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Joel Anderson
Oh, yeah.
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Tate Frazier
Welcome back to Ringer Tailgate. We survived the pilot and the show is up and running. It's official. We are here. I'm Tate Frazier. I'm your host. And we got Joel Anderson and Van Lathan back in the building, back on the mic. We got college football last week, but this week one is something special. Let's start here, guys, I got one big question. It's a simple one. And Van, I'll turn to you. Is this the best week one ever? Three top ten games this weekend, a whole bunch of tilts. That will be time we'll, we'll be tuning into. It's going to be a lot of fun. But Van, I'll turn that question to you. Is this the best week one ever?
Van Lathan
No, but it's the best week one of this new era of college football. Look, we are in the nil transfer portal era of college football. This is like what we're doing where we're at right now. This is almost like the post college football college football era. And of that time, I'd say the last three, four, five years, it's definitely the best week one.
Tate Frazier
Yeah. Joel, what about you? I mean, again, this is history that we have this week. And the last time we even had three, three matchups in the top 10 was 2017. That was not week one. But again, this does not happen often. So it is very special.
Joel Anderson
Well, it's funny because I was about to go back to the 2017 thing. I was like, the thing is about 2017 is I'm saying that I'm like, oh, that was one of the best weekends ever. But the only thing I remember about it is Alabama breaking DeAndre Francois body. You know what I mean? That's the only thing that sticks out from that week for me. So, yeah, as far as I can remember in recent memory, I gotta think this has gotta be the best. I mean, we already know that there's never been a one, verse two. Right. And so how do you, how do you top that? And I mean, okay, then just throw the other wild card in Like Bill Belichick, the greatest, the greatest coach in NFL history, hasn't coached in college football since at least Bill Walsh. Right. So that goes back 30 some odd years. So, yeah, this is, this is pretty, this is pretty awesome.
Tate Frazier
Yeah. And we also have Lee Corso's last act, his last act on college game day. Right. This has been a bit that we have been watching, we've been consuming, we've been enjoying. I heard on the press box, you know, you did a great job with that, Joel. Brian Curtis talking to Herb street as well, about the kind of, the, the gravitas of this moment as far as the Lee Corso side of this. I mean, we got, you know, big noon kickoff as well, versus college game day. That might be the best rivalry in college football. You know what I mean? Maybe up there with Southern and Grambling, I'm not sure. But it's a rivalry that a lot of people are focused in on. Yeah, but Van Lee Corso, any, like, lasting thoughts, anything that you're excited to see for his kind of last two races?
Van Lathan
You know, a lot of times when a network like ESPN or an institution like gameday takes the time to sort of congratulate itself, you get an eye roll from the people. You will not get that from me. As far as Lee Corso is concerned, game day is an institution. It's the beginning of the day. It's what you wake up to. It's what you indulge in before you get into the games. And the person to me that I always identified the most on that set with was always Lee Corso. He was the guy that got the crowd going. He was the guy that you waited and really wanted for him to pull your team's headgear out of that mystery bag or whatever, wherever it's coming from. And he was just a dude. One of those rare people in culture that when you see him, you know, it's time to have a good time. You see other guys like that Bill Murray, Jamie Foxx, he is the that of college football. You see Lee Corso, you know, the games are about to start. He gets us going in the morning for Saturday. And I could not legitimately, could not say enough about the time that he spent evangelizing this sport that I love to everyone else. So a lot of times this stuff is masturbatory and congratulatory, but in this case, it's not. Lee Corso deserves every amount of this adulation and kudos and congratulations to him for a life well lived in a life well lived I'm killing the man. A career well lived out there on game day, for sure.
Tate Frazier
And Joel, I mean, the first time that he put on the headgear, right, 1996, he puts on the Brutus, the Buckeye head. Right. So he kind of. It's a full circle moment, literally a full circle moment to go from that moment to here and in 2025 for you. I mean, I know you and Brian talked about the wrestling aspect of it, but he always understood the entertainment part of it, right? Just to a T. Yeah.
Joel Anderson
And, you know, it's kind of sad because I'm just thinking about it's very hard for a coach like Lee Corso to get that sort of a prominent position on TV today, by which I mean, he coached at Louisville and Indiana. These are basketball schools, not football schools. Right. And so how much would the public accept a guy who had a 53 career winning percentage, Right. As somebody that had only been to a few bowl games or had taken over mostly, you know, mediocre programs and done okay, but not been a champion or something like that. And the fact that he was able to get that job, and it's like Van was talking about in terms of relating to somebody like a guy who, like, worked his way up, didn't have the greatest jobs. And then when he got a job that he loved, it was so visible and it was so clear. Like, you can see it over his face every day.
Van Lathan
And.
Joel Anderson
And just like he's mastered the fine art of being able to laugh at himself without making a fool of himself. And so, yeah, man. So just like Vance said, I'm going to miss him, man. It's like, man, we lost Hubie Brown. Hubie Brown's going off for TV now. And, you know, just, you know, there's a generation of guys that we grew up with that are leaving the airwaves, man. And it makes me a little bit sad.
Van Lathan
Yes. There's something else about this room, of course.
Tate Frazier
Yeah.
Van Lathan
So there were a lot of people that after Coach Corso started having some health problems, they were very snide, very mean, very aggressive about wanting ESPN to jettison him from the show. And they didn't. They did not do that. And I'm glad that they didn't. I'm glad that they didn't, because it shows the difference between college football culture and professional football culture. College football culture is made up of a lot of people. When you go to the games, you see a lot of people that set down roots, and you're happy to see them. You're happy to see the people that set down roots. You're happy to see the people that are gonna talk to you about games that LSU had in 1971, 1972, 1973. We appreciate those people still being a part of college football because the traditional of the game is so important. So the fact that Lee Corso was up there, even after he had obviously had some health concerns and that he was still contributing to the show, I loved that about game day and I loved that they allowed him to leave the show on his own time and to choose when he wanted to step away. So I give him a lot of credit for that over at ESPN.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, and shout out to Lee Corso. I mean, 2009 was the time that you were talking about where he was getting a lot of pushback. Should he be on the show, all this sort of stuff. If you told anyone that in 2025, that would be his final, you know, time on the show, a lot of people would have been like, no way. That's impossible. But that just says more, you know, you know, kudos to obviously Coach Corso. Going to be a lot of tears flying, I'm sure, this weekend, and a lot of commentary about how special it was because we also have, in the backdrop of that moment, a very special game. And that gets us to our first fact here. No quarterback making his first career start has ever beaten the nation's number one team in the last 20 years. They're a combined over. Over 18. The last notable time that it happened. Jim Harbaugh. Yes, the head coach of the Chargers debut under center at Michigan back in 1984. A 2214 shocker over number one Miami. So there you go, Julian saying, can he make history happen again this weekend just like he was Jim Harbaugh back in 1984 against Jimmy Johnson, the head coach of Miami in his first year. Joel, I'll turn to you. What are your thoughts when you hear that stat? Does that make you feel more emboldened about Texas, or does that make you think, hey, maybe Ohio State can be the next team to make this happen?
Joel Anderson
FanDuel would love to see me coming because my theory is that record got to end at some point, right? Like, I'm just one of those people if I go play roulette, I'm like, well, man, eventually Red is going to come up, so I might as well just stick on this.
Tate Frazier
And.
Joel Anderson
And my thought is, if you've got to go up against the number one team in the country, a team that has never want anything of Consequence without Vince Young. I'd want Ryan Day, I'd want Jeremiah Smith, I'd want Carnell Tate. I'd want Purdue's best offensive player, the tight end, Max Claire and I wanted to be playing at home. Ideally, you open with Ball State, but if you're going to do it this way, then you want that sort of support and cast. And I think like saying has everything he needs to end that record on Saturday.
Tate Frazier
Van, what about you? What do you see? Do you think Julian saying, Do you believe in him going Super Saiyan? That's what the kids are already saying.
Van Lathan
Look at that.
Joel Anderson
Y super.
Van Lathan
A little. A little.
Tate Frazier
An anime little Dragon Ball Z there for you.
Van Lathan
Tate Ball Z.
Joel Anderson
That's where Cyan comes from.
Tate Frazier
Yeah.
Van Lathan
How much did you get? The whole tank thing when you were growing up, did you get a lot?
