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Andy & Ari On3
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti BLASTS the SEC: “We don’t run a hype machine up here in the midwest"
01:01:55
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- [00:01]
A
On today's Andy Naron 3, presented by BetMGM. Indiana's Kurt Signetti takes a massive shot at the SEC, further deepening what has become a very fun rivalry between the SEC and the Big Ten. Also, another edition of the game that is sweeping the nation. That's who am I? Ari's asking the questions. I am hopefully providing the answer. Also, Nebraska coach Matt Rules says we didn't come to Lincoln to go 7 and 6. Does that mean they will win more than 7 this year? And if so, how many more? We'll break it down today on Andy and Orion 3, presented by BetMGM. This show is brought to you by BetMGM. All the lines and totals come from BetMGM. If you check the BetMGM app right now, you will find college football lines for weeks 0, 1 and 2, the biggest games already with lines on them. It's not too early to get going for the college football season. You start doing your research already. You sign up for BETMG today. Use the code CFB. Get up to $1500 back in bonus bets if your first bet loses. Make it legendary with BetMGM. See betmgm.com for terms 21/only. This promotional offer is not available in D.C. mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- Gambler or 1-800-MY-STET. Available in the US 877-8-HOPE NY or text Hopeny 467369 in New York, 1-800-327-5050 in Massachusetts, 1-800-Bets off in Iowa, 1-800-981-0023 in Puerto Rico. First bet offer for new customers only if applicable, subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non withdrawable bonus bets that expire in seven days in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.
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B
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- [03:22]
A
Welcome to Andy and Ariane3, presented by BetMGM and Ari. Let us just get right to it. Let's cut to the chase. Football season, the last day of Big Ten media days in Chicago. The last coach on the stage is defending national champ Kurt Signetti of Indiana. The final question asked to him, can you tell us if the grind of the Big Ten season prepares you for the playoff? His answer, a shot to the South. Here it is.
- [03:56]
C
I think your job as a head coach and the assistants is to equip your roster, make it as strong as possible with adequate depth at every position throughout the team. You know, when you play that many games, you're going to get some guys dinged and injured. Things happen. Next man up mentality. The Big Ten is the best league in football and a lot of really good football teams. It's hard to win on the road. Very physical football teams, very well coached. It definitely prepares you for the playoffs. There's no doubt about it. The numbers speak for themselves. I mean, we don't run a hype machine up here in the Midwest. We believe everything's earned, not given. And when we fall short, we say we fell short. We don't cry a river, whine and complain. All right? And that's why we're the best. Coach Signetti, thank you so much for your time. Thank you.
- [04:59]
B
Do we have to say anything like, I don't know, show's over. I will say this, Andy. We have been doing this long enough to know that when Kurt Signetti is going to be talking in a public setting to delay the recording of the show until that's over with. I think we made the right decision here. But I do think that there are multiple tentacles to this one, which is the SEC and the Big Ten rivalry as a whole is preserving something that I think is sacred in college football that we've lost a little the past few years, which is the, you know, he said here in the Midwest, it's the regionality of it. You know, the Southern, the South versus the north type of deal. And we don't have it as much now that you have Stanford and the ACC and the PAC 12 no longer exists. But I think that this is an.
- [05:43]
A
Oregon and USC are in the Big Ten. Yeah.
- [05:45]
C
Yeah.
- [05:45]
B
I think that at least preserves some level of geographical, you know, affiliation or at least conference affiliation in a way that, you know, you care about it because you have people who will be retweeting this who are Penn State fans and other types of fans, and it's becoming, you know, more tribalistic in the north than it was ever before. I think, where, you know, we used to talk about when I was covering Ohio State, that the SEC chance, the sec, and no one really cares about their own team once they're eliminated. And it's just like. It was a very bizarre thing. I think the Big Ten is starting to get to a place where there is conference pride, and I think that's important. Second of all, I think that the. The. The thought process here about temperament of coach and how you would approach that and whether the SEC has a whining problem is an interesting discussion. And you brought something up before the show that I think is an interesting thing that you should talk about now,
- [06:35]
A
because I just think it's funny. Cursing Yeti, and I don't blame him for this because he was not in the Big Ten until 2024, so he doesn't know his history. Actually, Kurt Signetti was a. Was a. Well, he hadn't even become an assistant in Alabama yet.
- [06:50]
B
Yeah, he was an Alabama assistant during the time where the SEC was kicking
- [06:53]
A
the crap out of this was taken over. But he. At the point when this happened, he hadn't even become an Alabama assistant yet. But the. The first game where the SEC's run of dominance started when Florida beat Ohio State in the national title game, the commissioner of the Big Ten after that game put out an open letter that said the SEC players are faster because they're dumber. Like, no, the Big Ten cried a river for a long time, and the SEC fans pointed and laughed.
- [07:24]
B
Andy, you.
- [07:25]
A
Now, the SEC people are crying and they are crying oceans, and the Big Ten people are pointing and laughing. That's good for the sport. That's all good.
- [07:37]
B
Yes, I. You helped me. I wrote a column this morning that was your idea and you helped edit it and stuff. And I don't know if I can repay you, but I think that you should write that. I think that would do tremendously well, because a headline that says something like, big Ten Basking in SEC Tears while forgetting the tears they used to shed I think is a fascinating here's the thing.
- [07:59]
A
The tears they used to shatter in the past, they're gone. Just like when the Big Ten people would whine in 2017 and 2018 and 2018. I guess Clemson won. But in in 2011 and 2012 and all those years when the SEC teams were kicking their asses, they're all they had to do was just win the damn game. Like all they had to do was beat the beat the SEC team when it mattered and they didn't. Well, guess what? Indiana played an SEC team in the playoff last year. Indiana beat that Team 38. 3. Alabama kicked one sad field goal. They have scoreboard. They can say whatever the hell they want. So whatever.
- [08:49]
B
This brings me to the next thing I wanted to ask you because I do think that this is interesting. We are now at the tail end here of media day season and now we're going into the dog days of the first few weeks of August, which are typically slow. But I think that what I have noticed is the SEC media days in general was more entertaining from start to finish. And I don't know if you prescribe that to SEC having more dynamic personalities or if SEC has more predominantly disposable displayed teams and expect to win a championship or whatever the case may be, but do you think the temperament of a head coach should be the temperament of somebody who comes to the podium and complains? And if not, is Kurt Signetti the ideal temperament? Haver and the blueprint and I'm not saying, I mean it's easy to say I would want to hire somebody like Kurt Cenetti after he just got done doing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football history. But somebody who's more of a no nonsense type of guy who doesn't want to engage in scheduling debates, doesn't want to talk about the the number of games you play in a conference, and is focused solely on doing what is best for his team in a no nonsense old school kind of way? Or does it just seem more aura stricken because he's just won the title?
- [10:15]
A
Like I think it's the second part. I I there's a lot of different ways to do it. Nick Saban, who we acknowledge as the best who ever did it, would come to SEC media days, usually with a an agenda in hand where he, he would talk about all the things he would like to see different in the sport or the things he'd like to see change. And that's fine.
