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See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack
CFB Teams That Can ACTUALLY Win the National Championship | CFP Game-Changers
00:55:41
Which College Football programs are legitimate National Championship contenders? Who WILL win it? Who are the College Football Playoff Game-Changers on fringe teams?
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- [00:00]
David Pollack
Sometimes an identity threat is a ring of professional hackers. And sometimes it's an overworked accountant who forgot to encrypt their connection while sending bank details.
- [00:09]
Brett Rollins
I need a coffee.
- [00:10]
David Pollack
And you need Lifelock because your info is in endless places. It only takes one mistake to expose you to identity theft. Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year@lifelock.com specialoffer terms apply.
- [00:30]
Scott Van Pelt
What's up, everybody? David Pollack here of C Ball Get Ball podcast. I hope you like it, man. Be sure to follow the show Wherever you subscribe, YouTube or any of your other platforms. All right, welcome everybody in. Thank you for joining us. And I have to start off the back. We got Brett Rollins, like always, David Pollack. And if my mic sounds way better, it's because I got a new computer finally. Like, Wes and Brent have been trying to get me to get a new mic or a new computer. I've said, no, I don't want to buy another computer. So I got this, this beautiful Mac Pro. And Brent, you were complimenting my mic already, saying, it sounds fantastic.
- [01:12]
Brett Rollins
It sounds much better. And by the way, why didn't you want to get a new computer? Let's dig into that a little bit.
- [01:17]
Scott Van Pelt
There's no need to dig into it. I'm cheap, okay? And I'm okay with that. Like, I'm not going to apologize for it. I am, I am a frugal person. I, Mama Pollock used to, used to beat it in our head, like, not to spend money. I try not to spend money. And, but now, like, listen, we, the people have spoken, okay? They actually like our stuff now. So now we're in a position where people are actually watching. So now it's time to start making investments in the show. So there we go.
- [01:47]
Brett Rollins
I, like, I'm glad. I'm very happy. It's good to see I still have.
- [01:51]
Scott Van Pelt
A battery operated fan right back here, though, right behind me to keep myself cool because I'm not going to turn the AC down the whole time. It's absolutely not going to happen. So that's just part of it. But the show is going to be fantastic. We're creeping closer and closer. We're going to pick national champions tonight. And I'm not going to lie, I went back and forth, back and forth. My shirt color might give it away. So I'm just going to leave it at that to start the show. And then we're going to talk about like teams that are the biggest contenders and the good and the Brent. Like we're just going to call it the Brit instead of saying the bad the Brent.
- [02:26]
Brett Rollins
Well, I mean I was going to go like full, like Larry Munson. Like because Larry Munson, long time and historic sort of Georgia play by play guy, the hobnail boot call for those of you that are maybe familiar with, with his voice. Eternal pessimist, eternal. And it's like just always, always that way. And which I never forget when we first moved to Georgia, I was in graduate school working in the pharmacy. There was a pharmacist on the weekends and I had the game on in the background. Doctor, doctor had the game on in the background. And the la A lady, an older lady comes to the counter and said, you know, hey, what's the score of the game? And I said, you know, Georgia was up by three touchdowns but the guy on the radio sounds like you guys are losing by 30. And she says, she looked at me with the sternest look ever. She goes, don't you ever talk about Larry Munson like that.
- [03:21]
Scott Van Pelt
And so that was one of my favorite parts of why I chose Georgia. By the way, when you can bark at another human being, I thought that was fantastic. Like it was socially acceptable for you to bark at people. Like, that's just great. Another thing Brett, that we did, I think that's, it's going to be really cool when we talk about it is like you know, deciding the national championship, people that just missed and deciding why they missed and maybe like a player that will take them over the top of why we do see them there. What I noticed about that is there's a ton of QBs that are going to be knocking on the playoff door this year. Like there's a ton of people on the outside that are, that are QB led teams that are going to be like crap. They're, they're right there beating down the door. And so we can discuss that. But starting with the Netflix. How many are you in now? Because I'm not going to lie, I'm not a binge watcher per se. But like football being, you know, 14 days away, 13 days away now, like I started watching, I'm like my blood started boiling. I'm doing push ups, I'm doing sit ups on the floor. Like I'm, I'm starting to get pretty amped up. So what have you seen with it, homie?
- [04:31]
Brett Rollins
It's Clark Lee I think is perfect for Vanderbilt. I think is the big, the Biggest thing is we're going to get to that in a little, little bit in terms of him and some of the things that he said. Stan Pittman, I think him talking and just his general demeanor is one of the, like, one of the quotes that he had where he's like, the head coach gets two or $15 million sh. She gets two weeks. Yeah. When he was talking about the girl, like secretary.
- [05:00]
Scott Van Pelt
Secretary. Yeah.
- [05:01]
Brett Rollins
The gravity of that. But the biggest thing for me was the post game victory celebrations and watching the teams with the joy of winning and what that you put so much effort into it and you only get 12 regular season games. You've got to celebrate it. And now I was like this one for, for me with Beamer. He's got his whole team vibing and going crazy to Fantasia. Like, if he's doing that, like, that's next level motivation to me because it's not like what a song or anything that I would sort of put in, into that realm. But he had the whole team doing it. I think it was his wife's birthday or something like that.
- [05:43]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, he's extremely, he's been extremely likable. Like, I think if you watch Beamer, like you, you have to. It's hard not to like him, despite what you think of him or her, who he coaches for. You know, I love that he gets up early in the morning and kind of makes that a priority with his body. And you could like doing the ruck in or running, whatever that is. Like, I think that helps him. That helps everybody become the best version of themselves as being, you know, physically fit. Obviously it helps the mental, it helps the physical. But no, you're right about Sam Pittman. First of all, start with Clark Lee. Like, he's a Vanderbilt guy, but like, that's who he is. That's what he is. Like, there's a lot of people that talk about Vanderbilt and the quote, unquote, glass ceiling and what can't be done, you know, like, and, and he's like, no, I, I think you can do this. I think you can win here. And listen, it's impossible to win unless your people believe they can win. It's not going to happen at a place like Vanderbilt. When you're deficient in talent, you're not having the best roster week in and week out. You are outgunned, outmatched, out, recruited, outspent, like out all the things. And you better have a relationship and you better cultivate winning and believing. He's done that. But it doesn't happen without Pavia, like, that dude is. He's an. He's a. He's a maniac. I freaking love Diego Pavia. Like, that is a guy that I would want to play for. Like, play with. Like, that's a guy that. I mean, dudes getting up at 4 in the morning, dude cares like dudes talking trash. Diego Pavia, listen, he doesn't have an elite arm. He doesn't have an elite skill set. He's not going to play in the NFL. This is why Nil is great. Because this guy is going to make money and he should make money doing something he's good at. And he gives Vanderbilt a chance to be successful because of his eternal optimism, his competitiveness. Like, he's just a fricking dude. He's a dude, man. Like, I don't know how you don't like his competitive spirit and everything he stands for.