Tate Frazier
Not a lot, you know, luckily. You know what I mean there? I mean, I got, you know, a lot of different versions of Tate. I mean, you know, you can agitate, right? Irritate, things like that. You know what I mean? Tate's a lot of root of words. So, you know, you can go different.
Joel Anderson
Ways with lactate, right?
Tate Frazier
You know what I mean? Can go good and bad, but, you know, we'll see.
Van Lathan
Look, Julian saying a lot going on there. He has all the talent in the world around him. It is unproven. I think what we're seeing across the landscape of college football is players that we have been told that are going to be fantastic. We have to watch them get busy. Now, to Joel's point, there are players on Ohio State's team that have already been fantastic. You know, I have one specific player that I'm looking at on the Ohio State defense that I think is going to be a difference maker in this player in this game is actually going to be the most important player in this game, and that's Caleb Downs. If I am playing against a quarterback like Arch Manning, who has all of this thrust upon him, this gigantic really career making start for him, what I want is an Ed Reed, Eric Barry type of guy in the back of the defense that can confuse this player, make it hard on him. I think about when Miami played Florida State back in the day and Reed just made it a hellscape for Chris Ricks. I think Ricks threw like three or four interceptions in that game. I remember watching that game back in the day. So I think that saying has a lot around him that would allow him to be a game manager in this situation and just take the opportunities that are there for him and still have some success. The question is whether or not they're going to be able to run the ball, whether or not he's going to be able to get the ball to Jeremiah Smith. And some of those other playmakers don't know the answer to that right now. But I think it's going to be the defense and some of the players on the defense of Ohio State, they're going to be able to make Texas make some mistakes. Texas has a great defense too, though, Van.
Joel Anderson
They have a dude on their team. And I'm only mentioning this guy because he's from Houston, Devin Sanchez. He's this freshman corner, true freshman. They're calling this dude defensive. Jeremiah Smith.
Van Lathan
Wow.
Joel Anderson
Okay. And he's like one of those guys. I wish the Buckeye thing. I should know this thing.
Van Lathan
Whatever.
Joel Anderson
He lost his black stripe or whatever. And it was a big deal when this dude did it. You know what I mean? And so whenever upperclassmen on a team is accomplished as Ohio State talk with reverence about a freshman, you just know he a badass. You know what I mean? And so, like, I feel like that's. That's something that people haven't really accounted for either. They're gonna have Caleb Downs, who I think is maybe the best college player, the best player in college football and that dude. And they've got Ibumsen over on the. At the other corner. I don't know, dog. It's. It's gonna be a rough one.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, Caleb. Yeah, go ahead, man.
Van Lathan
No, it'll also be up to not to cut you off. It'll also be up to. To Arch to realize that he doesn't have to win the Heisman on Saturday. He does not have to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. He has to go out. He has to operate Texas offense, operate Sark's scheme in a way that consistently puts his offense and his team and his defense, to be honest with you, in positions that they can win. If he tries to do too much, I think Texas is going to have a real uphill battle. It's so interesting. I think if Arch goes out and decides that he's going to play this game like Trent Dilfer, like he's going to play this game like he's going to go out and actually just do less. I think Texas has a better shot at winning the football game than if he tries to actually impose himself on the game way too much and way too early.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, I like the quote from Arch. He said, I think we kind of trip try to shift the narrative we're going for everyone else. The target's not on our back. We have a red dot on everyone else. That's your uncle's favorite quote of the week, right? Everybody, you know, was very excited to see Arch Manning flip that around a little bit. But I think the fascinating part of this is Matt Patricia. What does Matt Patricia look like as a defensive coordinator? You mentioned all the talent on defense. But again, Matt Patricia much maligned as a head coach, obviously, but he comes to college football. They're replacing the coordinators. Chip Kelly's with the Raiders now. Coach Joel, you're, you're shaking your head here. Are you concerned about that aspect for the Ohio?
Joel Anderson
I mean, I'm not trying to be this kind of a person. Like, obviously he's an accomplished person in that he got to be head coach of an NFL team, but, like, what, what is Matt Patricia done? You know what I mean? I mean, that doesn't seem like that's not a trade. If I'm Ohio State, I would much rather have Knowles than this cat. And that's, you know, that's one of those things you, you know, when you're thinking about who's going to win the game, you don't. You try not to think too much about. Cause like, well, this is still a talent. On talent, most of these coaches are capable. It's about, it might could be a wash. But my thing with Matt Patricia, I'm just like, well, what, what has that guy done?
Van Lathan
I mean, well, look, he's the. Who's an NFL DC for a long time. He coached in the NFL for a long time. Obviously he has some bonafides. That's part, all of this is part of it. The having Caleb Downs, having some of the talent on the defensive side of the ball. The question is, what is he going to be able to show in order to confuse Texas, an offense that's going to come out very resolute in what it is that they want to do. If there's anything Sark's going to come out, he's going to have his script to start the game. And the question is, after he gets out of that, what is Matt Patricia going to be able to do to fool Sark and put him in positions where the young quarterback and some of the other new guys that they have make some mistakes and we'll see everybody in college football in week one this year is they're learning on the job. There's going to be learning on the job at, at lsu, Clemson, there's going to be learning on the job at Notre Dame and Miami. Everybody's going to be learning on the job. So the question is, who shows up most ready for that first day?
Tate Frazier
Yeah. And it's going to be fascinating with the layered concepts of Sark. I think if you're Sark, you might be licking your chops a little bit. And also there could be a cause for concern, like Bill Belichick, you mentioned at the top. Joel goes back to college football, does not ask Matt Patricia to join him, even though they had a show together last year.
Joel Anderson
So, I mean, he had to hire his son. You know what I mean? His son did the job. That's true. That's true.
Tate Frazier
That's family. And also the last time we saw these two teams play each other, right, that was Texas's last game. Quinn Ewers throws the pick six to his former roommate at Ohio State, which goes back to the transfer portal. Part of it. Like, it's going to be fascinating. There's a lot of connective tissue in this game.
Joel Anderson
Well, that's the thing I keep coming back to. Texas didn't beat anyone last year that had the talent and firepower to fight back. Like, they beat everybody it was supposed to and lost everybody that they could. They could have thrown a punch with them. So, yeah, I mean, you know, we'll see. We'll see. I. Texas couldn't run the ball against anybody in any of those games. Any, any game that counted last year. And so to, to Van's earlier point, it's all on Arch. How will we feel in that, in that crucible on Saturday?
Tate Frazier
Yeah, it's going to be fascinating. And again, success for Arch. Like Van said, it's not about winning the Heisman in week one, but there will be a lot of eyeballs on this game, obviously, and we will be reacting to it on Saturday live. So it's a lot to get to. This is ring or tailgate presented by FanDuel. Whether you're riding a noon kickoff or betting the late games, FanDuel lets you bet it your way. Same game parlays, live betting, player props, alt lines. Whatever your angle is, it lives in the app. It's fast, it's easy, and when you win, you get paid instantly. Download the app or head to fanduel.com tailgate and make every Saturday count. The ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available and listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Must be 21 or older. In present in select states or 18 and older and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com, call 1-8887 or visit ccpg.org chadinconnecticut let's talk about the number two game and again, another top ten tilt that we have here. We got number nine, LSU versus number four, Clemson. The battle for Death Valley, the battle of the two Tigers. And I'm saying this is the something's gotta give game because both these teams are looking to get off the snide in the opening game last year. Obviously Clemson embarrassed by Georgia. Uh, LSU has been going through their own version of that with Brian Kelly slamming the table last year. Van, you know these Tigers very well. And of course Clemson is kind of viewed as the number one most talented team in the country. What should we be looking for and what do you want to see in this game?
