, you know, 7 and 5, 8, and 4 with a top 15 win or maybe two. Given what Lane Kiffin does with quarterbacks, aren't you expecting a big year from Sam Levitt? Yes. I just, you know, some things get stuck in your head, Kevin, and I just look at him last year, and it just looked like a kid that got paid a lot of money and lost his motivation to be a really good football player. And then he got hurt.

So he was just off the grid, you know, he was off the grid for the back half of the year. And when you talk to people, you know, in Bat Rouge, it's like he is as locked in as there was. And what I don't think people realize is how good of a runner he is. And I'm not talking about quarterback runs or running the option. I'm talking about, you know, third and seven where they take away, yeah, take away your options. And I'm going to get the first down and we're going to move the sticks and the crowd's going to go crazy. and we're going to keep the ball and keep that defense on the field. So, you know, people were throwing around the green dot number since the green dot has been put on the helmet to the quarterback.

And Charlie Weiss Jr. and Lane Kippen are so far ahead of everyone else in the sport when it comes to points per game, yards per play, yards per play, yards per game, and points per game. So I thought that was really interesting. I love to see a deep dive done on that because they obviously have done it. I mean, you saw Jack the Dart, take a jump when that started. You saw Trayette that chamber, do that. So I think Levin is, I mean, it's a great fit. The issue I just said, I don't know if they have a number one receiver. They have an unbelievable athlete at tight end.

I am not going to worry about a running back at LSU. But they have to get back to trying to run the football. They just didn't even try. at the last two years of running the football. And their offensive line is a mess, I get it. But it also got your quarterback knocked out for the season. So the other thing that no one ever talks about with Lane Tiffin, is his offense always runs the football.

It doesn't look. It's not conventional. You know, it's not an affirmation where we're going to run the fullback up and run lead. But it's super effective, man. So I look at that as being the best friend that Sam Levin can have, and that's what I think Lane Tiffon, and Charlie West Jr. will give them. Oh, listen, when he had Lacey going last year, I mean, that helped out Shambliss so much.

Let me ask you real quickly, B's we'll do this obviously after the season. But right now, your guess on the number one pick in the 2027 NFL draft. And let's just assume it's a quarterback because you could go Jeremiah Smith, that you could. But let's just say it's a quarterback. Who will it be? CJ Scott. Okay. All right.

I want to find out what Stanford, Steve, thinks of the Terps this year. We'll do that after these words from a few of our sponsors. If you want to bet on football, MyBooky's the place to do it. MyBooky.ag or MyBooky.com. promo code Kevin, D.C. All right.

What do you think of the Terps this year? You've probably already been out there to watch a practice. Didn't you go out there recently? Yeah, I went out a couple times. Yeah. All right. So what do you think of the Terps? it looks like a big 10 football team, Kevin.

I mean, they got some guys on defense that are going to, you're going to know their names. I'll just put it that way. I'm trying to put names the number while I'm at practice. And, you know, with colleges now, everybody's got a double number, and you're trying, there's no names on the back. I'm like, who's who out here?

But I will say this. I've known Clint Trick at a long time. I think new offensive coordinator at Maryland. Yep. Yep. And Locke, Locke knew what he needed. He needed, you know, they were great. I mean, as many times as Malik dropped back to pass last year,

and you look at those sack numbers, they were phenomenal in pass protection, but they couldn't run the football. And Clinton, another guy that comes from, you know, Jimbo, you know, played for Dana Holgerson. His dad was Nick Saban and Jimbo Pishers, a line coach forever, and he's going to find a way to run the football.

And I think that's going to be Malik's best friend. You saw it towards the end of the year. He just wasn't the same kid. He didn't have the same. juice as he did early in the year. So I think a way improved defense and somewhat of a run game

are going to help because Malik, I'm telling we just named off all these quarterbacks and I was trying to keep it to draft eligible. Malique's right there, man. The talent-wise, he could make every single throw. He's an absolute physical specimen. He's the absolute leader of that team, which I

love, where everyone goes to him. And he's, you know, he's the voice from Locke to the to the team. So I expect big things. They have a monster situation with Virginia Tech coming in, which should be awesome for the area in a Nike game. I believe it's week three. Week three. But there's what, I mean, you get teams coming in, you know, you get Illinois, right, coming in. You go to, or you get Wisconsin coming. Like those are winnable, with this team this year, those are winnable games. Like, I'm not saying they're going to win

every single one of them, but I expect Maryland to be in a bowl game this year, and I get if people want more and they want more, you've got to take your steps. You have an awesome quarterback. Let's keep them healthy. Let's go to a bowl game, and let's finally knock off a top 15 team. That would be the progress you need in this season with Coach Locke. I hope you're right, and I hope, by the way, bowl eligibility means like eight wins, not six. so I do hope that there are like meaningful games

during the course of the season, not with respect to the Big Ten race, but just, you know, trying to win. Like he did have two straight ears where they won, you know, eight games and then nine, will you include the bowl wins. I'm just, I'll just share with you,

and I know I've done it before, probably off the air. My skepticism of Malik Washington isn't his size, his NFL size, or his NFL arm strength, or his ability to create, you know, and extend plays. I just think naturally he is not a touch. He doesn't throw with great touch. And I know that they led the country or led the conference and drop balls,

but part of it is because he throws 100 miles per hour on a checkdown. And I think that's part of it. and I wonder whether or not he can be coached out of some of that. And I also, part of the skepticism, and you can correct me here, is I just have a hard time believing if he was truly an elite level, you know, quarterback and eventual NFL prospect that he would have come back to College Park, that he would have gotten a lot more money to go somewhere else. Help me with that. I think Maryland stepped up big time, Kevin. I get it. That's what everyone's saying,

but I think Maryland stepped up big time and took care of that. And I get what you're saying with the throws, but I also look at a kid who really didn't practice all camp last year. And then he's the starter of a big 10 team. Like you're going against, like you're playing big time football. So I think there's a learning curve where it's only going to go up. And these kids nowadays, they need reps, man.