- [07:44]
Brett Rollins
Team. It's one of those. If he's on your team, you absolutely love him and if he's not on your team, you absolutely want to destroy him.
- [07:51]
Scott Van Pelt
But why?
- [07:51]
Brett Rollins
Because he's the annoying little pest. Yeah, because. And he's talking consistently talking to smack.
- [07:56]
Scott Van Pelt
All that sort of stuff. When they started talking about Vanderbilt and, and they. Or excuse me, when they started talking about Auburn and when, when Clark Lee was like, I heard them talking about, you got to get up for this. Even though it's Auburn or even though it's, you know, Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia immediate was like blank. These mother blankers. Like, y' all gonna take that disrespect and like that's. You just. You need a guy with that. Just, just fun to. To listen to that. If you haven't seen it, it's. It's. Any given Saturdays, it's on Netflix. It's really cool if you want to get ready for the season. It kind of gives you, you know, interesting to me the teams that chose to say no to Brent. Like, yeah, there's several teams that were like, we're good. Hard pass. Why do you think that is?
- [08:39]
Brett Rollins
I will want like for Georgia specifically. Like Kirby doesn't want anybody in that, in there at any point in time. Like the, the people that the beat writers and whatnot, they oftentimes get to watch them stretch and maybe do some, some one on one drills. That's about it. Practice is not something that is just open to the public in Athens.
- [08:58]
Scott Van Pelt
So is that old school to you or do you think that is. Would you. Okay. If Brent Rollins was the coach at the University of Georgia, how would you handle that. Would you let it be free reign? I.
- [09:08]
Brett Rollins
Well, I think there's some things that you can, like scrimmages and things like that. But practice, if you're just doing drills and you want that sort of thing, I don't think it's that big of a deal because, like, look at the NFL. I mean, the NFL is like, there's a, you know, 2,000 fans just sitting there watching every second of practice. But it's such a different atmosphere with college. But it wouldn't really bother me that much because, you know, I. I just don't think it's that big of a deal.
- [09:35]
Scott Van Pelt
Let me tell you this, like, as. As a player, and this is why I never thought I would go into. If you told me, like, I would have. I would have punched somebody in the face and lost a lot of money. If you told me that I would have ever went into the media, quote, unquote, media. Because I'll be honest, man, like, you just don't like them. Like, you don't like them because you're trained from your coaches to be like, don't give away information. Don't give away, you know, don't. Don't get them excited. Right, Right. Like, don't. Don't give them fuel for the fire. Don't give them a reason to get emotional. And I think that. So you're kind of trained to have an adversary type relationship with the media. And I think Kirby's like, what does it benefit? How does it help me? You know, And I think that's. I think that's debatable. But I was surprised by the F bombs. Like, I didn't know that. I didn't know how everybody would handle it. Like, and that's how I think about Kirby and I think about the mic and how he uses the mic like nobody else. I don't know I've seen very many. I don't know I've seen it in college football anywhere else. But he's got the microphone, Madonna mic, and he's just. He's talking over it the whole time and bringing juice and energy. So the language is not. It's not what you want your kids to probably listen to. So. And if you drive by Sanford Stadium at any given time or drive by the but smear at any given time when they're practicing, you. You might hear a few choice words. But that's because that's who he is, and that's how. And that. I think that might be part of the reason, too, when, say.
- [10:59]
Brett Rollins
And I can see DeBoer not wanting it in year one. Like post saving him for Nick Saban.
- [11:05]
Scott Van Pelt
Like because everybody be talking about his personality and how different he is than Nick and how it's not good. Texas.
- [11:11]
Brett Rollins
I will say it like in the end it's better when all the teams are there. Like I, I want to see it for all, I want to see it for the Big Ten. I want to see. I, I would watch this all off season. Like I don't. I hope they do more of it.
- [11:22]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah.
- [11:23]
Brett Rollins
Just because it's watching actual football and it's watching the behind the scenes. By the way, the one last thing with this, Brian Kelly talking to his agent that was also his quarterbacks agent agent Trace Armstrong. You know the, the just the irony of that, that's that's College Football in 2025 if we've ever seen it.
- [11:45]
Scott Van Pelt
It is, it's different. It's a different world for sure. All right, where are we going next, big homie?
- [11:50]
Brett Rollins
Let's go back to go forward. So back dirt. News of the day, news of the weekend. The first off the AP poll was released today. I know you're like massively entrenched in that and doing you know, all sorts of statistical analysis on the AP poll because you're such a big poll guy. But it did come out today. Texas is one much like they are in the coaches poll. Oklahoma. We talked about Oklahoma not being in the coaches poll. They were 18th. Hey, boomer sooner. In the chat Oklahoma was 18.
- [12:19]
Scott Van Pelt
We've been talking about Boomer Sooner all off season and what's about to happen with Boomer Sooner. They've got, they've got a dude at quarterback this year and it's going to be fun to watch them. So that's not a surprise that the coaches see the upgrade in the roster, understand what's going on probably in, in Boomer Summerland.
- [12:38]
Brett Rollins
The interesting thing about it though, and Brett McMurphy who's now with On3, my colleague, I guess you could say, since I'm with them as well. At least one team that started the season unranked finished in the top 10 in the final AP poll in 29 of the last 31 years. Wow. So if you go through in terms of looking at the bottom of the, of that who didn't get votes, who would you say is that team that if you had to pick one, if we got at the bottom here, we got byu, Utah, Baylor, Louisville, Southern, Cal Tech, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Tulane, Nebraska. Those are kind of the first 10 or so.
- [13:16]
Scott Van Pelt
I think, you know I think you probably know where I'm going with this. I mean, the, the Utah Utes.
- [13:21]
Brett Rollins
I would figure you'd pick Utah.
- [13:23]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, I just think that, I mean, if you're going to give me somebody that I think legit has a chance to win their league, like, I, I'm. I'm going to put them on that list. And we've talked about them, man. But Whittingham, in all of his years there, in his 55,000 years at Utah, like two losing seasons last year was one of them. It just doesn't happen very often. And the lines of scrimmage are going to be really good, really good. And I think they got a quarterback that's going to be a problem with his wheels. His arm, I think will develop throughout the season. But I just think that. I think Utah is going to be in the mix for the Big 12, and I think that's a, that's a big slight for Utah in their ranking. I think they'll be ranked higher at the end of the year.
- [14:02]
Brett Rollins
I did look back at like last year's final AP poll. The top 10 teams were all in the playoff. So, like, you had somebody that had to kind of be in the playoff. For me, I could see a world where Georgia Tech finishes in the top 10 and maybe doesn't necessarily make the playoff because they win their bowl game and they end up, you know, 11 and 2 or 11 and 3 if they end up getting the ACC championship game type season because. But their schedule, I think at some point will put them up there. Just a matter of how they finish. So that would be my pick. There was some injury news kind of over the weekend. We've talked a lot about Baylor because of the big opening game against Auburn and their chances in the Big 12. Yep. One of the running backs, Dawson Pendergrass, broke his or foot injury and is going to be out for the season. So puts a lot more on Byron Washington in terms of load. And you don't have the one two, because in the last sort of four or five games for them, it was a one two true one two punch with the two of those guys. Now it's down to one. You got other guys that are going to have to step up, but that's there.