- [10:38]
B
He took he also did it for a Winning place, too, though, Right?
- [10:41]
A
Well. And he considered that his job as one of the best coaches in the country, to be a steward of the game and to say, here's what I think should happen. Now, most of the stuff he said should happen would have benefited Alabama at the time. So crazy how that works. But that's also his job. Dabo Sweeney, not shy about complaining in front of a microphone, but won two national titles. Yeah. Kirby Smart never complains. What's my favorite Kirby Smart quote? No crying from the yacht.
- [11:16]
B
Yeah.
- [11:17]
A
Doesn't complain. One, two, national title. I think there's a lot of different ways you can do it.
- [11:21]
B
I just have never heard, and maybe I just don't listen to everything that's come out of Kirby Smart's mouth. But, like, I've never heard Kirby Smart go on a scheduling tirade.
- [11:31]
A
He said a few things. He. He's basically said, you know, he'd prefer the SEC to break away on its own. I mean, like, he said some strong things, but. But rarely does he say, like, you don't hear him say, this is a mess and everything's falling apart. And, you know, this. We can't. We couldn't get this done because of excuses. That's the thing. He doesn't make excuses. Yeah.
- [11:58]
B
I think there's a distinction because I do think that's important. And Kurt Signetti, too, has. Has said some things, too. So I'm not pretending like he's the.
- [12:05]
A
Yeah.
- [12:06]
B
Infallible non. Complainer that's never been negative about anything. The thing that I would not want is we didn't achieve X because of Y.
- [12:16]
A
Right. It has been very interesting watching the shoe be on the other foot with the sec, because the SEC was dominant for so long, did win those big games when it mattered, and they had every right to say everything they said. When Big Ten people in 2015 said the SEC is a media construct that was coping, that was taking obsessive amounts of copium.
- [12:46]
B
I still can't believe that was that. That was amongst some of the most ridiculous I've ever seen.
- [12:52]
A
Of course, even.
- [12:52]
B
Even when I was in the middle of it, I was covering a Big Ten team.
- [12:56]
A
A team that you covered the Big Ten team that acted like an SEC team.
- [13:01]
B
No, no, I know, but there are people. Ohio State fans were very bought in during the time of the. ESPN is the arm of the. I mean, this still kind of goes on now when it comes to, like, CFP selection and stuff. But, like, there was this thought process that the SEC was only better because ESPN was Coming out only pro, they
- [13:21]
A
were better because they won the big games when they mattered.
- [13:24]
B
They kept. It's like. And I just feel like for whatever reason, was like lost in the conversation. It's like, well, okay, even if you think that the SEC is a prop or the ESPN is an SEC propaganda spewing machine, they lost the games they played. So, like, you know, they won the games. I'm saying you lost the games, right?
- [13:43]
A
Yeah. The SEC won the Big Ten loss, and now it's on the other foot and the SEC is complaining. You. You get coaches in the SEC complaining that it's because the Big Ten doesn't require you to play a. A power conference team, the non conference. Okay, Indiana didn't do that last year. That's not why. Indiana beat Alabama 38. 3. Indiana beat Alabama 38. Threes. Indiana was a lot better than Alabama.
- [14:12]
B
When I was a kid, I went to visit my cousin and he had an Xbox and I had a PS2 mm. And we were playing NCAA football on his console or my. I can't remember. And I was beating the crap out of him in the game. And he goes, well, this doesn't happen on Xbox. And it was insane because it was the same game. It literally is the same programming. And then to this day, now we're pushing 40 years old. I still say, well, that doesn't happen on Xbox. But that's what I think about every time I hear anything like, the SEC didn't advance in the playoff because their schedule was too duff, or all these different things that you have heard over the course of the past few years. This doesn't happen on Xbox, is what I hear. And I just like. I feel like part of it is just like, is there anybody just gonna say, hey, the Big Ten has done X, Y and Z to advance itself. We have fallen behind in X, Y and Z. Or we.
- [15:15]
A
Yeah, they say that. They say that privately. Yeah, they all say that privately.
- [15:19]
B
Say it. Say it publicly. I would.
- [15:21]
A
They're not going to say it publicly. They're going to wave the flag and be like, but we're the best. But ignore those results. We're the best. Just like the Big Ten did the same thing. Yeah, that's just human nature.
- [15:33]
B
The good thing, though, and this is something that you taught me very early on in my podcasting career. That is, things in college football are a pendulum, right? They swing left, right, back, forth. And I, at times, especially during the height of the recruiting era, where I didn't see the sport changing and I didn't see the nil world in 2013. Coming thought I don't know how you could ever build a program that's not Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson or whatever. I learned that nothing stays the same forever. And you are somebody who taught me that. And I think that it is incredibly healthy for the sport of college football for the pendulum to be back up north. Yes, I think it's possible that the pendulum will swing right back as soon as this year. I just released my bracket and I have an SEC team winning the championship this year. But it's great for us, it's great for the fans and it's like the bitching and complaining and the you suck and we're better. And this is why all that stuff is what makes this great. And I'm thankful for Kurt Signetti, his personality, his accomplishments. What Indiana is, you know, Indiana I think is a gift, Andy. Indiana is a gift for a lot of different reasons. One, I think Indiana is a gift to the entire country who roots. If you've ever needed a reason to buy back into your middle tier program and believe that something great could happen, Indiana gave you that.
- [16:59]
A
Yeah. It's injected hope into so many programs.
- [17:02]
B
So as much as we like to say that Kurt Signetti has completely ruined every other coach in the world because we don't evaluate them anymore, he's also given the gift of possibility to people who were living for decades without any hope at all. And second of all, I'm so grateful that it's not just a great coach who's boring. This is a dynamic, lightning rod personality that has brought more fun to the game. It's not just the story or what he did, it's how he did it and how he acts after doing it. Like he is the gift. Like in we like. I think that college football in general has a lot of of to be thankful for as a result of Indiana's rise and who helped them do it.
- [17:43]
A
I think you're right because there were a lot of programs who felt like it'll never happen for us. But Indiana stunk forever. They just went undefeated and won the national title. If it can happen for them, it can happen for a lot of you.
- [18:01]
B
Yeah, I saw Barry Odom. This would have been an ESPN story. I think Adam Rittenberg wrote it with an interview with Barry Odom. That's Purdue's head coach. I'm sure you guys mostly know that. Talking about how Indiana.
- [18:15]
A
Former Missouri head coach. So he's been in the SEC as well.
- [18:17]
B
Yeah, but talking about how you have to look in the mirror and really self evaluate what you're doing. When the team that was in the similar position as you three years ago, who's a hours up the road, I think it's even closer than that. Did what Jason did. So, like, it is, I think, a gift. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna write this down.
- [18:35]
A
Hold on. You write that. This is your column, buddy. You. You write this. This is good.
- [18:40]
B
I just want to write it down just so I have it because I've been struggling the last few days figuring out what to write. So, yeah, that Indiana is college football's gift.