Van Lathan
Whether or not LSU is going to be able to run the ball and whether or not they're going to be able to see some type of cohesive and solid, maybe even adequate play from the offensive line. Look, the talent on the field, on both sides of the ball for LSU and on both sides of the ball for Clemson is staggering. LSU was able to bring in a tremendous, tremendous transfer portal class at some real positions of need. You got guys that are coming in playing safety, you got guys coming in playing corner, got Monsoon Delaine coming in. You got Peyton coming in on the defensive line. You got all different types of guys coming in that are going to be ready to play for lsu. Right? The question is on the offensive side of the ball that's on the defensive side of the ball. On the offensive side of the ball, will LSU be able to run the ball specifically at the Clemson defensive line? If they can't, we're not going to be able to win this game. And I say we, because guys, I'm a goddamn LSU fan, let them know. Yeah, okay, we need this game. Everywhere else we're going to be able to compete. Our receiver room is crazy with the talent that we are able to bring in and the talent that we brought back. We got Barry and Brown coming out to stretch the defense. We got Nick Anderson coming back. We got Nick Anderson coming into lsu. Should I say we have Zevon Thomas, Aaron Anderson, all of those guys are ready to play. Bauer sharp at tight end. All right, we have Tradez Green coming in as a freakish 6 foot 7 tight end that has a one on one matchup nightmare. All of that stuff ready to happen. But if LSU is not able to run the football, if we are predictable and one dimensional, we are not going to be a successful football team this year. It's not going to happen if that is the case. So what you're looking for in this game is to see whether or not the Clemson defensive line completely dominates the LSU offensive line and takes us into a situation where we're behind the sticks, where we're trying to make miracle plays, where everything is on Nuss Meyer. And if that's the case, the game can get away from lsu. But if we're actually able to commit to the run, run the ball, control the clock a little bit, put Nuss Meyer in situations where he does not have to be Houdini, then I think you're going to see a game that's very competitive, that LSU has a chance to win. But if not, then Clemson might be able to go to town and feast on us a little bit.
Joel Anderson
The only team, the only teams, the only way Clemson lost last year was they were able to give it up on the run, man. So they have two guys on the line, TJ Parker, Peter woods, they're the two of the three best players on the team. Depending on what you think of K Cup club, Nick. But in their four losses last year, Georgia got em for 170, Louisville got em for 210, South Carolina got it for 267 and Texas got him for 292. Okay, so they are vulnerable there. You can do that. I like Kaden Durham, man. I think he's, you know, sort of an underrated running back. I thought he had a pretty good year. I'd always kind of like, why isn't this dude more highly recruited? I didn't. But anyway, I think he's pretty good. And also LSU brought in the number one running back recruit in the country in Harlem, Berry. And like, like Van was saying, they have a new offensive line. It won't be what it was last year because how could it be? You lose Will Campbell and your other tackles. Like it's not going to be the same thing. But I still think they have a real chance here. My thing is, and this is to Van, since he be saying, you know, we, this isn't fair to Brian Kelly. Okay? I respect LSU for taking this challenge and being willing to risk something. But like if they lose this game, okay, lots of teams would lose this game. Texas would be hard pressed to win here, Ohio State, Notre Dame, maybe even Penn State. It would be a tough game. For anybody to win. So if Brian Kelly loses, I don't think that needs to be this narrative about, oh man, here, go. You know, here, here, here, here, go. You know, Brian Kelly losing again, you know.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, you don't have to bring the pitchforks out just yet. But there is a conversation about Clemson too, because really with Dabo, right, The, the kind of the sauce has been lost a little bit, but they seem to be back. And the reason why is that wide receivers court, right? If you look at that group, TJ Moore, Bryant, Wesco, Antonio Williams, those three guys with clubnik kind of feel like the difference makers to get this Clemson team back to that national point where they could actually contend and be national champions. Also the Nussmeier factor. Van, I did want to ask you about that. He's wearing number 18. Very important in LSU lore. The last time the quarterback for the LSU Tigers, war number 18, Nick Saban, was the coach and they won the national championship. Does that make you feel better about this team?
Van Lathan
It makes me feel better about the way the team regards him. To have 18 back on the quarterback again, that means that they believe in him and that they trust in him and that he embodies what it is that we're trying to do. And you've heard that throughout Nuss's entire career, by the way. Like, there were people back in the day that wanted Nuts to get his shot the first year of Jaden Daniels being on the team because a lot of the receivers thought that they might be get a little bit more touches or that Nuts was a better distributor of the football, at least that first year, while Jaden took a little while to kind of figure things out. This is what I'll say about Brian Kelly and the Brian Kelly of this. All of. All of this. Brian Kelly has won big games at lsu. People think that he hasn't. He has. He beat Alabama. He's won big games at lsu. He's won. He's won big games. Last year, LSU beat Ole Miss. He's won big games. Games like this, though, he's got to start winning them. And what I mean is not just big games, because every SEC game is a big game to a degree. The fervor is always crazy, right? But highly anticipated national games where people outside of the fan base of even college football are watching, where it's lights on, everybody's tuning in, games that are the first game of the season in prime time, usc, Florida State, games like that, he has got to show this fan base at some point. Maybe that's not this year. Maybe it's later on this year that he can win this football game. And the reason why I say that's so important is because there is a way that players play, a way that players get up, a way that players approach these types of games. And that's indicative of the head coach. Les Miles used to have these guys on fire to go out there so he could put them in positions to lose.
Tate Frazier
Okay?
Van Lathan
Now Brian Kelly has to show that his teams are ready to meet moments like this. So the way that LSU plays on Saturday is going to be as important as whether or not we win the game. If we come out timid, if we come out slow off the ball, if we come out looking like this moment is too big for us, it'll just be more cowbell for a lot of people in Baton Rouge.
Tate Frazier
And then, you know, we know how it goes in SEC country. It can go south very quickly. So for Brian Kelly's sake, you're hoping the Tigers do get a win in this game. Ringer Tailgate is brought to you by FanDuel Week one of college football is finally here, and FanDuel is kicking things off with a no sweat bet just for you. That means you can place any bet on college football this week, and if it doesn't hit you, get it back in. Bonus Bets Whether you're riding your alma mater or a top 10 matchup, FanDuel has you covered with live betting, game props, alternate lines and more. So bet confidently, because with a no sweat bet, even your first miss comes with the second chance. Download the FanDuel app now or head to FanDuel.comtailgate to get started. Must be 21 or older and President select states or 18 and older and President DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Opt in required refund issued as a non withdrawable bonus bets that expires seven days after receipt. Max refund $5 unless otherwise specified. Restrictions apply including token expiration. See terms@sportsbook.fanduel.com gambling problem call 1-800-gambler or visit rg-help.com call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut discover Ralph's Club, New.
Van Lathan
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Tate Frazier
The last top 10 matchup we want to highlight before we get into the rest of our many segments that we have here, we got number six, Notre Dame. At number 10, Miami. That is going to be on Sunday. This was always dubbed Catholics versus Convicts. Joel, I wanted to ask you about that. Is that. Can we retire that? I keep saying that everywhere.
Joel Anderson
Oh, hell no, man. Well, you don't want to. Well, I kind of do it because it's kind of racist. But if you're okay with the racism of it. I, like, I had to get past that. It's been 40 years, you know what I mean? But, like, it makes me think of Tony Rice, Michael Stonebreaker, you know, Melvin Bratton, like a Blaze brother out there somewhere, you know, and the thing that's kind of weird. So, like, you know, there was this belief that Miami, you know, won with overwhelming talent and like, Notre Dame was a well coached, well organized team under Lou Holtz. And that's always sort of been the reputations of each program, bro. I was at Notre Dame's final game, you know, that national championship lost to Ohio State. I was so impressed with the level of talent on this roster. I don't know if Marcus Friedman is actually a better coach than Brian Kelly, but he inarguably has upgraded the quality of athlete there. And it's possible that, like, Notre Dame will have a tremendous advantage over Miami. Like in Jock, in Jeremiah Love. They got maybe the best running back in the country. They have for the first time in a long time, like, maybe one of the best wide receiving cores in the country. I've seen a bunch of people rate them as having the best offensive line on defense. They're great. Like, they may have the two. The best cornerbacks in this country. So I'm like, man, you know, the paradigm has sort of flipped on these two programs. But yeah, man, we don't have.
Van Lathan
We don't have to.
Joel Anderson
We don't have to retire. Catholics versus comics. I mean, look. I mean, if anything is popular in this country right now is racism. So. Fine, fine. Go ahead. It won't hurt me. It won't hurt. Sorry about that. Sorry about that. Sorry.
Van Lathan
This is a sneaky, important game for Notre Dame.
Tate Frazier
Yes, agreed. 06 all time at Miami, by the way.
Van Lathan
This. This is a sneaky, important game for Notre Dame. So there is a lot of continuity there in Notre Dame, for sure. But then there's. There's some questions, too. Al Goldland is gone. Chris Ash takes over. They have a new quarterback coming in, a guy who's never attempted a pass.