- [15:02]
Scott Van Pelt
That's part of. That's part of the part that sucks. Now, Sawyer Robertson can obviously tote the mail to which he showed you a little bit like, but that's. That's a big deal. Didn't you, didn't you talk about like, of the all the returning guys, they were the top five of one two punch.
- [15:16]
Brett Rollins
Yeah, they had two. They were one of the few teams that had two guys with over 80 rush grades from PFF.
- [15:22]
Scott Van Pelt
And this is like, this is where you start to see, I mean, I mean the teams that are at the top consistently in these polls are there for a reason. The depth is really good and the other teams, the depth is not good. And as you far fall a little bit down from those mainstays that you have at the top of the poll every year, like the injury bug starts to hit, the season starts to really be affected, like really be affected really quickly.
- [15:48]
Brett Rollins
Trey McNutt, five star safety that was at Oregon, broke his leg, broke his right leg. So that was another sort of semi significant. I don't think he was going to start for them but potentially a really good debt piece for them that got hurt. And then I saw recently that Ty Simpson, it was announced or they said to the team that Ty Simpson was going to start at Alabama Shocker. Like I don't think that was much of a shock or more of a formality than anything, but it is something that is sort of public newsy and necessary in a way.
- [16:15]
Scott Van Pelt
Necessary because again, nobody's announcing their starting quarterback nowadays for a reason. Okay. They don't want them to transfer and leave. So if they announce it in the spring, their quarterback depth just went through the toilet. So it's a, it's a part of it. It stinks for the kids because they have to hang on. But also like this is good for, I mean Ty Simpson's been waiting. Like it's hard not to cheer for kids that are waiting now. Listen, I think they're going to have a situation where they're going to have a true freshman that's going. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him at some point. I think it's Austin Mack or is it Austin Mack the Max, the sophomore, Russell's the freshman. Listen, my son was asking me about this. He was like, tell me about like the teams and tell me about this. And he was like how do you know Ohio State and Alabama are going to be good at quarterback? And I was like, because they always are. Like I said, buddy, they have a room full of three or four kids that are five star and four star kids that the talent is so high that only one of them have to hit and they're good. Like the other guys are putting more teams, you know, more eggs in a basket, so to speak. So I think it's, I think it's, there's a reason for that, right? It's always the, the talent pool. And this guy sat there, you know, again, I've compared him to Mac Jones. I think it's going to be that type of a deal. Like, it's going to be, he sat, he waited. And if he balls out with their offensive line with Ryan Williams and company, like Alabama is going to be a problem for everybody, right? Like, they're going to, they're going to be very much in the mix to win this whole thing. Like, they'll be right there in the end because you got a guy that can distribute and get the football out. Like the opposite of Jalen Milroe. Like, they can get an identity in the passing game, the quick game, the, the deep balls like Bernard in the slot, like they've got, they've got plenty of guys so interested to see how that shakes out and if he can handle the, the moment, the staged, the ups and the downs, because that's what you get. That's what you got to do.
- [18:02]
Brett Rollins
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- [18:52]
David Pollack
Sometimes an identity threat is a ring of professional hackers. And sometimes it's an overworked accountant who forgot to encrypt their connection while sending bank details.
- [19:00]
Brett Rollins
I need a coffee.
- [19:02]
David Pollack
And you need Lifelock because your info is in endless places. It only takes one mistake to expose you to identity theft. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at lifelock.com Specialoffer terms apply with all.
- [19:24]
Brett Rollins
Right, so we've Kind of in terms of looking back to look forward also as well our progression. We looked last, early last week, a week ago, who do we think can, like who can actually make the playoff from. And we end up right around 40 to 41 or so teams that we think can make the playoff. And then obviously last week I thought you had 41.
- [19:42]
Scott Van Pelt
Okay, I had 35. You had several French teams. You, you threw Vanderbilt in there and I wanted to slap you upside your head. You know what? You watched any given Saturday and you were drinking the pavia juice. That's. That's all that happen. That's, that's exactly what happened. But anyways, continue. I, I didn't, I didn't quite, I wasn't quite on the Vanderbilt train with you.
- [20:00]
Brett Rollins
Yeah, no, I was just as a possibility. Non zero chance.
- [20:03]
Scott Van Pelt
That was, remember that, remember that phrase 0.0000.
- [20:05]
Brett Rollins
Then we obviously picked. Yeah and then we obviously picked who do we think will make the playoffs. And then so you know, that was. We each had our 12. We threw that out there and then. So now this is kind of these fringe teams that we didn't necessarily put in the playoffs. And it's like, you know, you talk a lot about the QBs, but who can be a sort of game changing player for some of these teams that hey, if they pop, if they become elite as an individual player that this changes the outlook of a team that you didn't necessarily have in the playoff. I got three that I wrote down. I know we sort of kind of back and forth some of this.
- [20:46]
Scott Van Pelt
You said non quarterbacks though, right? Non quarterbacks, non qb. It would have been easier to go Sellers and, and Simmons and from Ole Miss. Like that would have been very easy. I'm telling you. This exercise really showed me, Brent. This exercise really separated the teams in my brain talent wise. Because when I was going looking I was like dang, like, okay, now I see why this team like for example Tennessee love Tennessee's defense. Quarterback, obviously a big question mark. And then I go, so is offensive line, so is receiver, so is running back. Like I started fighting. I'm like, okay, well who's the, who's the guy on offense I can count on? Like that's kind of where, where it started to take you in. You know, a team like lsu, like who's going to be in the mix? Guys? Like they're going to be in the mix. Week one at Clemson obviously is a huge deal. But like I'm sure you got somebody non nussmeyer. Obviously that that stuck out to you because there's, there's a lot of choices.
- [21:49]
Brett Rollins
Well, there was one and they've, they've done a lot in the portal. They've got Delane from Virginia Tech at corner, Cooley and Halsey. Cooley's from NC State, Halsey from Houston at safety that were highly graded from a PFF standpoint in terms of looking at that stuff. But the one for one and kind of half, Dominic McKinley. Dominic McKinley at D tackle. We talked about him in the freaks list.
- [22:11]
Scott Van Pelt
You don't get to do this. You don't get to go one and a half. You go one. Like I have one as well. For lsu, you get one. So pick the most important. Don't pick that one, by the way, because that's mine. So you get somewhere else.
- [22:20]
Brett Rollins
Okay, all right, I'll. I'll go somewhere else. I'll go. D.J. picket, the five star corner for the five star cornerback, the freshman. Because if he comes in and if you look at LSU's history, them, you know, as a DBU and freshmen that come on the scene, it's been a hot, as big as burrow in the offense.