- [18:51]
A
And you're right.
- [18:52]
C
And.
- [18:52]
A
And the thing is to take this back to the sec. This is how you should feel if you're a South Carolina fan, if you're a Kentucky fan, if you're an Arkansas fan, if you're a Missouri fan. Like, that means you guys can do this too.
- [19:09]
B
Yeah. Any.
- [19:11]
A
You are not. You are not prohibited. There is not a systemic prohibition on you.
- [19:18]
B
You know what I hope. I think I genuinely, I like, genuinely hope this. I know that Kurt Signetti will be a legend forever for what he did. I know that Kurt Signetti's story will be told for decades to come. If you and I are still doing this in 25 years, we will reference things then that happened yesterday in last year and today. But I hope that with further context in college football that what Kurt Signetti did wasn't just a single individual act of brilliance and greatness. I hope it was a blueprint or a guide for other coaches to attempt to duplicate it. Like, I hope that Will Stein is awesome at Kentucky. I hope that what Vanderbilt did last year is a. Is a 80% version of what Indiana did.
- [20:12]
A
Yeah.
- [20:13]
B
I hope Illinois is really good.
- [20:15]
A
Yeah. Maybe Brett Bielema does this with Illinois next.
- [20:17]
B
Like it.
- [20:18]
A
Yeah.
- [20:18]
B
Like, I hope that this is the first of many interesting builds, and I hope that it's geographically diverse and I hope it comes from all different directions. I think it would be cool if Arizona State won the national title. I think it would be cool if Kentucky did.
- [20:32]
A
Tosh lapoy did it at Cal.
- [20:34]
B
Like, and I think that as we enter the season, Andy, there are a lot of teams on the. You know, I, I did. I. I didn't mention this yesterday, but we did talk about my on three bracket. Right. The one that I sure did. And I think the number one thing that I erred with and Bud Elliott actually was texting me and we were talking about it off air is I didn't take any chances and I assumed in my bracket, if you look at it right now, that river just displayed with Georgia and Texas and OU and LSU in it and Ole Miss, that Florida is going to go under their win total, Auburn's going to go under their win total, Kentucky's going to go under their win total. And, and, and one other team will.
- [21:14]
A
Auburn.
- [21:15]
B
Auburn is the one I'm forgetting. And that's probably a massive mistake because
- [21:20]
A
they're not all going to do that.
- [21:22]
B
And, and there's no wild card. I'll go from 1 to 12. We got Ohio State, Notre Dame, you know, Texas, Oregon, Miami. UNLV is the G5. Ole Miss, LSU, Indiana, and Oklahoma, Texas Tech. Like there's no weird wild card.
- [21:39]
A
And I, I understand the reason you didn't do it because it's hard to pick that team and you're probably going to be wrong and people are going to laugh at you for being wrong in that way. It will be somebody else though, like maybe South Carolina, maybe it's, you know, maybe it's Illinois, maybe it's Minnesota.
- [21:58]
B
I didn't do it.
- [21:59]
A
Who knows?
- [21:59]
B
Not in the fear that I would be wrong. I did it because I didn't know how to pick it. I didn't know, would it be ucla, would it be Kentucky, would it be South Carolina, Would it be asu? Again, like, there are so many different in. The reason I bring this up is that there's so many different places right now that have hope in a way that they would never have had hope before. If you're a UCLA fan and you watch Bob Chesney at Big Ten media day, like, are you not fired up? Are you not fired up by hearing Will Stein say, because of me, there are so many places that have an opportunity to win. And like, that is the gift. And I'm happy that the person who gave us the gift of both hope and entertainment won a title and is able to, to, you know, put it all out there in front of everybody the way he did today. And my hope too, is that Indiana's comments and Signetti's comments about not crying manifests in a charged up SEC that allows the pendulum to keep swinging back and forth. Because I got to be honest, as much fun as college football was from 2020 to 2000, that 20 year period, like, it would have been pretty cool if they didn't win 18 of the 20. Like, you know, they won all.
- [23:09]
A
It would have been, it would have been fun if it hadn't just been that one Ohio state title in 2014. If it had been, you know, now, obviously, Florida State and Clemson did win, but that's it. We can name the ones that broke it up. Like, yeah, but imagine if. If. If Michigan had been in there, if. If USC had been in there, if. If Oregon had won one like that. That's. That's what would make it really interesting.
- [23:34]
B
But the new era of college football has also shortened the length of the revolution of the pendulum.
- [23:40]
A
I think.
- [23:40]
B
I think that we don't wait.
- [23:42]
A
I mean, hey, this may last forever, Ari. Except we know it won't.
- [23:47]
B
No, no. Yeah. I think that the way that the sport was set up from 2000 and before to 2020 was a clear advantage for the SEC given the way that traditional recruiting worked and where the best players tend to live. And of course, the passion of the. Of the places that are in the sec. They cared more about football, without question, than the Big Ten did during that period of time. But now that you have UCLA over here and Kentucky over here and Arizona State down there, and all these in Texas Tech and Lubbock and all these different places, I find it really hard to believe that the pendulum will swing to the left and stay there for 20 years the way it did. I think it's going to swing. I think it's going to swing back and forth, maybe more erratically than ever before. And that's what makes all this talking so much fun, because Indiana might be talking today, but can you imagine how Steve Sarkeesian is going to be if they win the national title in January? He's going into years here. Like, can you imagine, like, the. The crap that he's talking right now if they win a championship, that freaking walk. He's gonna have, like, that limp. Gangster limp.
- [24:47]
A
It's gonna be. It's gonna be fun. No matter what happens, it is gonna be fun.
- [24:51]
B
And it's not a better time in the world to have, honestly.
- [24:54]
C
Yeah.
- [24:54]
A
Yeah. The fact that they're at each other's throats constantly, Even better. Even better.
- [24:59]
B
Sometimes on this show, it's hard in May and June where it's like, okay, let's rank the.
- [25:06]
C
This.
- [25:07]
B
Like, if you don't feel the love of this game and our voices right now, like, I have, like, goosebumps. Like, I am so fired up to be able to do this for a living. But to go into this era of. Of just. It's not predictable. Who wants to go to a movie when you know how. That's why rom coms suck, right? I mean, they're actually.
- [25:24]
A
The breakup's your favorite Rom Com. I'm not going to spoil it, but. Yeah, well, it's doesn't end the way they all do.
- [25:29]
B
Yeah, but I. I enjoy watching romcoms around Christmas time with my wife. I don't know if you guys have any, like, weird, but like, it also kind of stinks because when you're watching the movie, you know how it ends.
- [25:40]
A
You know all of the beats and. And unfortunately, most years during that period of SEC dominance, you knew the beats of the season.
- [25:49]
B
Yeah, we Got great Titan vs Titan matchups at the end of the year, but the Titans were always the same. And you know who the Titans were in July? I don't know. The Titans are this year. I think I've got an idea that, you know, Georgia and Oregon and Ohio State and these teams are going to be good. But what if Kentucky is awesome? Like, like dare to dream. And I could keep coming back to Kentucky, but what if A and M
- [26:08]
A
wins 10 games last year? Ari, think about this. Indiana went undefeated, won the national title, and Vanderbilt won 1:10 games in the same year. To quote Kevin Garnett, anything is possible.