Tate Frazier
Lloyd Carr's grandson, for what it's worth.
Van Lathan
It's fantastic. We can know those wide receivers that you're talking about, the court's good, but they're new. They're new. The LSU wide receivers that I was talking about, they're new too, so I should be consistent in saying that. But Notre Dame is trying to demonstrate something. They're trying to demonstrate program consistency of greatness. Right. They're trying to say to the people that are watching them that they have turned the page and that page will be turned and they can turn it from year to year. When you look at the overall record of Marcus Freeman, you see a lot of accomplishments from Notre Dame, but then you also see just enough baffling losses for people to wonder last year.
Tate Frazier
Right.
Van Lathan
Exactly. Whether or not he's quite the right guy, be it Marshall, be it Northern Illinois, whoever it is. Just for people to be like, well what, what is the deal now? Last year, in the way last year finished, probably did a lot for people to be like, okay, this guy is the guy and Notre Dame is going to be on the mountaintop of college football very soon. But it's not cemented yet. It's not a done deal yet for a lot of people inside that fan base. And I watch their post game stuff and for a lot of people nationally. So for Notre Dame to come out against the Miami team that also has a lot of questions in another national primetime game, if they lost this game, it wouldn't be a huge, huge, huge back breaking deal, but it would continue the narrative that they're not quite sure that they're all the way back yet. I know that sounds crazy after Notre Dame already went to the national championship game. Right. But there's still a little bit more to prove. They're not quite there. They need to win these games when they have them, particularly because they're not going to play a daunting schedule after.
Tate Frazier
This and to set the precedent of kind of who they are as a program, as you said, I do feel like a lot of conversation about this game has been Carr versus Wentz. Right. But I do think that Love versus Mark Fletcher, Miami's running back, I think is going to be a real big storyline and that goes back to the trenches, as you mentioned, Joel. So is that something that you're keeping an eye on as well?
Joel Anderson
Oh, well, yeah. I mean, the thing is, is that I felt that Jeremiah Love, he, I had to imagine he'll end up in New York at the end of the year. Right. That he, that he's that good. That offensive line is that good. My understanding is that Jeremiah Love created more. He got more yards after first contact than any returning running back coming back this year. Right. So if he didn't have good blocking, he would be a problem. Right. But he has great blocking, probably the best set of blockers out here. But the one thing about Miami, and people can say whatever they want about Coach Cristobal, whatever, that team is always going to be solid on the lines, which is kind of inverted. You know, Miami is known for the flashy skill players or whatever, but under him, like the lines are going to be straight. Like, I have a lot of confidence that they'll be able to hold up. There is. Will everybody else be able to come in and be, you know, what, what, what are they going to look like at receiver? How good is Mark Fletcher really? And you know, is Carson Beck worth $4 million? We'll find out.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, we're going to find out. And again, Shane Dawson, their offensive coordinator, said that he believes that Carson Wentz could end up being the number one pick. So we have to keep that in the back of our minds as well.
Van Lathan
So Carson Wentz.
Tate Frazier
That would be crazy. Carson Becky would end up Carson Wentz. If he is playing college football, then the term limits are really done. Even though we got a lot of guys trying to come back and play some football, the last game we want to get to, we got the top 10 games down and then we'll get into our segments. Like I said, we got TCU at unc. Kirk Herb street said this is the game he is most excited to see.
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Tate Frazier
More@Applecard.Com Van Are you excited to see Bill Belichick in game one?
Van Lathan
Yeah, you know, it's an awesome place to be in when the coach is the main story about a game. Look, I'm not going to act like I give a fuck about UNC football, even for purposes of the podcast. Please, can you.
Tate Frazier
For my sake, please.
Van Lathan
I'm not going to act like I care, but this is. This is as fascinating a thing as I think that I've seen in the game in a while. It's every bit the fascination that Coach prime was Bill Belichick, greatest coach ever, coming into college football and bringing along with him the true leader of North Carolina football, his girlfriend, Jordan.
Tate Frazier
And so I thought you were gonna say Michael Lombardi. Come on.
Van Lathan
No, it's not Michael Lombardi. Shout out to Michael Lombardi. The true leader of football there in UNC is his girlfriend, Jordan. We've seen that they're going for the trademarks and all of this just to be able to see if the first female head coach in the history of NCAA football can actually get a win. Right now that I've seen, it might be somebody out there. I don't want to diss the sisters, but. But there's just so much to watch. What if they're great? What if they're terrible? What does it mean if they're great? What does it mean if they're terrible? Does Bill Belichick's process, a process that just reaped ridiculous benefits in the NFL? Does that work in college football? Is there something we don't know? Do we know everything? Is it smoke and mirrors? Is it real? I will be so interested in a team that I couldn't care less about in terms of North Carolina. They've done it. They've gotten me to watch. And if you're tcu, do you want to be the team that North Carolina comes out and offers up as proof of concept that Bill Belichick is a great college football coach or that Jordan can wind somebody up and have them go out and call their plays? So I cannot watch. I cannot wait to watch this game. I am 1000% serious.
Tate Frazier
And for the listeners at home, this is a personal game between myself and Joel. Joel played at tcu, so this is, you know, our hearts divided here on the program. So, Joel, you know TCU football very well. What are your thoughts? I mean, Van laid it up there perfectly for you.
Joel Anderson
Yeah, well, so it's funny that he's, you know, Van said, you know, proven that this is a proof of concept thing. Right? Because I remember a couple years ago, something was happening in my life, for whatever reason, on the opening week of college football, I couldn't make it to watch TCU vs. Deion Sanders in Colorado in their debut. But I was like, oh, man, we coming off a national championship game. Colorado was one of the worst teams in the country last year. I'm going to be all right. And then all of a sudden, I'm getting all these text messages from my friends. Bro, you watching the game. Ha ha. You know, laughing at me. And I'm like, okay. So it wasn't the start of my disenchantment with the Sonny Dykes era, but it sort of confirmed my doubts about the direction of the program in spite of the unprecedented season before it. And, like, you know, it proved to a lot of people that Dion in Colorado could be a feasible college coach. Like, there was some proof of concept. There was like, okay, Dion has figured it out. That's a big win. That's something that did not happen in Colorado in a long time. And so, like, do I think the same thing might happen again on Monday?
Tate Frazier
Yes, it does feel like it's set up that way. And I do feel like I have to give a tip of the cap to tcu, the horn from frogs out there. I'll even do the sign if they're willing to fall on the sword for Bill Belichick and for Jordan. So, you know, and it really helps our prime versus Belichick segment if it's right. It's Jordan the Don.
Joel Anderson
Is it really?
Tate Frazier
Yeah.
Joel Anderson
Wait, I'm just now hearing that. Are you serious?
Tate Frazier
Yeah. It's Jordan. It's not Jordan.
Van Lathan
Many jokes about Jordan returning to unc.
Joel Anderson
What is going on?
Tate Frazier
We're thinking about changing to Jordan Brand instead of Jordan Brand.
Joel Anderson
That's. That's sort of like Joe Theisman.
Van Lathan
Yeah.
Joel Anderson
Whole deal makes sense.
Van Lathan
But how does it. How does it feel to know that he's going to win no matter what happens? State t. No matter what happens, he's going to go home and it's going to be baby oil freak off action.
Joel Anderson
Like, how do you.
Van Lathan
Seriously, Bill. Okay, how about this? This is what I'll say. This is what I say.
Tate Frazier
Okay. Yeah, yeah.
Van Lathan
I'm rooting for unc. I've totally changed in the last three seconds.
Tate Frazier
I like it.
Van Lathan
You know why? Cause I want people to be happy. Everybody hates people being happy.
Tate Frazier
It's the worst.
Joel Anderson
I want to be happy, too, though.
Van Lathan
I know, I know. But you got a lot of years. You're in your prime. Bill Belichick has already. He wants to be happy again. This whole thing. I remember when Bill and Pablo had this conversation on their podcast about this entire thing. You know, Pablo was talking about the Peabody and Bill and him were doing a whole. It was like a beer or something. Remember Obama had to beer summit after the police tried to break. That's basically what they had on the podcast. I remember that. And it was very, very fun to watch. But I thought about what type of college football story could make it to Bill's radar. And it's Jordan Jordash. She gotta win. He gotta win so she can win.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, that's right. And it's good for college football if he wins the first one, right? Because false hope. Everybody loves false hope. And Joel, I think tc, you will bounce back, I promise, if you just let him get one. I think it's good for the show. That's all I'll say. You know what I mean? Just follow one more time.