- [22:37]
Scott Van Pelt
It's been a hot minute. It's been. You can't, you can't use DBU anymore for lsu. No, it's been, it's been a while, like since we've played some defense. LSU fans, you, I know you might get mad at me for saying that, but it's been a hot minute, bro.
- [22:50]
Brett Rollins
But think about like if he comes in and has a stingly season. Now granted, I don't know that he's going to start right away one of.
- [22:57]
Scott Van Pelt
The all time great cornerbacks in the history of college football.
- [23:00]
Brett Rollins
That's a freshman at least.
- [23:01]
Scott Van Pelt
Yes.
- [23:02]
Brett Rollins
But also even look at even the next year, Eli Ricks that came in for, for them had four interceptions, four pass breakups, was a great corner opposite on the other side of Stingley. So to me, getting great cornerback play in addition to some of the transfers, that's where, hey, I lift the ceiling of LSU and think, okay, they can be a playoff team because then the defense can potentially be legit.
- [23:25]
Scott Van Pelt
Yes, because we're not worried about them scoring points because Anderson's a mother flipping problem. That wide receiver and Nussmeier is a problem. To me there's two guys that I could have gone with too. I could have gone with the running back because I think Durham showed as a freshman he was really good. Like he had a chance to be really special. But I went dominant, McKinley, because here's the thing, Brent, I don't care how good my secondary is, if I got a guy that can kick ace and make, I can make the secondary better, right? Like secondary can make the D line better and get them sacks. But a lot of times great defensive line play will make that secondary look really good. But ball has to come out faster. You can have tighter coverage. You ain't got to worry about some specific coverages. And, and Dominic McKinley down the stretch he looked like a dude. Like, he looked like a difference maker. And he wears 96. He's six six. He's 308. He was on the Felman's freak list for in the top 10 because he cleaned from the flow. 418. Like that's a mother freaking grown ace, man. Like, I don't care what kind of dude walks in the door. There's not many dudes like that on the planet. Like, so he. Can he be that Nick Fairly that carries a defensive line like Auburn? Like, remember that. Like he, he carried that defense. We know LSU has Whit Weeks. Whit Weeks is a freaking baller. He's one of the best in the country in his position. Listen, do we know what, what's the other linebacker's name that's been moved all over the play? Perryl Perkins Jr. Like, we saw him as a fresh and we went superstar Von Miller. Then we saw him and then he got hurt. I mean he's just had some ups and downs, but that dude can play. Like those two together. You got a guy inside that can dominate the football game. Like, that's when you say, okay, LSU's defense is good. They're. They're going to beat a lot more people than they. Than. Than people think. And they're absolutely. If they have a good defense, they're in the playoffs.
- [25:22]
Brett Rollins
Yep. So that's. I think that kind of epitomizes the exercise at least is that, hey, if you get sort of good to even special play from some of these guys, your team is instead of a fringe team that I'm not putting in a playoff, we're putting them in a playoff. Next one for me. Cam Coleman, Auburn wide receiver, last three games of the year last year, 22 catches on 25 targets, 306 yards, six TDs. Was the best player on the field in most every one of those games.
- [25:52]
Scott Van Pelt
So good.
- [25:53]
Brett Rollins
And if he, like you look at the recruiting rankings from last year, it was Jeremiah Smith one, he was two, then Ryan Williams, and all three of them are in the top five overall. Like he's that Level good. And if he keeps being that dominant force Auburn. Like can Auburn push 10 wins and be a playoff team? I think so.
- [26:14]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah. This, this, this was so hard to me because if you're saying that there's such a big. Yeah, but that means Jackson Arnold played really well. That, that was, that's what the hardest thing of the exercise is to me. Like if I, if it was Nussmeyer. The best one two punch at receiver in the country is on the plains in Auburn. Like that they have the best one two punch and it's not close to me. Like we can go down the list of everybody else. Like I stepped my foot in my mouth with, with Notre Dame and Penn State because it is close. Brent, who you taking over this duo? Because I got, I got size and speed out wide and contested catches and I got. You can't put your hands on him or cover him in the slot and he can catch jet sweeps. Like to me there's not a better 12 combination in the country than what Auburn has at wide receiver.
- [27:12]
Brett Rollins
Yep. And we've, and we've seen playmakers and what playmakers. How they can lift even some of the QB play type stuff. Who's next for you? And then I got, I got one more.
- [27:23]
Scott Van Pelt
I got a guy that's going to be an absolute stud that people aren't going to talk about but like Chris Bell and you don't even probably know who that is and everybody listening are going to who is that guy? He's a receiver for Louisville and he is enormous. He's 6 2, he's 227. He's a 44 kid like Brahm knows how to coach offense. I'm going to say that 4 million times on the show because he's elite. He's one of the best in what he does. He's just so good. Miller Moss. Who people think that when you watch them, you looked at Miller Moss in the past, you're like he's not very good. Well watch what Brian Braum does with him. Like just, just watch like he's going to become a really good football player and I like some of his intangibles but like zero for for Louisville. He had a great season a year ago. Almost 20 yards of catch, 700 yards. I think ish they've got some balance with running back. I think this dude is going to tear the lid off of it and be really, really good to great. And if, if that makes Louisville's offense great in the acc like why can't they be A challenger. Why can't they be in the mix? Because I think he's a, I think he's a really, really talented young guy out wide that he gets good quarterback play, which is another big one obviously. Like he gets consistent quarterback play, he'll put up some stupid numbers.
- [28:43]
Brett Rollins
It's Jeff Brown, by the way.
- [28:44]
Scott Van Pelt
I want to say. Brian. Yes, yes, that's so easy to do.
- [28:48]
Brett Rollins
But, but that's a great one because like I didn't even put Louisville as a potential playoff team for me just because of their schedule and having to play the three other primary ACC teams. So that was, that's a really, really good one. Last one I had and then we'll get to the fun stuff. Quentin Joyner Texas Tech Running back USC TRANSFER what's amazing you think about Texas Tech, I know they're going to be a lot better defensively. They went and bought a really good defense.
- [29:17]
Scott Van Pelt
Like that still sounds weird to hear a lot of like a lot of good players. They went and bought a really good defense.
- [29:22]
Brett Rollins
But Taj Brooks, for them a season ago he was a ball, 11 ball at 11 games of at least 109 yards. And I know what I think I'm going to get from Barrett Morton. I know what I think I'm going to get from the rest of their team if Joyner comes in. And it gives you at least that sort of Brooks level of production in addition to the increased sort of defensive presence from them with the, with all the transfer editions they're pushing to Arizona State and pushing to be the conference champion and be in the playoff. That's one for me.
- [29:54]
Scott Van Pelt
You probably could have picked a bunch of people from Texas Tech and that's, that's.
- [29:58]
Brett Rollins
Yeah, but I mean that's the receiver, the Vigil or Virgil or something like that. Like, that's, that's another one. But like these guys, if they become big time and, and Joyner had a really good season at USC last year.