You need to see all the different styles of defense and the different types of speed and the different types of front lines that teams bring. So I look at it as a huge positive for him getting all that experience last year, and I expect a big year from him. I hope you're right. You mentioned the week three game, Virginia Tech. It's also, by the way, the night that Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss for a rather large game. I would put that game as the most anticipated early season game.

but Miami Notre Dame in November may be the game of the year. Do you agree? Yeah. Yeah. I think of, I'm thinking of, you know, with game day going on the road, I'm thinking of crazy, crazy atmospheres. And one that we could get is before Notre Dame plays Miami. They got to go to Provo. Right. Like, I've been there when that place is nuts. Like, they'll be out of their mind. So I wanted to give you a trivia question and see if you knew this one. Okay.

Ready? Yep. Do you know which school owns the nation's longest active non-conference winning streak covering regular season and postseason? Well, because you just brought up BYU, I'll say BYU. It's the Maryland Terrapins. Oh, is it really? I mean, they've played no. That's because they've played legitimately nobody out of league.

I know they played Virginia last or a couple of years ago, and they've got to Virginia Tech. In the last full game, I think, was three years ago. And they beat, I think they beat Auburn. That's a fact. Yeah. Yeah. Rees Davis will have that on the show.

Well, maybe you can break that out when Game Day arrives in college park for the first time in history. What game would that be? I would, I tell all the people all the time, oh, when are you going to come to our school? You guys are in control of that. When games did we come? It's very simple. I haven't looked. I used to look at our schedule and say, all right, if we get off to a 6-0 start and we've got, you know, a big game against Ohio State at home, what other possibilities in that week are there for game day?

I haven't done that in five years, at least five years. Oh, come on. Yeah, I know. All right. We also got to get to Virginia, too. We haven't been there. Yeah, you haven't been to Virginia. What are the places that the game day hasn't been?

of the power schools. That's basically, I mean, there's new ones now because all the conference. Right. Like central Florida and, yeah. But yeah, yeah, but he even been there. But Maryland and Virginia are the big two. Okay. I know that.

Real quickly, Saturday night, you'll be in Death Valley. Game Day is there on Saturday for really what is a week, very week, week one schedule overall. with Clemson and LSU being the highlight game. I guess Ole Miss Louisville on Sunday night will be a really big game and an important game, certainly with an SEC ACC matchup. But tell me about Saturday night. Clemson is a 10-point dog. Is Dabo's team poised to have a rebound season after two tough years in a row?

I know that they were in the playoff two years ago, but last year was a disaster. So where is Clemson and how do you see the game Saturday night? We'll finish with that. Well, Clemson, I guess we're supposed to get the ACC report, the injury reports out. There's rumors of T.J. Moore, who's their best receiver, hasn't been practicing.

But I still, I mean, it's so hard, Kevin. You would lose, I mean, actually, you have perfected it of the smell test and just going away. But I thought being on the stage and trying to make a pick in front of a home crowd at week after week after week. Like it gets old trying to be the bad guy. But, I mean, 10 and a half points with Davo coming in with nothing to lose.

They have, if more could play, there's NFL receivers. I still kind of think LSU is going to be a defensive team to start the season, just like they were last year. And I just, I don't know how Clemson's going to handle this environment. Like, we talked about how, you know,

for a college game day, the last couple years, we started, you know, in, you know, easing into the season. We went to Ireland for, you know, a non-conference game with Florida State and Georgia Tech. We went to Charlotte for Carolina versus Carolina game.

I mean, we are jumping in the fire with this game because this place is going to be off the hook with, we got a court date Thursday to see what goes on with that fiasco. And I just think about all the distractions and everything. And then you hear

Lane get up there and talk about his team and how much he loves what he's seen from Sam Levin and how much the leadership of the guys on defense that have come over in Witt Weeks is basically a coach on the field and the continuity he kept on the defensive side. Like how the hell he can manage all this chaos is beyond me.

But I would lean towards taking Klonston with the points. I think you just have, I mean, 10 and a half point is a ton. And like I said, I don't see LSU having a dynamic wide receiver right now, but you're also going against Wayne system when we just talked about what makes him so good. So it's not fun, but I would lean towards taking Clemson with the point.

The issue is Vizene is going to be their quarterback. He's not really an NFL type guy, but he's had some experience. He had a great game against FMU last year, but that was at home. So, you know, to me it's the line of scrimmages. in LSU, again, they were so bad on the offensive line the last couple years. They have to be improved there, and I do expect it, but I could see Clemson hanging around long enough.

All right, I'll finish actually with a trivia question for you. Do you know where Tarleton State is? Just name the state in which Tarleton State University is located. Texas. Very good. Ding, ding, ding. They will more likely than not be one of the very early smell test picks. in 2026 at Bowling Green on Saturday.

All right, I will talk to you later. Have a good trip down to Baton Rouge. Thanks for doing this. We'll be watching. Thank you. Stanford, Steve, everybody. That'll do it for today's show back tomorrow with Tommy.