Joel Anderson
I'm conflicted. Like, we, you know, SMU is better than us now, so I. If this needs to be the start of the spiral, fine. But, you know, we're gonna learn a lot about both coaches on. On Monday.
Van Lathan
Can't wait. Yeah.
Tate Frazier
And to keep it football just in that matchup, Gio Lopez, starting quarterback for North Carolina, taking on Josh Hoover, starting quarterback for tcu. That should be a game within the game. But Van, like he said, it doesn't matter. Everybody's.
Van Lathan
He literally. He literally, like, seriously, bro, he could start Josh Allen.
Tate Frazier
Like, he can.
Van Lathan
Or Carson. It doesn't matter. That's not what we're talking about the whole game. TCU doesn't even have to show up. Like, TCU could play the. Like the. The third. We want to see what Bill got going on, and we want to see what she gonna be wearing.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, it's gonna be a fascinating game. Monday Night Football again, tcu, North Carolina.
Joel Anderson
Only game in the country, man.
Tate Frazier
Right. And then also next year, week zero, they'll have their own stage as well over in Ireland.
Van Lathan
So I guess we'll be at this game.
Tate Frazier
I will not be at this game. I. I've. I've hit the eject button. I will be back at a different couple games.
Joel Anderson
Well, reach out to your people over there. Tell them to respond to my requests, because I'm trying to get this.
Tate Frazier
They don't like the media, but Jordan will bring the media and I think, much to their own chagrin, I'll reach out for you, Joel. I. I'll do my best. They ignore me, too. That's how. That's how the game goes. You know what I mean? Let's get into some fun segments, though. We got some good stuff. One big prediction. We love making predictions. We'll do. One big reaction when we come back on Saturday. Week one. One big prediction. Joe, I'll go to you first. What do you expect to see in week one?
Joel Anderson
We're going to feel really sorry for Mike Norvell in Florida State again. Yeah. Oh. We're going to be going live on Saturday when they kick off against Bama, and I think things are going to go poorly pretty quickly. Can you all remember a program falling apart faster than FSU has since Jordan Travis went down? Like, what good has they missed out on a playoff berth, they sued the CD, they shoot, got their asses beat by 60 points in the Orange bowl, and then followed it up with their worst season in half a century. Okay. And so now they got to play against the Crimson Tide, a program that actually has something to prove. And if you think Kaylin DeBoer is worth a damn, they probably will show some improvement this year. He has a quarterback he probably is a little bit more comfortable with in Ty Simpson as opposed to Jalen Milroe. So. Yeah, man, I just. I know it's hard to feel sorry for Florida State in a lot of ways, like, if you're familiar with the program and the people around it. But I just. They looked. They looked okay. I'm not saying FSU is going to go 2 and 10 again before a program that was making noise about leaving the hood of, like, the acc. They look swapped me in a way last year that I was not used to, and they brought in a lot of other people. We'll see if that makes a difference this year.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, Talon nasty. Taking on a totally different connotation these days. Nasty in a bad way.
Joel Anderson
Other people don't like Tallahassee.
Van Lathan
For real.
Tate Frazier
Well, they used to say tall net, like, you know, at least back in my time in college, but it was like the nasty. Like, it's sick. You know what I mean? Like, it's cool. Like, you know, like, we're having a good time down here. You know what I mean? But I think it's, you know, going the other way. Van, your one big prediction for week.
Van Lathan
One, Dog Day Afternoon. The underdogs are going to have success.
Tate Frazier
Okay? I love it.
Van Lathan
Now, I'm not saying that all the. All the dogs are going to win. I'm saying if you look, you got some live dogs. Texas is a dog. Texas is a dog. In the game against Ohio State. LSU is a dog. I think that game, despite all of my trepidation about it, I think LSU is going to have success in that game, is going to have A shot to win that game in the fourth quarter. And my counterplay, my zag, which I'm gonna get to right now.
Tate Frazier
Okay. I love it.
Van Lathan
All right. Is a part of this assessment. I think that Florida State's gonna have more success against Alabama than I think that people think they will. Damn.
Joel Anderson
Damn.
Van Lathan
I'm zagging. What a zag. So I'm zagging here. I'm zagging. By the way, I hate predictions, so you guys can. I hate predictions.
Joel Anderson
I don't want to be held responsible for my opinions either.
Tate Frazier
Predictions are impossible.
Van Lathan
I'm a reactionary guy. I hate predictions. But look, the Gus Mall's on offense.
Tate Frazier
Oh, yeah.
Van Lathan
Running against Alabama. They've always had success. Obviously there's different coaches around here. I personally think that Florida State is going to have a little bit more success against Alabama than people think that they will. Maybe this is my Bama hate taking over. I hate, I hate Bama. I hate Bama so much.
Tate Frazier
How much?
Van Lathan
Guys, first of all, shout out to the people of Alabama. Shout out to you. It's not you. Okay. But when I see the crimson, my skin crawls. It's irrational. I was about to cry a second ago. It's irrational how much I hate Alabama. So it doesn't matter who's playing them. I will hope against hope and wish for the worst. So in this situation right here, I'm hoping that the Florida State team can muster some type of balls and go out there and put it on the line against Alabama, man.
Joel Anderson
So you heard me.
Van Lathan
Are we supposed to, Are we supposed to have rooting interest on this show? I don't think we're supposed to.
Tate Frazier
I think if you're a fan of college sports, you have rooting interests because there's a college team that you love and that's the reason why you care. So if you don't have a team, I actually have that more as a red flag in my opinion. But Joe, go ahead.
Joel Anderson
Yeah, no, I mean, I have more teams that I actually hate. You know what I mean? So. But yeah, no, I, I, I, I, I don't agree with that at all. I think Florida State's gonna be terrible, man. And I mean, you know, look, I get what Van told you. That was wishful thinking, like he wants.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, he said the name, though. The name is Gus Malzahn. Like, this is a Gus Malzahn moment, right? This is a guy who has given Bama fits in the past. I mean, he had the kick six. I mean, this is just funny. That sends a chill down their Spine.
Joel Anderson
Yeah. I mean, you know, again, it's just like, people have been excited about Gus Malzahn since the Obama administration. You know, it's just kind of like. All right, Ghost Malzah, 20, 25. All right, cool. Their quarterback, they got him from Boston College, and he got benched last year. I mean, he was hurt, too, but, you know, it's like. Okay.
Van Lathan
Oh, yeah, but he's. He's a lot. He's a lively little one, though.
Joel Anderson
Yeah, he's a good one. Yeah, man, it's n. Look nice. Little fast dude, man.
Tate Frazier
He was part of the poop game, right? The. The FSU fan that said he would eat like, a cup of. If they. If they didn't beat Boston College, and then Tommy Castellano's beat them, and then he didn't eat the poop. That was a big story last year. Yeah. Welcome to college football.
Joel Anderson
Yeah, absolutely.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, that's. That's where we are. But, I mean, Joel, you have a calendar as well that is not related to fsu. What do you see out there?
Joel Anderson
Oh, yeah. So, like, I think that this is probably the end of the Stoops era of college football. So, you know, Bob left, you know, at the top of his game. Mike Stoops got a few years of coaching. I did not know this. He's currently the inside linebackers coach at Kentucky.
Van Lathan
He's.