- [30:10]
Scott Van Pelt
He's got speed. He's a different, he's a different player than Brooks. Brooks was more bowling ball esque. You know, he was definitely, I think he was like 5. He's like the typical running back nowadays, like 5, 8, 2, 20, like tackling trees. So that, that's, that's a good one. I was hoping, after talking to you yesterday at church, I was hoping you were going to go a M and, and they weren't. So I thought you were going to go A and M. But, but another guy that, that people needs to know. But I got A and M. In the playoff. So that's just doesn't count. But a guy that I wanted to talk about either way is Casey Concepcion. I don't. I'm just telling. You're going to get it. You'll. You'll get it. It's just a matter of when. Like, you're going to turn it on. You're going to go, where the freak did this guy come from? Like, how did Texas A and M get this guy? How is this guy at NC State and not a baller? His freshman year he was. When he had good quarterback play, he was special. Like, you could see his full gifts. I'm telling you, like, I think I looked it up. Brent Chat GBT Shout out thank you very much. I think it was like there was. There was 15 or 16 receivers in college football last year who ever had over 10 touchdowns. Like if he stays healthy, you can mark that down. He's one of those few guys like he's going to throw in three or four rushing touchdowns this year and he's going to throw her and throw in, throw 7 to 10 rushing. Like he's got a chance to be that kind of special. He reminds me, Brent, of Percy Harvin and that is enormous praise. That is really high. That gives you an idea. Like I don't do that very often. That gives you an idea. Like, I think he's super special with the football understanding zones after the catch. Like, he's not the biggest guy, but he'll break some tackles. He looks like a kid that played running back his whole life and just knows how to play the position and make people miss. But Casey Conception is a superstar and I can't wait to watch him in that offense with all the with he makes it so much more dangerous with Moss and that big offensive line and read the way he can roll. Like it's going to be like, which one of y' all kicked me from Rush Hour? Literally like hide that.
- [32:20]
Brett Rollins
We talked about the fit the fifth of their receivers this year with the QB versus what they had previously. That that looks to be a good recipe in making their offense like you say, a problem.
- [32:31]
Scott Van Pelt
Gonna be a very real problem like this. So fun to watch Texas A and M because they're again, I. I don't think I need to oversell them. Like I got them in my playoff so we can put them in. We can move on. I wonder who like honorable mention for me. Xavier Harris from. From Ole Miss is going to be a big deal. Like he's a big boy. You watch him, Brent and You watch him on another defensive tackle. Not surprising. I'm giving some love to the DTS. You watch him on tape, you watch 51 and you go, golly, he's, he's. That dude's a good player. I bet he's, he's like an undersized little, little twitchy guy. Maybe like, get in there, make some plays. And then you look it up and it's. He's 6, 7, 3, 35. And you're like, oh, okay. Like that's. He. I, I didn't, he didn't look like that when he, he moves like a littler guy. So he. I think Ole Miss defensive line, that, that's going to be interesting to me is watching, watching them, because if that guy's got some Walter Nolan in, which is a big praise, that's a big praise. But I think, I think Brent, watching him, I think he's a first round type pick. Like, I can say that and feel pretty confident. And if he's a guy that's disruptive like that, it ain't like Ole Miss doesn't have defensive linemen again. I mean, they've, they've done an unbelievable job in the portal of addressing people and now they've had a better spot on defensive line. They still got some guys on the offensive line, but they know they're doing a better job, I think, of getting better in the trenches. And if that happens for Ole Miss, nobody's doubting Simmons. Me and you are both think he's, he's going to have a chance to be better than Dart, which is, which is saying something.
- [34:01]
Brett Rollins
Yep. And for love, Love for the Game podcast that's joining us in the chat there. We, we stayed away from teams that we've already put in the playoffs. So you're talking about a decary and more from, from Oregon or Tate at Ohio State. Like those guys, like, we put them in the playoff already. So we kind of looked at, hey, who, who's there? So, all right, who are the contenders and then who's going to win the whole thing? So we kind of based on last week, back and forth, who can actually win the whole thing. We went with basically nine teams. Did we? Was that a consensus, by the way? I had eight. And you threw in Arizona State in that mix.
- [34:38]
Scott Van Pelt
You didn't think. You don't think, you don't. You're not, you're not saying Arizona State's in that mix.
- [34:42]
Brett Rollins
I think it's going to be hard for them.
- [34:44]
Scott Van Pelt
Geez, Kenny Dillingham, you hear this humpy this humpy's trashing your team, man. Like, get unbelievable. Just the disrespect for the Sun Devils. Unbelievable.
- [34:55]
Brett Rollins
Love him. Love them.
- [34:56]
Scott Van Pelt
No, you don't. No, you don't. If you loved him, you put them in your playoffs.
- [34:59]
Brett Rollins
Four games. I did put them in the playoff.
- [35:01]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, but if you love them, you put them in the teams guaranteed to make the playoffs. Anyways, I digress. Let's get to our. We'll keep them out if you want to keep Mouth.
- [35:08]
Brett Rollins
All right, so, by the way, just in terms of. So I'm. If I'm going to go Munson on all this, so I get to be the negative person on all this. You're going to. Going to tell the. The audience why these teams. And I'm just going to. I went with the whatever poll.
- [35:21]
Scott Van Pelt
Just throw one at me. Just throw one at me. I don't. I'm not ready for this. This is what's going. Why it's going to be fun. I'm just going to freestyle.
- [35:27]
Brett Rollins
So. But by the way, who do you think of in terms of positive announcers? Like, who's overly positive? Because I asked that question last night and I got some good responses like, Mike Patrick, rest in peace, Mike Patrick. That was a really good. Keith Jackson. But the current ones, Gus Johnson and Joe Tests, those were kind of the prevailing themes in terms of being very, very positive.
- [35:49]
Scott Van Pelt
I'm very biased with this because I love Joe Test and I'm a big. He's a good friend, but like, the way he calls a game, just, it jacks me up. And then Gus Johnson, I mean, he's just, he's. He's outstanding, too. He's always on a 10. Like, it's so great. Like, I love the. Those guys, man, they just make the game so much better. Like, it's, it's fun to, to watch and to listen to those. So those are good choices for sure.
- [36:12]
Brett Rollins
All right, so you get to be the positive and I'll be the contrarian. And I'm going to have a little fun with it, too, so.
- [36:16]
Scott Van Pelt
All right, Texas Arch fricking Manning. I have a Manning at the quarterback. Like, why am I not the best? Like, this is what I do. I'm a Manning. I have had unlimited budget with nil. Built the roster. Sark. Oh, oh, hold on a second. Back to back, Final Fours. Like, we're building something at Texas. This is the year we break through. This is. This is very simple. Like, how are you going to crap on Texas? I'm Texas. What are you Talking about.
- [36:45]
David Pollack
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- [36:53]
Brett Rollins
I need a coffee.
- [36:55]
David Pollack
And you need Lifelock because your info is in endless places. It only takes one mistake to expose you to identity theft. Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40 your first year@lifelock.com special offer terms apply.