- [26:21]
B
Back in the day when we used to do like preseason brackets on the four team era and it was just Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and someone else. And like no one was ever wrong because it was clear. And like now people like talk at you and go, oh, this is the worst bracket I've ever seen. I know it's gonna be wrong. Like, I know it's gonna be wrong, everybody. And in the past, you could pick five teams who win the national title. Now it's like, this is. This could. Look, I could go. I could legitimately go 4 for 12 in correctness on this and it wouldn't be that big of a surprise.
- [26:49]
A
And I would love it because it would mean it was a more fun season. Yeah, if that happened, Ari. The only thing I'm disappointed in with Chris again, he didn't wink at the end.
- [26:57]
B
No winking and no staring into the barrel of the camera.
- [26:59]
A
Usually there's a stare down the barrel of camera and wink, right? Like just boom, wink.
- [27:05]
B
I thought we would get a wink at the end there, because he did. I feel like he did come into today with that up his sleeve and he was waiting for a question that was. That was rehearsed.
- [27:14]
A
He workshop that one.
- [27:15]
B
He worked that maybe in the shower like I do, but I. I do think that the fact that it came on the last question, in the last thing that he said before his news conference was over, he certainly should have winked when they Said thank you, Coach Signetti.
- [27:27]
A
Absolutely.
- [27:28]
B
Yeah.
- [27:29]
A
Other than that, no notes. No notes. When we come back, the game is sweeping the nation. Who am I? And after that, Matt Rule of Nebraska says we didn't come to Lincoln to go 7 and 6, but can they do better? We'll talk about it. Ari, the results are in. From last week's who am I? And you needed 10 clues. First time either of us has needed 10 clues. I think I've needed nine before. Also only needed one before.
- [28:00]
B
I haven't lost yet. I don't care. As long as I don't lose, I'm good.
- [28:03]
A
Can you stump me? And I'm a little worried that you just may be. I breathe oxygen. I have two arms and two legs.
- [28:11]
B
No, this is very gettable and you will get it. Okay, so let's do it. Who am I? Andy is on the hot seat.
- [28:18]
A
Ready?
- [28:19]
B
Who am I? Clue number one. I was born in Oakland, California on January 11th of 1985.
- [28:28]
A
I was gonna say MC Hammer because he's from Oakland, but he was very much alive in 1985. Okay, 1985. All right. Okay.
- [28:36]
B
So there's a little bit of an age range.
- [28:37]
A
Yeah, Right, right. Playing college football, like 2003. 2002 is 3ish. To. To 2006 is. Okay.
- [28:47]
B
Born in Oakland, in my senior year of high school at this Oakland area program, I led my team to a 121 season after throwing for 2,426 yards and 30 touchdowns.
- [29:01]
A
Aaron Rodgers.
- [29:02]
B
No. Okay. I love that you're throwing out guesses, though. Is he from Oakland?
- [29:07]
A
He's from Northern California. He's not really from Oakland. Okay.
- [29:11]
B
But I love that you keep going with the. With the shots downfield because you don't lose anything. There's no penalty.
- [29:16]
A
Yeah.
- [29:16]
B
Being wrong. Number three. Before opting to go to college to play college football, I was selected in the 2003 Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
- [29:27]
C
Oh, boy.
- [29:28]
A
Oh, now, now, I may be wrong on the years they played football. College football. Oh. Did this person spend time in the minors? Oh, God. Okay. All right, I need another clue.
- [29:40]
B
Number four. After a successful college football career, I was later taken in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- [29:49]
A
NFL Draft.
- [29:50]
C
Okay.
- [29:51]
A
2008 draft. So they did play a little baseball. They didn't go straight to college based on age? Actually, no. They'd been 23, so maybe they did go straight to.
- [30:01]
B
Love the pretzel.
- [30:03]
A
I know. Also, I'm assuming this is a quarterback, and that doesn't Mean this person played quarterback in college. They played quarterback in high school. Ah. Oh, boy. Okay. Oh, man. Okay, another clue.
- [30:20]
B
Number five. I'm a two time super bowl champion.
- [30:23]
A
Okay. Played for the Steelers. Okay. This is not Troy Paula Malu. Because he's older than this also doesn't necessarily mean he won one with the Steelers. But the timing works. Works out for that. That they won one of the Steelers is obviously not a quarterback because it's not Roethlisberger.
- [30:47]
B
Oh, man.
- [30:49]
A
Maybe it is. I don't know where he's from, but I don't think he's from California.
- [30:54]
B
So you've got nothing to lose by guessing Ben Roethlisberger. It's not.
- [31:02]
A
Go ahead.
- [31:03]
B
I think Ben Roethlisberger's from the Midwest.
- [31:05]
A
I believe he is. Yes. He went and he went to Miami. Of Ohio.
- [31:08]
B
Yeah. Number six. I ultimately played for five NFL franchises during my professional career, though the final four teams were practice squad only.
- [31:18]
A
Oh, wow. Okay. So they had. Their career was largely with one team. I'm assuming the Steelers. I'm sorry, Steelers fans, you're probably yelling. You've been yelling for three. Three clues.
- [31:31]
B
You know, just because somebody's a Super bowl champion and somebody played in the league doesn't mean that they were a starter either.
- [31:38]
A
That's true. That's true.
- [31:39]
B
And.
- [31:39]
A
And they were a good baseball player growing up and played quarterback in high school.
- [31:44]
B
Yeah. That was six. And now we're going to start getting into some more clues. If you need them, that will probably help.
- [31:49]
A
I. I need another one.
- [31:51]
B
I was the PAC 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2007. 7.
- [32:02]
A
See what's. This is killing me because I keep wanting it to be a quarterback, but it might be a quarterback.
- [32:07]
B
Yeah. Who said it wasn't one?
- [32:09]
A
Oh, 2007. We'll see. That's not John David Booty. That's not like. Because he's from Louisiana. That wasn't the year Sanchez started. Sanchez got drafted by the Jets. Anyway. It doesn't have to be somebody from usc. It could be somebody from Oregon. The Joey Harrington.
- [32:41]
B
It's not.
- [32:41]
C
Oh, no.
- [32:42]
A
Joe Harrington's older than that. Shoot.
- [32:43]
B
Yeah.
- [32:44]
A
He was in the NFL already by that point.
- [32:45]
B
Yeah.
- [32:47]
A
Okay, keep going.
- [32:48]
B
Before the 2007 season and after my junior year at Oregon, I was again selected in the MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. I hit.176 and 74 at bats for two Atlanta Braves rookie teams before returning to the Ducks for my senior season.
- [33:05]
A
I know who the. Oh, this is. It is a quarterback. And it was One of the saddest situations ever because he was probably. I mean, it was going to be him or Tebow to win the heism trophy in 2007, but he got hurt on a Thursday night games. Dennis Dixon.