Joel Anderson
So Mike Stoops, since he got fired at Arizona, has worked for his brothers in nine of the last 12 years. Okay. And that brings me to Mark Stoops, who anybody would understand and agree these are the golden years for Kentucky football. Okay. Kentucky's won 10 games four times in his history, and Stoops has two of those years. But things are trending upward. The last three seasons, 76. 76, 4 and 8. FanDuel has their win total set at like four and a half right now. Okay, so you can see why Mark Stoops is trying to get his ass to Texas A and M a couple years ago. They opened with Toledo this Saturday, and I kind of feel like they gonna get got, man. Toledo is probably the best team in the Mac. Last year, they went into Mississippi State and smacked them boys up by 24. They got a lot of returning starters, including their quarterback, Tucker Gleason, who, you know, look, they. They didn't get raided in the portal. Like, the Mac is basically like a feeder system for schools all over the country. They didn't get totally rated, and they even brought in a few other guys. So I kind of see Toledo winning this Win and setting up Kentucky for a year. That is maybe the end of the line for the Stoops brothers.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, poor one out for the Stoops football family. I think that's a good call. I have some Kentucky people in my life. They have been probably out for about two years at this point. So, you know, it's a short lease in the sec, even if you are at a basketball school. So it goes quickly. I had a calendar play that involved Auburn. I thought that, you know, Auburn was going to have like a moment this weekend against Baylor, but I feel like we're going a little too hard against the Bama fans right now. I know Van is laughing and happy about that, but I'm going to. I'm going to pivot here and go after Boise State instead. I think that South Florida is going to be Boise State. I Bynum Brown is the name to know. North Carolina kid goes down to play quarterback at USF and Boise State last year they had Ash and Ginty. They led the nation in sacks. Their quarterback Madsen looked good because he had Genti next to him in the backfield. I think that we are viewing this team as a team that still has an Asti Ashton Genti like figure in the backfield. I don't think they do anymore. So I'm going against the Broncos. I'm going to take USF on that Thursday night. That's my counter play.
Van Lathan
Fantastic.
Joel Anderson
I feel that, man.
Tate Frazier
Toledo love and USF love.
Joel Anderson
You know, I mean, look, man, I. Look, man, I lived in Tampa for four years, bro. It's going to be hot and sticky and sloppy down there. You know what I'm saying?
Van Lathan
Worst places that you can play a first game.
Tate Frazier
Oh, a lot of humidity. You can see it in the air, right? And they got a good program down there at South Florida. I mean, I remember when Skip Holtz went. Went down there from East Carolina back in the, you know, 2007, 2010, somewhere in that range and you know, look like they had some juices of program. They're always a little bit more relevant than we think. Let's go to our favorite segment though. Prime versus Belichick. We did talk Belichick already, so that gets us to prime time Friday Night Lights. Georgia Tech. We got these two programs going head to head. Obviously Georgia Tech has been great, you know, as far as the preseason hype, propaganda, all that sort of stuff. But Van, Coach prime, what do you see in his first game on Friday?
Van Lathan
I have no clue what to expect. It's coach, because there's Something about Colorado where the expectations haven't been properly set. We don't deal with expectations when it comes to Colorado. We deal with reactions. So he comes into last year and there were people that expected, I guess, more than what Colorado did. Even though if you look at it, they had a pretty solid season, a pretty good season, right? And so it's like a. Basically a great season for Colorado, particularly where they've been. A lot of people don't know what to really expect from them. If you look at what they've been since he's been there and compare them to where they were when he got there, they've been an absolute revelation. But how are you supposed to judge Colorado? Is Colorado supposed to take the next step and become a dominant team with an opportunity to win the big 12 year in and year out? Is that where they're supposed to be? Are they still in rebuilding mode? Is he a couple years away? How invested is Deion into Colorado now that his sons are no longer there? There are so many questions, and this season will seem to answer them. That against Georgia Tech, which is one of my favorite non SEC programs to watch, I love watching Georgia Tech. I love Haynes King, okay? I love the way they play. I love the way they bring it. I love to see them in their little stadium, this little tiny stadium, little tiny stadium they got. I love Georgia Tech. So watching this game, the Gold game, as I dubbed it, this is my favorite other matchup of the week besides the other ones that I've seen. Just a lot of questions to ask as far as, you know, how lively Georgia Tech's going to be, but also how we set expectations for Coach prime in this season.
Tate Frazier
And Coach Prime, I mean, he said this was the best team that he has had. Obviously, they lost the talent of Chador. They lost the talent of Travis Hunter. He said it was the best team that he's had at Colorado. And also Kaden Salter comes over from Liberty and he said that he is going to be the starting quarterback. Joel, do you believe in primetime?
Joel Anderson
Well, you know, it's really interesting, right, because yeah, the thing is, what Vance said about being able to set expectations for them is absolutely right. And they make it more difficult because it's not like they have an established culture. Like, every year they're bringing in a lot of guys. Like, I mean, the program's foundations were Deion Shedeur and Travis Hunter prior to this. Right. And now they're no longer there. And this is like, well, you can't go on. Oh, they have a Great high school recruiting class because Deion don't necessarily like that. How good are the transfers that they're bringing in? I don't know. Kaden Salter, he's probably okay. Like I've seen good two years ago.
Tate Frazier
Struggled a little bit last year.
Joel Anderson
Yeah, like he might be all right. They got, they brought in that kid from Georgia, Juju Lewis, the quarterback, and he, you know, like that's, that's, you know, almost a five star caliber quarterback that, you know, maybe, maybe he'll be something someday. But my thing about Deion and I talked with Jean Jacques Taylor, Shout him out. Legendary DFW journalist, brother of Keonga Yamada Taylor, the writer and thinker. He wrote a book about their time about it, Dion's time at Jackson State and how Deion had basically been coaching since he retired, but he'd been coaching because of his kids. Like he's been coaching on a practice field in Duncanville all the way to the NFL. So they did reality shows, man. They played in the Celebration bowl together, dog. They resurrected two programs that had kind of fallen off the map. Is this going to get him juiced? Is he going to be excited about this?
Van Lathan
You know what I mean?
Joel Anderson
Like, I mean like, I was really moved watching him watch walk Shiloh and Shador down the sideline at senior day last year. And I'm like, man, it was really emotional. I was like, damn, man, you right. Life will never be the same. He's had his boys at his side every day. Basically. He went to work. That's not gonna be there no more. But I'll tell you one thing that probably did help when you bring in Karauchi, you know what I'm saying? You say, well, you know what? I need something else to get excited about bring in, you know what I'm saying? New life into an old body. You know, he's going through some changes. And so maybe that. But in terms of like the football piece of it, I don't know, dog, like, we'll see if he still keeps that same fire.
Tate Frazier
Is that the new segment, Karrueche versus Jordan? You know what I mean? Maybe we can do that underne as like a little umbrella, you know, if we need to.
Van Lathan
That's why I say, Jordan, you know, know your role, man. She ain't on the Karrueche level yet. Yes, Karrucci is a staple around here. Okay, Jordan, I get it. But you know what? It's kind of, it is kind of similar though. The only difference is you expect to see prime with a Karrueche oh, yeah, right. Bill Belichick. Bill Belichick and Jordan came out of nowhere. I'll tell you something, though. This is the last thing I'll say about the Jordan, Bill Belichick thing. She better keep earning her keep. Cause I could see Belichick coming back with Sydney Sweeney in a couple of weeks. Belichick out here, man. Fuck it. Let's go ahead.
Tate Frazier
Kate Beckinson.
Joel Anderson
Hold on. You said the people, but people were acting like Dion had done something crazy by dating Karrueche. They're like, oh, man, she's 38. Karrueche. Karrueche. Yeah, my bad. I'm an old man, dog. He's like, karate.
Van Lathan
Nah, she's 38 year old woman.
Joel Anderson
Yeah, man. But people are acting like this was crazy. I'm like, what kind of woman is Deion supposed to date? I don't understand what age I mean.
Van Lathan
That seems we're not gonna go into. Coach prime stayed with something, bro.
Joel Anderson
Oh.
Van Lathan
Coach Prime? Yeah, Coach prime, you know, yeah, he keep himself. He brings some Neo. He brings what you're doing, brother.
Tate Frazier
He's dangerous. Yeah, the name stinks. You know what I mean? It is what it is, but I love it. Coach prime, we'll see if he can win week one. He did send a care package. I got the sunglasses for season three. So, yeah, I don't know. I mean, they must have. You know what I'm talking about. I don't know what's going on.
Van Lathan
That's cool.
Tate Frazier
I don't know if it was Dion in particular, you know what I mean? But they said the sunglasses, I think it was for the show. I think.
Van Lathan
Put them on.
Joel Anderson
You want someone else too?
Van Lathan
Let's see what the deal is with Tate. Let's see.
Tate Frazier
I think this is season two.
Van Lathan
Season two. Let's see what they got. Let's see.
Joel Anderson
Oh.
Van Lathan
All right.
Joel Anderson
Okay. Season two.
Van Lathan
That's what I'm talking about.