- [37:15]
Brett Rollins
Well, you're saying you're back, so you're just going to be back in the semis, which is where you can only get to in the as you had the past two years, because that's kind of where you get stuck. You can't make it past the semis. And you know, you talked about Manning, so we have, we have that all this off season. Arch this, Arch that, Manning the name, all that. So last time I checked, by the way, that family name has a grand total of zero championships and zero Heismans.
- [37:36]
Scott Van Pelt
Oh, hey, got a couple Super Bowls though, bro. Eli's got a different. Payton's got two. I mean, different level.
- [37:45]
Brett Rollins
Got a different level, you know, football wise. Defense, by the way, 25 points a game against the six teams that actually had a pulse at quarterback.
- [37:51]
Scott Van Pelt
So I think, but, but I think Texas, I think Texas is better this year on D. I think they're, they're younger players that are, that were studs are going to be better studs, you know, this year. So I think, I think Texas, you know, Anthony Hill, Colin Simmons, like, good luck, bro.
- [38:09]
Brett Rollins
And by the way, for those that are listening, we're just having, we're having.
- [38:11]
Scott Van Pelt
No, no, no.
- [38:12]
Brett Rollins
Don't you throw positive. I'm being negative.
- [38:15]
Scott Van Pelt
Okay, who's next?
- [38:17]
Brett Rollins
Ohio State?
- [38:19]
Scott Van Pelt
We're the Buckeyes, man. We reload. That's what we do. We got, first of all, we've got the best. We've got the best player on offense and the best player on defense in the country, Jeremiah Smith. Who, who, who has ever been better than Jeremiah Smith? Like the greatest college football wide receiver of all time. Oh, eat it. You know, we've got. On the other side of the football, obviously, you know, Caleb Downs is just special. We can move them all over the place, continue to recruit at a high level. It's just kind of what we do. Ryan Day back again now. Now it doesn't even have to be angry Ryan Day anymore because he's got his championship, he's got liberation. You can't. You can't talk to me anymore now because I don't have to worry about the haters.
- [39:03]
Brett Rollins
By the way, someone's going to aggregate what you just said, even though you're just having fun with it, and they're going to put it in a title and it's quote and that'd be so fun. Do that. But, you know, here's the thing about Ohio State. They already have one loss, and, I mean, the seasons hadn't even started. They already got one loss because Michigan is their daddy. I mean, it's just one of those things. Like they. They've lost 14 guys to the league. It happened to Michigan the previous year. Look what happened to them the following year. It, you know, okay, there we go. And, you know, you talked about Ryan Day. Well, guess what? No. Chip Kelly, his defensive coordinator, went to Penn State, His. His biggest rival. And by the way, every Michigan fan that's also a Detroit Lions fan absolutely rolled on the floor laughing when the name Matt Patricia got up as the hire for.
- [39:47]
Scott Van Pelt
For.
- [39:47]
Brett Rollins
For the defensive coordinator spot. Like Ross Fulton and Kyle Jones. That are great X's and O's breakdown, guys for Ohio State, they're going to be like, diving into. What is he doing here? What is he doing there? All these fans are going to be like, what are we. What can we do with the pencil? That's going to happen.
- [40:02]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, that's good. All right, where are we going next?
- [40:06]
Brett Rollins
Penn State?
- [40:07]
Scott Van Pelt
Penn State? I don't even have. I already know where your brain's going with this. And your comments are coming with this, man. We. Penn State knocking on the door for years, right? Like, just building and building and building. A little bit of an underdog. But now I think you're starting to see, like, the talent. The talent is ridiculous. It's. It's. It's going like this. You got talent now. You got returning guys, returning quarterback, returning production. You're running backs, returning continuity on offense. And you could tell for the first time an offensive identity that you're going to. You're going to like moving forward as opposed to, you know, give it to Saquon. He made me look good. Jim Knowles comes in on defense. You took Ohio State, that coordinator you were talking about and now plugged him into the mix. So only going to get, you know, best one, two punch of coordinators in all of college football with experience, with talent, you know, just ready to break out. So I think this might be Penn State's year. For real. For real.
- [41:07]
Brett Rollins
This one's too easy. Four words. James Franklin. Big games.
- [41:15]
Scott Van Pelt
That's all you need to say?
- [41:17]
Brett Rollins
That's all I need to say. And yes, SB114. This is one of those devil's advocate exercises. Very much so. We're having fun with this.
- [41:24]
Scott Van Pelt
Yes.
- [41:24]
Brett Rollins
Georgia, you get to be all positive about the dogs.
- [41:27]
Scott Van Pelt
Perfect. You know, listen, when you, when you look at Georgia this year, there's a lot of talent. Like, it's, it's, it's definitely not the talent that, that we've seen, like from a standpoint of we know what it's going to be. But man, there's. The receiving room went from a. The worst drops, a liability, the biggest drop, amount of drops in college football to one of the better rooms in the country. Like, huge turnaround. And Gunner Stockton showed you he's got marbles. Marbles. You should know the movie. If you don't know the movie, you're missing out. And then defensively, I think you've got some pieces that you go, you know, got a chance to really break out and be stars with Allen, you know, with Bold in the back end, with Christian Miller up front. So I think, I think Georgia is what they always are. Very consistent, you know, don't beat themselves. Super talented, Upgraded a bunch of positions now and ready to make a national championship run.
- [42:28]
Brett Rollins
We talked about Larry Munson in the beginning. So I get to go like full, full months in here. You know, all this fire, passion and energy that Kirby's talking about, it's not going to replace the 31 guys that have been drafted in the last three years. Like, those guys are gone. And speaking of that, your defense was the worst statistically it's been in the Kirby era and you lost three first round picks, so you're supposed to be better. Okay. You know, this new wide receiver core that you're talking about, their transfer receivers and. Well, how's that worked out for Georgia recently? Dominic Lovett dropped one ball in two years at Missouri, dropped nine and two years at Georgia. Like, it just, it's just kind of the thing.
- [43:01]
Scott Van Pelt
How did Kobe Young work out?
- [43:04]
Brett Rollins
I mean, he did okay and Colby.
- [43:06]
Scott Van Pelt
Young was their best receiver.
- [43:08]
Brett Rollins
We didn't see him.
- [43:09]
Scott Van Pelt
Well, he got the whole.
- [43:10]
Brett Rollins
Obviously kind of got an issue off.
- [43:12]
Scott Van Pelt
The field issue hurt. But, you know, a couple years ago was pretty good in that, that department. I mean, they've had some set, some pretty good. Colby Young's gonna be a problem. Malachi.
- [43:23]
Brett Rollins
Brad Bama still owns him, by the way.
- [43:26]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, that's been a problem.
- [43:27]
Brett Rollins
And, and by the way, don't Even get me started on the Bobo and Searles conversation because every member of the dog vent probably would have liquidated their retirement funds to just go pay the buyout or pay, pay the contract out if you really wanted them to.
- [43:39]
Scott Van Pelt
So remember, this is my.
- [43:40]
Brett Rollins
There's my curmudgeon on the dog.