- [33:20]
B
Dennis Dixon. Correct.
- [33:22]
A
Kyle. Dennis Dixon was freaking awesome at Oregon.
- [33:26]
B
Unbelievable. Let me give you the final two clues for the video.
- [33:29]
A
Okay. Okay.
- [33:30]
B
Number nine. I led Oregon to the number two overall ranking in the 2007 season after guiding the Ducks to wins over USC and Arizona State. But during the ASU game, I left with a knee injury. Number 10. Two weeks later, I returned against Arizona and Tucson with national championship aspirations on the line. My knee buckled in the first quarter of the Arizona game, and it was later revealed that I aggravated a torn ACL that I suffered against Arizona State. That loss ultimately cost Oregon a shot at the national championship. And bonus, I was standing 20. Ari Wasserman was standing 20ft away from him when that happened.
- [34:01]
A
Oh, that was so sad because I was covering Florida as a beat writer at the time. So obviously by that point everybody knew it was either going to be Tebow or Dixon. And it was a really fabulous race and competition between the two of them. And you know, this is the first. That was the first year of Chip Kelly as Oregon's oc. Like, remember they went to Michigan and just crushed them after Michigan had lost to Appalachian State. And people just had no idea what to do with that offense.
- [34:32]
B
Yeah. And it was just like. It was like one of the. This was happening in the general. The same general time as like the West Virginia offenses. I think it was a few years after, I believe.
- [34:42]
A
Yeah. Chip studied Rich Rodriguez's West Virginia often. Well, actually studied Rich Rodriguez when he was at Clemson. So, like, Chip had borrowed a lot of concepts from, from Rich and then built upon them and, and they were
- [34:55]
B
trying to run like a play every 10 seconds or something.
- [34:58]
A
So like, yeah, that was before the clock rules changed. The clock rules changed the following year and they really took off because then they could really go fast. But yeah, they practiced differently, like everything and bloody. Still the head coach at this point. But you like Chip Kelly's influence as the OC is. Has taken over the whole team.
- [35:17]
B
Yeah. One of the most fun players to watch. I just remember him getting hurt. I was at the game.
- [35:22]
A
Yeah, that was so, so sad because he was, he was having an unbelievable season. I did not realize he was that good of a baseball player. I, I didn't realize it.
- [35:31]
B
I didn't know that either. But I tried to try to, you know, move it Around a little.
- [35:35]
A
Well, and that's what I, I got you last week with the. I played tight end in high school to try to throw you off that. It was an offensive lineman and I was assuming you were throwing me off with, with the high school quarterback who became a receiver, who became a safety. So.
- [35:51]
C
Yeah.
- [35:52]
B
And you know, sometimes too, the, just the threat of misdirection.
- [35:57]
A
Also had no idea about Dennis Dixon's pro career.
- [36:00]
B
Yeah, he went to the Steelers and then was there for a few years and I think he won his second super bowl ring on the practice squad with the Ravens. So that was a little bit more tricky too because, yeah, he wasn't a player that played much. He only started three games in his pro career, which I almost another crew.
- [36:17]
A
I didn't, didn't know anything about. About that. So that is it. That was a great one because Dennis Dixon is one of those. If you love college football, you loved watching this guy play so much and by the way, so much fun.
- [36:32]
B
Just a hot take aside a moment for these Oregon uniforms. And I know that everybody talks about Oregon uniforms.
- [36:41]
A
I'm not a fan of, of these.
- [36:43]
B
I loved these and these were the ones that they like. I don't. What do you call the steel. The steel pattern looks like.
- [36:48]
A
Yeah, I don't know what those are called. It looks like, you know, the toolbox you have on the, in the bed truck.
- [36:53]
B
It's like on steel steps or something. Like it's the steel pattern.
- [36:56]
C
I don't know.
- [36:57]
B
I loved the black accents in the, in the green. I love those uniforms. And it was just like kind of like the era of college football.
- [37:05]
A
The photo in, in the graphic we have, like almost doesn't even look like an Oregon uniform. But that is an Oregon uniform.
- [37:12]
B
It looks like an Oregon uniform that you would buy on temu. Like it's Oregon. But is it really the one he's
- [37:17]
A
wearing in the, in the little. What we call a lower third. The green one looks. You know, that's, that's what I think when I think of the Oregon uniforms of that era. That's what I think of.
- [37:27]
B
Yeah, that's the one that Harrington was wearing, I think on the COVID of the NCAA football game. So. But I also am trying my best to at least tie it into some of the things we talked. We had a long Oregon discussion yesterday.
- [37:38]
A
We did.
- [37:38]
B
And when you alluded to, you know, who am I on yesterday's episode, I knew immediately I sent river attacks. It's Dennis Dixon. So.
- [37:46]
A
Yeah.
- [37:47]
B
And congratulations to Tam for one of the best careers and most exciting careers ever. I know it didn't work out for him in the pros, but I think he's a core memory for a lot of people my age.
- [37:56]
A
So this is. I know I say this a lot when we do this. This segment. Like, if you're a younger viewer. Younger. Younger listener, and you've heard of Dennis Dixon, but don't really know what we're talking about. When you're done with this episode, just look up his highlights on YouTube. You're gonna have fun. You're gonna love it.
- [38:14]
B
Yeah. And it is crazy because I think a lot of times in college football too, Andy, like, players come out and have transcendent seasons like he did in 07, but when you get injured or you don't have a huge pro career, like, a lot of times, your memory can get lost in translation because there's so many players doing amazing things. And the thing I like about who am I the most? Is that we're going back and we're talking about players that deserve to have their memory preserved.
- [38:36]
C
Oh, yeah.
- [38:36]
B
Well, that should have institute.
- [38:38]
A
Oh, you know what? I know who next week's is going to be now. I've already figured it out.
- [38:44]
B
Oh, boy.
- [38:45]
A
You're going to get it. You won't get stumped. I. This is someone I know you'll get, but.
- [38:50]
C
Okay, good.
- [38:51]
A
It's enough. It is in this vein, like, great college football player, legendary in certain circles, but didn't have a huge pro career. So. I like it.
- [39:04]
B
Yeah.
- [39:04]
A
I love it, love it, love it, love it.
- [39:06]
B
Yeah. And just, it's. As long as it's like, not just some random offensive lineman, hopefully I'll be a better off. But you're still Joe, not a random office. No, no, I know, but everybody's a random person in this game. I just mean, like, offensive linemen are usually not where my head, like, are. Are. My head's at.
- [39:23]
A
I'm only gonna choose really famous offensive linemen, I promise.
- [39:26]
B
Yeah, but you've already hit me with two because I got Pene Sewell pretty early. So, like, you're.
- [39:30]
A
I hit you with three. Oh, no, you hit me with Jason Kelsey. That's what it was.
- [39:33]
B
Yeah. Yeah. I think you were. I think jealousy. Jason Kelsey was first, but this is a fun game. I'm excited to do it next week and you have gotten the better of me. You've also nailed it on clue one and you have not gone to clue 10 yet. I have, but I gotta say, as far as we are in the game, to not have been stumped so far. I feel pretty good about it.