Tate Frazier
I think he might win week one.
Van Lathan
There you go. You gotta buzz cut your bros cut.
Tate Frazier
I'll wear the shades. I'll be supporting the Buffaloes and Karuchi all season long. All season long. But shout out to Coach Prime. He's trying to take care of us. Let's do top five week zero takeaways. Because we did have football. It doesn't have to even be five. You know, we just like the top five segment. But again, week zero takeaways. Van, I go to you first. What did you learn in week zero and what'd you enjoy?
Van Lathan
Week zero is perfect. Jamboree football. If y' all ever played in high school, then you remember you had the jamboree. And the jamboree was basically a preseason game that you played against somebody. But it was half the time they could fit a bunch of different games into one thing, and that's what week zero is perfect Jamboree football. Now, you know, for Kansas State and Iowa State, there were more stakes. But even that they playing in Ireland, you don't know how to play as an acclimating to being in a different place. The game is a big deal, but at the same time, there are different structures surrounding the game other than that, man, I was watching all kinds of weird ass football. I was watching football on Amazon. I watched Tarleton State.
Joel Anderson
Oh, yo, yo, yo, Fans like, oh, yeah, Vans like, y' all not watching Tarleton State.
Van Lathan
I'm like, tarlington State. Y' all not watching Tarlington State.
Joel Anderson
Y' all not watching Tarleton State.
Van Lathan
Y' all not watching the FCS kickoff. All of these games are good and people are talking about a preseason, I think. Oh, actually, let me not, Let me not step on Joel. But, but all of these games were perfect. Jamboree football games, hors d' oeuvre games that get you ready for the main meal. Joel, you remember playing jamborees, don't you?
Joel Anderson
Well, see, no, I think, see, this is what jamboree I think is a Louisiana thing. So I lived in Shreveport for a couple years and yeah, the jamboree just like Van explained. And it's not even two teams, it's three teams.
Van Lathan
Three teams?
Joel Anderson
Yeah, they'll bring three teams and they'll each play a half against each other. So they kind of get a whole game in. And I'm like, that's what I think they should do in college football. But like, then make it count. So, like, if LSU or Mississippi State and Southern Miss want to do a little jamboree in Jackson or something like that, wouldn't that be kind of cool? You know, so you go down, you know, mid August, they play a half against. Do they have an indoor stadium anywhere down there in the college?
Tate Frazier
There might be some good vibes though, for all the fan bases too.
Joel Anderson
Yeah, so they could do something like that. But. But if not, I mean, we just kind of accept the level of sloppiness that is going to come with the first week of the season. But the one quick thing that one of my takeaways, because I don't, I don't want to run this out too long, but yo, man, yo, Iowa State And Kansas State. Bro, can you believe we were looking forward to an Iowa State. Kansas State game?
Van Lathan
Delivered too farm again.
Joel Anderson
When I was growing up, that is the kind of game that would never be on tv. Like, that would be one of those are two of the worst programs in college football history. Currently, they rank 115th and 116th all time in winning percentage. Okay. And I'll never forget reading about K State and Sports Illustrated. The article is called Futility U. And it starts out with first year coach Bill Snyder, and he's like, there's only one school in the nation that has lost 500 games. This is it. I get to coach it. And it's like, that was legend. And Matt Campbell's basically doing it at Iowa State. He's already the all time winningest coach. They'd never won more. They'd only won nine games in a season. They'd only won more than nine games in a season once in 1906. Matt Campbell is like doing like. They've never won more games than one last year. So it's just like, I was just kind of like, wow. Like, just if you step back and think about for a second, I'm like, man, we're watching Kansas State. And I was saying everybody's excited about it. So, you know, it's just true. Hey, man, if you keep trying, man, if you really put some investment in it, things can turn around for you.
Van Lathan
Boy, the Bill Snyder verse. People gonna get on your ass. The Kansas State people In the last 20, 25 years, 30 years, they love their football tradition. They gonna get on Joel's ass, go.
Joel Anderson
What I'm saying, I mean, I just. As a kid, you kind of get used to this. It's like, it just takes a while. You be like, I love Michael Bishop and L. Roberson, Autumn Cats, you know, Deuce, you know, whatever. But things have changed.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, they've changed quickly. And this is our Lee Corso of this show. It's Big Van on Campus. I've had some people reach out to me. They said that this could be called Van Wilder or Van Wildest. You know what I mean? Okay. There's different versions of this that are out there, but Big Van on Campus, we're talking about Farmageddon, so we might as well get to it. The game was, you know, fumbling. You know, a lot of craziness happened on the field. But after the game is the real story. And Van, I'll turn it over to you. Big Van on Campus.
Van Lathan
So there was a fight that happened. This fight is a Family fight. We've all seen him before. You've gone to the family reunion. Your uncle have too many drinks. Your other uncle have too many drinks. One uncle says to the other uncle, you know, I average 35 points a game. Struma High School, 1976. Nobody could mess with me. The other uncle said, nigga, you ain't average no 35 nothing. I seen you. You scored about 9 and that was your high. Stop lying to these kids. One uncle, look at the other uncle. The Hennessy is flowing. Before you know it, some feet go up in the air and everybody squabble up, squabble up. And you know how we got there? Farmageddon. Mark and Anthony Johnson, Avery Johnson's father, and his brother, squabbing it out in front of the entire world. I mean, by the time we get the fight, the fight has already gone to the ground. Which tells you that there is a whole mythology that comes behind this fight. Your dad and your brother are fighting at a football game that you just started in. And none of that. None of that is the biggest story. Avery Johnson.
Joel Anderson
Oh, bro, I know.
Van Lathan
Where you going? Made history. He joins Vin Diesel. Yep. In the. I did not realize he was black. Hall of Fame.
Joel Anderson
You're me up.
Van Lathan
Joins V in the. I didn't know that was a black guy.
Joel Anderson
Hall of Fame.
Van Lathan
I remember we had gone to see Fast. Fast and the Furious. Two years later, somebody goes, you know Vin Diesel was black. I go, what are you talking about? That's an Italian, right? I said, there's no way. Then it dawns on me, the dude is black. They go back and they show these two black guys fighting, and they go, avery Johnson's father and brother. And I go, what?
Joel Anderson
Oh, yeah.
Van Lathan
I'm like, who's. Who's a. What's it? And then I go to Avery Johnson's picture, and I look at him, helmetless, and I stare hard and I go, de Blick Panther. I did not know. And I spent like a half hour just looking at Avery Johnson going, how did I not get this email? So the fight is one thing. It happens. But the revelation after the fight that this is a brother, there's all kinds of plays. I should have been rooting for him. And I wasn't rooting for him. Cause I didn't know he was black, man.
Joel Anderson
Bro, can I tell you that you nailed it down? Because I'm like, dog, they got this wrong. This is not his family. What are you talking about? Cause, I mean, they look. They look so much blacker than Avery. And I Don't understand. Like, maybe it was the hair thing. Maybe it was their homeboy. His brother had a chain on or something like that.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, he looks like Ronnie Bass from.
Joel Anderson
Remember the Titans, right, dog? Like, what happened? So I was totally. The same thing actually happened to me this week. And I hope my neighbor isn't looking at this. Like, there's been a guy that I push my stroller past every day with my baby, and he be saying hi to me, and I'm just like, you know, yeah, whatever. I'm thinking this is a. I'm not trying. I thought he was kind of a marginalized white guy. Okay. And I'm just like, oh, he just sees me. He's trying to be nice or whatever. I'm going, about the other day, his daughter comes out with her baby. She's like a life scan, you know, Black woman. And then. And her mama comes out. She's black. And then I kind of look at him. I was like, oh, shit, Mr. Stubblefield is black. You know what I'm saying? So anyway, so the same thing happened to me twice on this weekend with Avery and Mr. Stubble Field. Man. And I was just. I was to. I was totally blown away. That. That's. That's.
Van Lathan
Now, look, if it would have been. If. If this was reversed.
Joel Anderson
Yeah.
Van Lathan
If it was like a visually clearly black quarterback. And then you saw two people, some white people fighting, you got a blindside situation.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, right. That'd be tough. Yeah. The two.