- [43:42]
Scott Van Pelt
This is an exercise so y' all don't get your panties in a wad. It's. It's an exercise. That's what we're supposed to do. I like it. I like it.
- [43:49]
Brett Rollins
Brett Rollins, Notre Dame, man.
- [43:52]
Scott Van Pelt
I mean, I think it's best, best running back in the country with Jeremiah Love. A culture that's been created now by Marcus Freeman that if you're not buying, you're off the wagon because every recruit in the country is starting to buy. Like stocks going up. Last year you saw they went to the Natty man. I think that this, they've got leadership, they've got. They're just everything about this program is going in the right direction. The schedule sets up pretty nicely. They're an independent because they can be and because they have that big brand. And I don't think Marcus Freeman's done going to the playoffs. I think they'll be back in the.
- [44:26]
Brett Rollins
Playoffs again this year long talent and I will give them this. They probably got the best looking coach of all these that we're discussing. I think that's probably a no doubter. But to me they're fighting almost 40 years now of can't get it done at the highest level and can't win and sort of they got to get.
- [44:42]
Scott Van Pelt
Over the top last year.
- [44:44]
Brett Rollins
I'm just. But that, that Notre Dame plays, it's the play like a champion or whatever, you know, that's. They win championships. Come on now. And also Car Menchi, it's like a comedy skit. I don't know you. If you got two, you don't have one in terms of qb. So that, that's. If you're looking at one spot for me is the curmudgeon. I'm going to go there. Yeah, well, all right. Next one you're going to have a little fun with. Okay, Clemson.
- [45:08]
Scott Van Pelt
I mean, what do I need to say? Dabo Swinney, one of two coaches in college football to set to have a national championship and him and Kirby Smart, that's the list. Like that's the list of guys with two. So he's doing pretty well for himself. Just done pretty good talent, changed his ways a little bit, decided to go on the transfer portal. Still doing it the Clemson way. Still doing it with Clemson people. And speaking of the way, the way Clemson won national championships. Elite quarterback play, elite receiver play. Check, check, check, check, check. Because the receiver room is loaded. When you look at defensive line, they did it with a bunch of first rounders that we could go through, guys that were absolute studs. Check, check. Two first round defensive linemen. They had secondaries, they had good ones, they had good corners that went to the league. First round type guys. Check. Good schedule. Check. Open with LSU and a huge test. Quarterback, receivers, weapons, Dabo and company. All in. That's all I got to say, bro.
- [46:12]
Brett Rollins
Well, this, this one was actually too, too, too easy because everybody's been drinking the Clemson Kool Aid. I mean, heck, you probably got an all in tattoo somewhere.
- [46:20]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, right on my lower back.
- [46:23]
Brett Rollins
That. I mean Dabo, by the way, he's probably also already got his podium speech like written out and, and practice in like memorized in his head for. Hey, when I thought, you know, I didn't do the transfer portal and I still did it my way and here it is. But just because people were returning doesn't mean it's that good. They were 0 and 3 against the SEC a season ago and you know, they wouldn't, they almost didn't make the College Football Playoff because Kevin Jennings, unless Kevin Jennings had kind of handed them the game there early on. So they gave up 30 points and over in six games, Louisville and Texas just got another rushing first down on them.
- [46:56]
Scott Van Pelt
So enter Tom Allen.
- [46:57]
Brett Rollins
Because, you know, just because it's returning doesn't mean it's great.
- [47:01]
Scott Van Pelt
Well, I'll take that new DC and some changes on that side. Who's next?
- [47:05]
Brett Rollins
All right, Oregon.
- [47:07]
Scott Van Pelt
Quack, quack, quack. Mr. Ducksworth. Quack, quack, quack. Everybody who's, who's our age will love that reference. Dan Laney continuing to build. I think this year we'll show a lot of people like the Ducks and how good this roster is and how they're a reload type of a deal. Not like a. They're not a rebuild. This is not a team that has to rebuild anymore. You know, use of transfer portal, use of high school recruiting. Dan Lanning is, is that coach that I think's next on the list, like of best coaches without winning a championship. A lot of guys to, to break in, getting, getting a stud running back in the portal was a big deal for them. Like, big deal for them. And I, I think you're going to, you're going to know his name, Malachi. And that's his name, right? Brent Malachi Mai. Makai is a stud.
- [47:55]
Brett Rollins
They got him from his last name.
- [47:57]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, Makai Hughes. They got him from Tulane. I mean, good bat. He's got power, he's got speed. He's got big playability. This offense, I think, will build into itself, but you just look around and you just find guys everywhere, man. Like, they just. They've got a bunch of. A bunch of studs. It's not just the flashy uniforms, man. It's Dan Lanning. It's substance. It's. It's physicality. It's. It's. It's going to be a lot of fun to be at Oregon. Duck fan. Still.
- [48:20]
Brett Rollins
It's funny that I wrote, but not a lot of substance. You know, we got cool colors. We got a lot of guys in the pros, but, you know. And yeah, you won the Big Ten in year one, but how'd that whole playoff thing go for you? And then unfortunately for them, their best receiver is already out for the year.
- [48:33]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah, that does.
- [48:34]
Brett Rollins
So those kind of things are leaning me into the negative category there.
- [48:39]
Scott Van Pelt
Yeah.
- [48:40]
Brett Rollins
All right, next one. Alabama, I think.
- [48:44]
Scott Van Pelt
I think. Yeah, I think with Bama, I think you have, like, if. If I'm Alabama, I'm looking at this team going, there's no if they don't make the playoff. It's. You can't tell. You can't blame anyone else. Like, it's. It's. There's no one else to blame. Like last year, some people said, okay, the. The. The portals left, the roster, got depleted in. Get it. Understand it. Like, this year, this team is really good across the line of scrimmage, really good at wide receiver, improved in the secondary. Everything about this team is doing this, and it should be doing this. Ty Simpson, I think with. With the ability to have sat. Have watched running this offense, I think he'll keep him on script, on schedule more. I think the quarterback play goes up, the explosive plays with Milrose obviously gone, but I think the passing game becomes better. And, you know, I think Alabama returns to its ways of winning a lot of games and getting in the playoff.
- [49:40]
Brett Rollins
So the easy way to be negative here is that obviously Nick Saban is still not there. The Boars letting the media watch all the practices. Nick Sabins blood pressure is probably boiling over knowing that that's the case. But here's the thing. They were nine and three a season ago. They lost their quarterback, who was, by the way, also their leading rusher. They lost their best offensive lineman. They lost their Best secondary player and leader, Malachi Moore. They lost likely their best defensive player in Jakarta Jihad Campbell. That was the first round pick. And they're supposed to be better.
- [50:07]
Scott Van Pelt
Yep. Don't lose the Vanderbilt. Don't lose to Oklahoma. That's for dang sure. Because if that happens, it ain't gonna be good in Tuscaloosa. Not gonna be a good day. Who's our last one?
- [50:19]
Brett Rollins
Arizona State.