- [39:51]
A
I do feel pretty good. And you know, I want to write the question so that the, the listener and the, the viewer are gonna get them. Yeah, I want you to get stumped.
- [40:01]
B
Yeah.
- [40:03]
A
But. All right. When we come back, more from Big Ten meeting days. Matt Rule takes the podium coming in to a big important year at Nebraska. He just got a big extension last year when Penn State opened, so I think he's safe pretty much no matter what happens. But with some strong words. Producer river, please play the clip about the record.
- [40:34]
C
We have the best facilities, we have the best fan base, and we have some of the best players in the country. So I'm grateful to have them here. It was a hard decision who to bring, but this is a special group to me and I can't wait to take the field with them this fall and just, just like them. That's kind of what our team is. I stood up here a few years ago and said before we can talk about doing great things now. We, we've got to earn back the respect. And these guys, they've kind of erased the narratives. You know, Nebraska can't win a close game. They've erased that Nebraska, there's a bowl drought, They've erased that. They went to back to back bowl games last year. But, but we know that's not enough. We didn't come to Nebraska to go 7 and 6. We came to compete for this. And being here today with teams who've won the national championship, it's inspiring. It speaks to this conference. It speaks to the people that run it, the coaches and the players that are in it. And we understand that we have to take a step this year. We're excited to do that. But I hope you can hear in my voice, I believe we will because of the young men in our program and what they've done. Thank you.
- [41:38]
A
We didn't come to Nebraska to go 7 and 6. That's right, seven and six.
- [41:47]
B
Yeah. Very interesting cross section of tenure here, Andy. Right. You know, things were really, really amped up last off season. There was a lot of Nebraska topics, a lot of debate, some sour power, five star quarterback, all these different things. And things didn't go the way that a lot of people who root for that program would have hoped they would have gone a year ago at this time. Now that quarterback is gone, he's at Oregon. Dylan Raiola is who I'm speaking about. Anthony Calandria is in what we. We got into a huge argument earlier in the off season about what they should come to expect or what a success there. But, you know, does what he said just now change anything to you? Or like, I think it means you
- [42:38]
A
were right and I was wrong.
- [42:45]
B
I don't know what to say. That's never happened before.
- [42:47]
A
That's.
- [42:47]
B
This is weird. This is weird territory for me. I don't know.
- [42:50]
A
I think I undersold it. No, because he's the one setting this. He's the one saying seven wins is not good enough. And I'm, I think I said eight would be fine because it would represent progress. But does that not sound to you like a man who thinks they're better, significantly better than seven wins?
- [43:09]
B
It sounds to me like a man who literally said they need to take a step forward, which still might qualify with what you said. Like, is eight wins a step forward or does he mean a big step forward? But my whole thought process too is just what, as a Nebraska fan, are you hoping for at this juncture in his tenure? Like, what makes you satisfied? They have gone to back to back bowl games. They have, as he pointed out, squashed some of the narrative of losing close games in hilarious fashion and not being able to qualify for a bowl and all those things. But now that they've tasted that, you know, and, and job well done for, for getting to that point. But I think that everybody knows that Nebraska is not, you know, those were always supposed to be stepping stones. That was never the destination. So at what point in his tenure, with what other coaches have accomplished around him at programs that have fewer resources, is acceptable there. And I still stand by 10 wins this year. Now I don't know if that's possible. I don't know if they have the team to do it. He sounds like he's pretty positive that they do. And we've been wrong before. It's harder to analyze and discuss and decide who a team is going to be at this time of year, because certain portal entries can be much more profoundly important than you give them credit for in June and July. But I'm looking at the incoming transfers and I don't know, maybe I don't see it. But then also, what if Anthony Calandria is just better than Raiola for their office?
- [44:33]
A
I think that's the, that's the question. And so shout out to the, to the student from the University of Illinois who's covering big to me days, who's asked some, these coaches some really good questions this week. And he asked Matt Rule a question about Dylan Raiola that Turned into a commentary on the quarterbacks they have now. That's a really interesting point to consider. So here's that question.
- [44:57]
C
Good morning, coach.
- [44:58]
B
Erie Martin, University of Illinois, Big Ten student.
- [45:01]
C
You. You had Raiola leave in the portal, but you also land a quarterback out of the portal, and you also have Trey Taylor coming in next year. Did Raiola's entrance into the transfer portal
- [45:12]
A
catch you by surprise?
- [45:13]
C
And can you speak to.
- [45:14]
A
To your quarterback room now in this future?
- [45:16]
C
You know, I think. I think our quarterback room is. I don't know how many teams in the country can say they have three guys in their quarterback room. Who started FBS game last year. You know, Danny Kalin was a kid that I got to Nebraska. I immediately offered. He came in, transferred to Virginia. I think he had played, you know, one or two starts last year, played really well, comes back home. Danny's a true Husker, and he wants to be at Nebraska. TJ Lateef is an unbelievable quarterback. Came in as a true freshman, went on the road, beat ucla, you know, went out to Iowa, pulled his hamstring, couldn't even run, and was out there just. Just playing. You know, given everything he has. And I see him now, he's bigger, he's stronger, he. He's going to be a force. And then Anthony, you know, we. Late in the process in recruiting, you know, things happen in the portal. And you asked me a question about surprises. Not. Nothing surprises me. I wake up every day and I say, what's going to happen today? Like, you know, just embrace it. But, you know, we lost a quarterback we thought we're going to get. We said, who's available? There were three great quarterbacks out there. We said, hey, let's bring them all in on the same day, man. We got to move. And I learned from a great coach, Steve Adagio, a guy that I love and respect, and he was at Florida, and he always said, you know, talked about Tebow, like, I don't care about, you know, anything else about a quarterback other than if they have it. And, like, you can't tell people what it is, but you can feel, feel it. And I said, guys, we'll know within the first five minutes of meeting these guys who our quarterback is. And I remember Anthony got out of the car, watching him shake everybody's hands and the way he carried himself and the way he did things. And I was like, that's our guy. And he's a great yin to my yang. You know, I'm old school. You know, be tough, incrementalist. Get better day by day. And he's got some swagger and some juice that is great to offset me. And I think I can't wait to watch him play. But I think any of those three guys could start at quarterback for us and can win for us. And so I'm. I'm really excited about that room says
- [47:06]
A
Erie Martin, by the way, is the name of the student reporter from Illinois who may be a blue chipper in our field.
- [47:11]
B
Yeah, watch out for it. You know, we're listening to the questions, guys. Yeah.
- [47:15]
A
Yeah. Because he's. He. He ain't loving softballs, these guys. This is. It's pretty good.
- [47:20]
B
I mean, at that point in my career, I was afraid to ask questions on the big stage.
- [47:24]
A
Yeah.
- [47:25]
B
And now at this point in my career, I think asking the big questions on the big stage is less useful than asking them in other settings. But, you know, still. Right. Good for you.