Van Lathan
The whole. Yeah, the. The. The blind side situation. We see this all the time. I can't tell you how many times you see the NFL draft. It's like. And we have a great story to tell about Jeremiah Robinson Bryle. The Bryle family took him in after they saw him run a 4140 when he was 9 years old. And they thought, that kid needs a good home.
Tate Frazier
Dorian Green.
Joel Anderson
Beckham. Yeah, right.
Van Lathan
Yeah. They saw him jump 56 vertical inches in a track meet. And they go, wow, we wanna give back.
Tate Frazier
He needs a headphone.
Joel Anderson
He needs a home. Let's get back.
Van Lathan
And so. But that's not what happened. I remember I looked at this and I didn't even think about. Yo, man. Cause there's a whole apology here. We don't give a fuck about that. Like, the entire thing. Avery, man, I apologize. I should have been up on it. I did not know. I'm sure everything will be good between your dad and your brother, but God damn, welcome to the family, bro. Brother, welcome to this family.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, I love. I love that they didn't put out a notes, apology either. Like, it was just they texted some reporter and own three made a graphic. So I thought that was really smart too. And shout out to Maya Angelou, we're all more alike than we are different. You know what I mean? That was a great lesson right there.
Van Lathan
Also, that I'll tell you something else. Like this last thing I say about it, the brothers went over there to Ireland and that God damn Guinness hit him hard.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, exactly.
Van Lathan
Okay. Different culture. They got over there and they was like, yo, and they drinking that Guinness and that Guinness getting to them, and before you know it, it was too much. All right? So don't blame them. The Irish know how to get down, right? That's what happened over there.
Joel Anderson
No, see, Vance, See, And I'm going to admit this, Tate, this is going to be uncomfortable.
Tate Frazier
Sometimes I'm having a great time.
Joel Anderson
Sometimes when I see a video of black people fighting and it comes viral, I just have a little moment of like, just, you know, my respectability politics pop up. I'm like, oh, man, you're going over there fighting for these white folks like that, man, Come on, dog. That never came up this time. And I. Even after I learned they were black, I was like, oh, man, that shit was kind of funny, you know? So they also maybe have helped champs shift paradigm on me on that a little bit too. I was like, you know what, man? These can go over there and fight and have a good time and it doesn't have to be a big deal. Maybe it's a big deal in the family, but for us, we can just laugh at them.
Tate Frazier
Yeah. And I think Avery Johnson is laughing, you know what I mean? Like, he already had the loss going on. I mean, that might have given him a little bit of levity as well, you know what I mean?
Joel Anderson
I would. I would never stop talking about laughing.
Tate Frazier
Yeah.
Van Lathan
Also laughing watching Martin because he's black. He also laughing watching Living Color because he black.
Joel Anderson
What would you say to your brother, though? Your 20 something year old brother? And I was like, man, dad beat your ass up.
Tate Frazier
Yeah, he.
Van Lathan
He had.
Joel Anderson
He had you hemmed up, man. Yeah.
Tate Frazier
I'd be like, don't play with dad. You know what I mean? Like, that was a real lesson too. It's like, dad, strength is different, you know, like, you think you're good. It's kind of like, you know, I'm a younger brother, I'll play basketball with my brother. I'm better than him. But, like, he'll beat me in one on one, you know, there's just something there mentally in your mind. Same with your dad. You know, he might just whip your ass real quick just to just give you a little reminder. That's what it is.
Joel Anderson
That's true.
Van Lathan
We're everywhere.
Joel Anderson
You never know.
Tate Frazier
I love it. I love it. Anything else, guys? Any last thoughts before we get out of here for week one? Obviously, we've talked through these games, the biggest games. Any more. Any last, like, thoughts that did not get into the show? It doesn't have to be Avery Johnson related, but just in general before we get out of here. And then we'll, we'll get people plugged into where we'll be on Saturday. Joel, any last thoughts?
Joel Anderson
You know, my last thought is I. So I watched that Kansas Fresno State game, man. You know, we were talking about how like kids are formerly great athletes, you know, populating the college and pros, man. E.J. warner, bro. That's a college ass quarterback right there, my brother. Like, I was like, that's no, I mean, like, he went to Temple, Rice, Fresno State. He's thrown like double digit interceptions every year. I'm like, man, good for you, man. You know what I'm saying? People be shitting on Bronnie and everything. But I was like, you know, like everybody. Don't everybody. Just because you got great jeans, man, it's not going to necessarily work out for you, bro. So. Yeah, man, that was, that was one of my things. Yeah, I'm just excited, man. I'm, you know, I'm ready to get into it, you know, I. I want to go down to Chapel Hill. Unc, if you hear this, like, let me in. Come on, you know, let me in. I haven't done.
Tate Frazier
I'm gonna make some calls as soon as we're wrapped up here.
Joel Anderson
I love the UNC Tar Heel Blue, man. I've always like. Of those schools in that part of the country, like, I kind of fuck with UNC the most. So what's up?
Tate Frazier
I got a Drake May Jersey with your name on it. Van, any last parting thoughts before we get out of here?
Van Lathan
This is my life. This is my time of year, right? Everybody else loves the summer. You go out, you're in la. Oh my God, we're in la. We drink a pina colada, we're on the rooftop and all that. That's not my time of year. That's not my time of year. This is it. This is my time of year. Couch rot, football, food. This is. I am over the moon to do this show with you guys on the ringer. But also do a show about something that I would have been doing, something that has threatened relationships, something that has taken away from my life but also added so much to it. So I'm just over the moon excited for this slate of games on Saturday throughout the entire weekend and also to see what we are going to know Tuesday morning. That's the question. What are we going to know Tuesday morning? And then we'll be back here next week to talk all about it. I can't wait.
Tate Frazier
And don't forget, we'll be live Saturday, 4pm Pacific Time on the Ringer Tailgate channel. We will be reacting to what we have seen so far. Obviously we're reacting to the last college game day with Lee Corso. We'll be reacting to our first look at Arch Manning as the official guy at Texas. And then we'll be reacting to games live in real time, which is also going to be a whole lot of fun. So again, come join us every Saturday. We're going to be live, myself, Van Lath and Joel Anderson, we're going to be talking college football. It's going to be a whole lot of fun. The best sport, the best of times. The fall is kind of in the air. When school starts, you just know what it is. So it's going to be a great time here at Ringer Tailgate. Appreciate everybody tuning in and we will see you live on Saturday. Must be 21 or older and president select states for Kansas and affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 and older and present in D.C. kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler or visit FanDuel.com RGB call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chatinconnecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text Hopeny in New York.
Van Lathan
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Podcast: Ringer Tailgate
Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Tate Frazier, Joel Anderson, Van Lathan
In this packed episode of Ringer Tailgate, Tate Frazier, Joel Anderson, and Van Lathan gear up for a historic opening week of college football. It's arguably the most anticipated Week 1 of the new college football era, boasting three Top-10 matchups, the last ride for Lee Corso, and the debut of high-profile coaches. The hosts blend sharp analysis and playful banter while previewing the games, making bold predictions, and diving into the stories and stakes that will shape the season.
Van Lathan on Lee Corso (03:18):
"He was just a dude. One of those rare people in culture that when you see him, you know it's time to have a good time... Lee Corso, you know the games are about to start."
Joel Anderson on College Football's Generational Shift (06:01):
"There's a generation of guys that we grew up with that are leaving the airwaves, man. And it makes me a little bit sad."
Van Lathan’s Defensive Focus (11:15):
"If I am playing against a quarterback like Arch Manning... What I want is an Ed Reed, Eric Barry type of guy in the back of the defense that can confuse this player, make it hard on him."
Van Lathan on Belichick-at-UNC Hype (35:30):
"What if they're great? What if they're terrible? What does it mean?... I will be so interested in a team that I couldn't care less about in terms of North Carolina. They've done it. They've gotten me to watch."
Van Lathan once more (44:48):
"When I see the crimson, my skin crawls. It's irrational how much I hate Alabama."
Big Van On Campus (61:15):
Describes the viral postgame fight at Farmageddon and its hilarious racial reveal:
"Avery Johnson made history. He joins Vin Diesel in the 'I did not realize he was Black' Hall of Fame."
Key Takeaway:
It’s a historic Week 1, and Ringer Tailgate is embracing the chaos, saying farewell to legends, and daring to make bold predictions—while reminding you that above all, college football’s beauty is in its unpredictability, pageantry, and (sometimes) its humor.