- [50:20]
Scott Van Pelt
The Sun Devil's baby. Come on, man. Like this. This stock is Nvidia. This stock is Apple, baby. Buy it up, man. I mean, I think that the Sun Devil showed a year ago. You can't. You can't crap on my quarterback like. This isn't some cute little quarterback that had a nice little run. This is one of the best. Levitt is one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football, not just out west. Cute little team out west, cute little team in the Big 12. He's a dude, he's a baller. His top guy who was not there for the playoffs and they still took Texas to the brink is back. Tyson was a stud. They can move him around. They could do all kinds of things. A bunch of leadership back, a bunch of guys back. Not return. Not going in the transfer portal, not going all over the place. Experience head guy is on the rise. Everything about this team to me is. Is. Is a stock that's going to be good for the future.
- [51:14]
Brett Rollins
Scatter. Boo. Was. Bye bye. And it's okay that. But Texas Tech kind of already bought that Big 12 championship. Cody Campbell's got it on layaway already. He's already. He's already dropped the bag. They got the. They got the trophy just waiting.
- [51:27]
Scott Van Pelt
And it's just one of his bags, by the way. He got so many bags, it's ridiculous. He got more bags coming. Like he's definitely. He's doing all right.
- [51:36]
Brett Rollins
I'm just glad I let you be the positive end of that because I know you want to be positive and talk all sorts of good, good things about teams. And I just had a little fun being negative because I don't get to, you know, and make some jokes here and there because that's probably what the way the fans think sometimes.
- [51:48]
Scott Van Pelt
You know as well as I do, if we did this with some of the things that I said negatively, golly, that have been all over the place, it would have been. It had been fantastic. Like how many people would have been pissed off? But that's okay. That's fine.
- [52:00]
Brett Rollins
All right, question on the screen. Who will actually win the national championship?
- [52:07]
Scott Van Pelt
To me, to me. There's. Okay, I'm going to take you through this process of my small brain. I went to three teams. Okay. I. I narrowed it down to three. It feels like a kind of a year that it's going to be spread out. It feels like a kind of year that, you know, the number one team in the coaches poll and the AP is not a surprise like Texas. Their defense is going to be filthy. We'll keep them in every single game. Obviously, the offense, I don't care if it's Manning or not. Brent, like, it's Sark regardless. Like, he's going to be really good. They found a bunch of. A bunch of transfers. They. They've obviously recruited at a high level, too. So Texas was there. Clemson, obviously, not a surprise. Been all in on them all off season and all the reasons I already laid out. And then I really feel like Penn State's in this mix, too. I just feel like this is. They've got the ingredients in today's college football with all the experience, and they've got the scars, right? They got the scars from a year ago. And I think it could be a special season. But, I mean, if I have the tattoo on my back, I'm just not. I'm just sticking with it, man. Like, I'm going. I'm staying all in. I just, I think Clemson's. I think Clemson is just going to have a special year. And I think. I do think that defense turns it around immediately. And I think that just. They got some dudes at positions, man, like, at the most important positions. They've got some really, really good football players that are. That are going to be a handful for a lot of people when they play. So give me the Clemson Tigers to win the national championship this football season.
- [53:46]
Brett Rollins
All right. So my process is, I think back to last season and then the flip in the playoff structure where you have now the top four teams being the teams that get the buy. And I just have a feeling that that's going to be a story again and that those teams are, you know, maybe three out of the four lose because of the time away and the other team having a break and then getting back in the rhythm and playing again.
- [54:17]
Scott Van Pelt
Because all of them lost off the buy, right? Every single team lost last year off the buy. Yep. Yeah.
- [54:23]
Brett Rollins
So, like, that's one where I think you're going to see teams and we look at what we've picked from a championship game standpoint, and I looked at two teams that I don't think are potentially going to play in their conference championship but are going to meet in the national championship. And I think it's going to be teacher and then, you know, sort of student. I think it's going to be Kirby smart against Dan Lanning in the national championship. The point you made about Georgia's receiver and this by the way, this is not just me being Georgia homer guy. This is.
- [54:52]
Scott Van Pelt
I, I already cracked on Georgia so people can't say anything.
- [54:55]
Brett Rollins
Yes, exactly. I do think the receiver part of it is such a big deal for them this season. I think they got really, really good players there that are going to do great in their system and depth and I think depth in this sort of format is as important as anything. And give me the dogs beating teacher, beating the student, Kirby beating Dan Lanning. I am actually going. I don't think, I don't think either of them play in their conference championship game and I think we get a, you know, seven versus eight or you know, something like that kind of matchup in the national championship much like we had last season.
- [55:34]
Scott Van Pelt
So you went from a kind of a. I don't want to put words in your mouth but you went from kind of a question mark to about Gunner Stockton to now the weapons around him and you're all in.
- [55:44]
Brett Rollins
I think the result, I think the results are going to be. I think you're just going to get better quarterback play. I'm not, you know, it's not going to look like, you know, first round pick but quite frankly, I think Kirby has actually excelled with guys who aren't necessarily first round picks.
- [55:59]
Scott Van Pelt
I mean Jake from Wasn't that Stetson Bennett obviously wasn't that was.
- [56:04]
Brett Rollins
But so I. And all the things that with this. To me there's a certain level of talent. All these teams and the three that you mentioned have that. I think these other two are the one that are the ones that kind of get into that sort of group with the just sheer volume of talent and over time and I think again I think the biggest thing is the buy. I think it's going to. You're going to have some of these seven and eight teams go on the road or go in these neutral site games because they played and they're, they're good and the other team's going to be rusty and you're going to get upsets like you saw last year.
- [56:36]
Scott Van Pelt
Yep. We're already 50 minutes, we're already 50 minutes in. So I'll. We'll call it there Wednesday. We got a cool guest. You guys, you guys will like the guest, Scott Van Pelt, just one of the best, absolute best dudes in the business. Worked with him for so many years at espn. But, like, he is great what he does, but he's a better person. I mean, he really is just such a unique talent. I'm interested, too. I want to ask him about how the heck he got into this. Like, how does he get into this? And you know, his sports background, playing. Like. I'm very curious to. To talk to Scott. Just one of. One of one. The baldness. Yeah, I see you rubbing your head, so I know you love the baldness. He'll be. He'll be good. And I think the. I think the Georgia conversation will go deeper into, too, because, you know, watching those guys at practice now and seeing those guys a little bit, like, they. There's some. There's some guys there that. That people don't know about. That they're going to know about, like, you know, pretty quickly as the season starts. A lot of. A lot of new faces to replace, but, you know, a lot of talent. And then Kirby's. A lot of people telling Kirby he can't do it. A lot of people telling Georgia they can't do it. So that's a good thing. That hasn't happened in a many of a years. So that's. That's a good thing. But Wednesday, we'll get him. We'll talk all of college football. We appreciate y' all continuing to help us grow. Continue to listen to the show. And I'm Pollock, and That's Brent Rollins. Dr. Brent Rollins. And we'll holler at y' all on Wednesday. See y'. All. Thank you.