- [47:32]
A
But I'm glad. I'm glad he's doing it because it's getting some good answers. And this was a good answer. This was an interesting answer because. Did it sound to you like Matt Rule without saying it, because I don't think Matt Rule would ever say it publicly, but did it sound to you like Matt Rule was saying, we think we might be better at quarterback with Anthony Calandria than we were with Dylan Raiola?
- [47:57]
B
Well, the other thing, too, when it comes to it, is, is there a person that's a better fit for your system as well and how you want to play offense? That doesn't mean that he's a better quarterback than Dylan Rail. Maybe he is, but the way that he plays, I think probably is a more exciting brand of football, maybe a more painful one at times, depending on whether he can turn the ball over.
- [48:18]
A
He's an adventure. Yeah, I think that.
- [48:21]
B
And we are, as you point out, in entertainment field and product, so, you know, it'll be very interesting to see. But like Nebraska last year, I thought was pretty solid team. You know, I had a lot of high hopes for them. And, you know, sometimes things don't go your way. You know, you do have an injury and things happen. But, like, is 10 wins completely out of the question? And if they win eight, do you go back to the drawing board and go, hey, man, rules. Doing the right. The good stuff. Like, I don't know, like, how their fans are even.
- [48:52]
A
Well, I think he has. He has plenty of leeway because of the extension last year. Like, it would have to be an utter disaster for them to ever think about anything but let's look at that schedule because is 10 wins possible? Okay, 5, 0 is absolutely possible. They've got a fairly easy opener. Remember, they're not playing, they're not playing any power conference opponents. Matt Rule got asked about that. He said the requirement should be a Tony Petiti question. Then he said something about all the conferences should play the same number of games. I don't, I don't know if anybody just didn't tell him that. The SEC is playing nine conference games now. But they've got Ohio U, Bowling Green and North Dakota to start out. So they should win those games at Michigan State and then Maryland. Presumably Nebraska should win those two. Then it gets spicy, then it gets really interesting. Indiana comes to Lincoln on October 10th. Both teams should be undefeated at that point. That's going to be super hyped. We're going to be, you know, this, this will be the time where Nebraska can say, hey, we want to be part of this. Like, like Matt Rule said when, when he said we didn't come to Nebraska 7 and 6, we came to compete for these things. What he was referring to were you couldn't see them because they were to his, to his. Right. Three national championship trophies. The last three.
- [50:17]
B
Yeah. And you know, we spent so much time in the off season too, like going down the games and coming up with records and stuff. It's like you want to be competitive in that Indiana game, right? Like you don't want to go 8 and 4 with 36 point losses to the best teams on your schedule.
- [50:34]
A
Your opportunity to tell us who you are, if you're Nebraska is that two week stretch where Indiana comes to you on October 10th and you go to Eugene to play Oregon on October 17th. That's where you can kind of tell us who you are. Now look, the schedule is still hard the rest of the way because you get after Oregon you get a bi week, then they're at, then they get Washington at home at Illinois at Rutgers, Ohio State at home at Iowa to finish. So like if you can't be competitive against Indiana and Oregon the rest of the way is going to be tough for you too.
- [51:06]
B
Yeah. And like if they lose by 30 to Indiana, that might set up a regression in record. So you know, I, I don't know the thing, I really don't know Andy and I would love to hear from Nebraska fans because this was our debate earlier in the season and I, I still don't really quite have a clear understanding of it. I haven't heard from Nebraska fans in a year and I think it's been a pleasant, you know, year because they hate me. But I would be very curious to know what their borderline or what their baseline expectation is for Matt rule in 2026. Like, what do you have to see from this team in order to feel satisfied going into next off season? I don't know.
- [51:43]
A
Hit us up. Andy Staples on3gmail.com ari.wassert@on3.com Tomorrow, like, I'd love to hear from some Nebraska fans legitimately. What do you think would be a successful year to you? Like, in your mind, what is it? 8 wins, 9 wins, 10? Like, what is it? What's the baseline threshold for? I feel good about this.
- [52:05]
B
I mean, if they were to get to eight wins, that means that they have to beat some pretty good teams.
- [52:10]
A
Yes.
- [52:11]
B
If they start the far at five
- [52:12]
A
and, oh, you might be able to get 10.
- [52:15]
B
Yeah. I mean, here. Here's six. Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota, Michigan State, Maryland, Rutgers. So in order to get to eight, that means they'd have to beat one of Iowa or two of Iowa, Ohio State, Illinois, Washington, Oregon and Indiana. That means eight wins would be a pretty. I'm starting to swing towards your direction now where eight wins is successful because that means they will have beaten somebody very good.
- [52:40]
A
I don't mean to be Mr. Sunshine Blower here, but look, if you can win eight, that also means you can probably win nine.
- [52:49]
B
Yeah.
- [52:50]
A
And then we're having a very different conversation about where Nebraska is in the. In the grand scheme of things.
- [52:55]
B
Yeah. Because I actually think if they go nine and three and beat everybody else but lose to Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State, that's acceptable. That's like, I don't think that's like they have to win one of those games in order to prove they're on the right track. But I do also have this prevailing thought whenever coaches are talking about incremental steps and stuff. You made this point on yesterday's show, and I can't stop thinking about. It was such a good point. Where we. Traditionally, in the past, when you were recruiting high school players, they were developing and you were retaining, and it was a slower process. You wanted to see incremental builds year over year over year. And then we're talking about Nebraska in this linear way where it's like, well, they won eight games last year or seven games last year, so if they can win eight, it's better. And it's like, that's not how this works anymore. Your teams are completely different. Your schedules are far more variable given the size of the conferences and, you know, how much do you think year over year, marginal improvement is actually an indication of being where you want to be when you've seen people. And I know Kurt Signetti broke the, the college football expectations fear, but, like, I don't know if winning eight games instead of seven because you only won seven last year, is really all that indicative of anything anymore.
- [54:07]
A
No, but I also, and this is where I'm coming from when I say if you can win eight, you might be able to win ten if, If Calandra is suddenly the magic match at quarterback that they've been looking for. And look, I'm going to be perfectly honest. We know he wasn't the first choice. Like, Kenny Minchi was the first choice, but it doesn't matter. Like the coach. What do the coaches always say? I wasn't my wife's first choice either. Like, my first job. I was the seventh choice. I'd like to think I would have done better than everybody else, but they didn't think so. So, yeah, like, that's how this works. But what if, what if Calandria is that guy? What if. What if, as Matt Rule says, he has that it factor. You can jump from 7 to 10 that way. That's how it works now.
- [54:59]
B
Yeah. And also the teams that we view on the schedule now, it's a little bit less variable when it comes, like Ohio State, Oregon, and, and now Indiana. But, you know, how good's Illinois this year? I don't know. It looks like a tough game. How good is Iowa? That looks like a pretty tough game, especially it being.
- [55:13]
A
I mean, Iowa may be beaten down beyond belief. Their schedule's so freaking hard. Yeah, their schedule is so hard.
- [55:21]
B
But, like, we don't know, maybe Washington will be an 11 win team this year and that'll be a brutal stretch. You know, like, it's just, it's harder to tell right now. But I think the, the overlying question is, at this point in his tenure is chalking up all the games against the best teams in the conference as automatic losses. What you take away from this, or do you take away the linear improvement year over year?
- [55:45]
A
Yeah, you gotta, you gotta change the answer to the first one. You have to change the, the image that you are a team that is
- [55:52]
B
going to get steamrolled.
- [55:53]
A
When you play a good team, that's got to end. That's where that's.
- [56:00]
B
But do you buy the notion that you have to be able to show you can win close games before you do that? Like, do you think There was a. I. I feel like we're still talking about building college football programs the same way that you build a house where you need to get the level land and then you've got to get the foundation and then you got to pour the concrete and then it's.
- [56:18]
A
No, no, no, no, no, no.
- [56:19]
B
It's not like that anymore.
- [56:21]
A
It's not building a house. It is a. It is a HGTV house flipping episode. You better be able to flip it in 30 minutes.
- [56:28]
B
So I don't know how much going to back to back bowl games, really, you know, it's better. There's no question it's better, but I don't know if it's an indication, especially when your roster is completely different, of. Of 10 wins. I don't think that last year means anything for anyone anymore.
- [56:42]
A
Yeah.
- [56:44]
B
So, yeah, it's like the, the steady increases in the steady improvements are fun for fans to see, but it's not like when you get something on Amazon, this happens all the time. I got to buy something that my daughter needs and it has assembly required. Then you follow the instructions step by step. And as you're building the dollhouse, the dollhouse gets closer and closer to looking like it does on the box. It's like, that's not. It used to be how you build, but it's not anymore. And my question really now is not just for Matt Rule, for everyone. It's like, how many years do you get before you don't get the benefit of the doubt of, well, we're getting better incrementally.
- [57:19]
A
Yeah. He had one other answer that I found very interesting today.
- [57:22]
C
And.
- [57:23]
A
And someone had asked about the success of other sports at Nebraska, and Matt Rule brought up Fred Hoiberg, who's their men's basketball coach, who had had some kind of mass seasons until breaking out this past season, and they became one of the best teams in the Big Ten, one of the best teams in the country. And that was, you know, it was an interesting way to look at it, but then he turned into explaining what they have to do. And I think he's exactly right about where this changes, if it changes. Here's Matt Roll again.
- [57:57]
C
Coach Jake Bartecki, News channel Nebraska, good to see you again.
- [58:01]
B
Since you guys have taken the.
- [58:02]
C
The field the end of the season,
- [58:05]
B
great seasons for obviously men's basketball, baseball,
- [58:08]
A
volleyball was outstanding again.
- [58:10]
B
What do you guys need to do
- [58:12]
C
internally or on the field or both
- [58:14]
B
to kind of find that same level of success?
- [58:17]
C
Well, I think that success, you know, that Fred has Had that. Amy's had that, Rhonda's had that. So many of our sports have had. It's just what Nebraska is about. I mean, we, as I said earlier, we have the best facilities in college sports, a commitment to nutrition unlike any other, commitment to the strength program. That goes back, obviously, goes back to Coach Epley, but all the way through now. And so you're seeing the things that Troy has implemented since he's been the athletic director start to take fruit on the field. And I look at Fred with tremendous respect, inspiration. You know, before he went to the Sweet 16 last year, you know, it wasn't the year he wanted, and it didn't end the way he wanted it to do, but. But Fred just kept coming to work and his players kept working. And so for us, we had to be better in November. You know, we've gotten off to good starts, but, you know, champions are made in those winning moments in the cold, on the road, late in the season. Those are championship moments. And for us, we have to excel in those. So it's me, it's our staff. I love our coaches, and it's our players. And, you know, you have to have players that. That want to be in those moments that want, you know, they want the hat on their head when it matters. And I think we have those guys. And, you know, some people can snap their fingers, and it happens overnight. You know, we're builders. We've had to build, and we love doing it. And that's why I talk about these. These guys. Like, it's not me who's the builder. It's Luke. It's Justin Evans, it's Cam Lenhardt. It's all these guys on our team that have weathered the storm, stayed here throughout, and we understand the expectation. That's why we came to Nebraska.
- [59:52]
A
And I do think it's important that they have guys that have been there, like the guys he mentioned. So Justin Evans, their center, he's one of the best centers in the country. He signed with Scott Frost. Like, he's. He's been through it with them. So they do have people with institutional memory there. But the November thing really stood out to me. Ari, let's see that schedule again. We can start on Halloween. We'll start on Halloween where Washington comes to Lincoln. It's not November yet. It's one day away, but Washington, Illinois, Rutgers, like, if you can go three and oh, in that stretch, you're in a pretty good spot. I think, like, those are the game. Like, don't drop one of those.
- [60:31]
B
Yeah.
- [60:32]
A
I realize the Washington game, they like Washington or Illinois, they might not be
- [60:35]
B
favored in, they might be dogs in both of those games.
- [60:38]
A
So yeah, it just depends on how things go. But, but those are the games you now have to be able to win. Like, if you want to be the top half of the conference, you got to win those games.
- [60:47]
B
Yeah, 1,000%. But I, I think that too, there's a feel to it. They might be exciting. I mean, listen, Andy, they almost beat Ohio State at home or on the road like two years ago. So, like they've been in close games against really good teams, too. So, you know, it's not completely out of the question that they'll play one of the premier teams on their schedule to a close game and maybe ultimately win one. Sports weird. It happens. But you know, I think it's a feel of it. You'll be, you'll know if you're watching Nebraska if they feel different. Like, you know, and I think that that's really important and I don't know what that's going to mean ultimately when it comes to their final record. But you know, I do think that the fans here are probably more juiced up and more expecting of a 8, 9, 10 win season than maybe we gave it credit for earlier in the year.
- [61:37]
A
Well, you, you let, you guys let us know because I'm curious but, but that we didn't come here to go 7 and 6 statement is a strong statement. I don't think he makes that lightly.
- [61:50]
B
Yeah. But I think it also mirrors a lot of the things that he said before, though. Like, I think he, he's, he's never really, not alluded to that. Right.
- [61:58]
A
Yeah. But I don't know. I, I feel like this, this might be a little bit different. Whether it, whether it appears in the results is, is the question. That's all that really matters.
- [62:11]
B
Yeah.
- [62:15]
A
Get those responses to us about what you think Nebraska can, can be next year. What, what, what, what represents success to you? Andy Staples on3gmail.com ari.wassertern3.com Also send us all your other college football questions because we will do our best to answer them tomorrow on Dear Andy and Dear Ari. We got a lot to process from Big Ten media days. I thought you wrote a really interesting column about Luke Fickle in Wisconsin. We might have to delve into that a little bit. I already know we're going to answer a really interesting USC question. So we got a lot to discuss. It's been a lot of fun this week and it's only going to get more fun as we get closer to actual football. We will talk to you on Friday.