See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack

Episode Summary: CFB Week 0 REACTION | Big 12 Statement | CFP Eliminators

Date: August 26, 2025
Hosts: David Pollack & Brent Rollins
Guest/Contributor: Wes Blankenship (occasional chiming in)

Episode Overview

In this Week 0 recap, David Pollack and analyst Brent Rollins break down the opening weekend of the 2025 college football season. They offer authentic, impassioned, and numbers-backed reflections on early games—especially Iowa State vs. Kansas State—highlighting key moments of physicality, coaching decisions, and clutch execution. The duo also weighs in on the Big 12’s always-chaotic landscape, the impact of transfers, and early College Football Playoff eliminations. The conversation concludes with a look at upcoming heavyweight matchups, some fun behind-the-scenes show banter, and pointed takes on the latest in conference expansion and scheduling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Authentic Feelings About Week 0 Sloppiness

[01:31-03:19]

• David admits being “perturbed” by the first-half play:
  • “I was so excited ... I felt like it was really sloppy because the weather sucked.” (David Pollack, 01:56)
• Brent: Never takes real football for granted, but acknowledges a rough start.
• Humorous banter on Brent’s obsession with checking the weather as an analytic.

2. Big 12 Showdown: Iowa State vs. Kansas State Breakdown

[03:31-11:03]

Atmosphere and Early Sloppiness

• Pollack expresses surprise/frustration at "good teams playing conference games on the road with very little atmosphere and terrible weather." (03:31)
• Both teams displayed nerves, a high number of fumbles, and passing struggles (notably, Kansas State’s left tackle was their leading receiver after a tipped pass).

Physicality, Coaching, & Gutsy Play-Calling

• Iowa State, more physical on both lines of scrimmage, shone in critical moments:
  • “Iowa State ran the football. Iowa State was more physical on both lines of scrimmage. Iowa State was 3 for 3 on fourth down. That was the pivotal thing.” (David, 05:04)
• Pollack commends Matt Campbell’s decision to stay aggressive on 4th down:
  • “I was stating Matt Campbell like Nabra, that's not what we do. My best player is Rocco Beck. I'm going to give him the ball.” (David, 05:24)

Kansas State’s Fateful Decision

• Rollins critiques K-State QB Avery Johnson’s failed 4th-and-1 conversion on their own 34:
  • “That was soft as Charmin ... if the quarterback kind of does that and doesn't just show the guts by the way that the other quarterback did ...” (Brent, 08:02)
  • Discusses how Johnson “slows his feet down” and “balls up” instead of powering forward.

3. Coaching Identity and Creativity

[04:26-07:02]

• Brent on Iowa State’s identity:
  • “Be like Socrates. Know thyself and Iowa State knows thyself ... How do you handle the loss of two high draft picks? ... You play all kinds of tight ends ... in the biggest of moments, that’s who you throw it to.” (Brent, 04:26)
• David: “Knowing thyself ... is critically important.” (05:04)
• Offensive creativity for both teams highlighted.

4. Kansas: Coaching Masterclass and Jalen Daniels Health Concerns

[09:10-12:32]

• David lauds Kansas and Coach Leipold’s offensive design:
  • “They’re as good as anybody in the country ... at understanding how to use their guys, how to use pre-snaps, motion, shifts ... just making your eyes go slanted and cross-eyed.” (David, 09:42)
• Brent connects Kansas’ offense to Rich Rodriguez’s WVU scheme.
• Both highlight Jalen Daniels’ talent and explosiveness—but:
  • “If game one was an indicator for Jalen Daniels, absolutely zero percent chance of making it through the season.” (David, 11:03)
  • Concerns about his durability due to frequent hits: “He takes shots because he’s tough ... If he does, it will be impossible to survive a season, man.” (David, 11:34)

5. Big 12 Depth & Impact Transfers

[12:32-14:26]

• Transfer portal impact: Lashawn Williams (ex-Iowa RB), Bengali Kamara (Pitt/South Carolina), and others making immediate impacts for Kansas.
• “You see guys and granted this is one game ... but finding guys ... who you likely don’t hear about ... becomes a force there and makes plays for Kansas.” (Brent, 13:23)
• David: Kansas’ defensive line play was notable (though Fresno’s offensive line “wasn’t a clinic”).
• General expectation: Big 12 will be unpredictable—“one score galore” and “an insanely fun league to watch.”

6. Key Stats and Analytical Nuggets

[20:06-24:49]

• Brent’s standout numbers:
  • Kansas State’s continued high drop rate: “Highest drop rate a season ago at 11.9%, number one in the Power Four ... Better in that game? 12.5.” (Brent, 20:28)
  • Avery Johnson (KSU QB) very effective throwing left, but not right: “He was six of seven to the left ... one of four to the right.” (Brent, 22:19)
  • Iowa State played five (!) tight ends for a total of 174 snaps; offensive system remains a work-in-progress but leans hard into two/three-TE sets.
  • Well-coached moments, like the clever third-and-one delay to the tight end.

7. College Football Playoff Elimination Watch

[24:50-28:41]

• New segment: After every week, they’ll “eliminate” teams from CFP contention.
• First two eliminated after Week 0:
  • Fresno State: “Fresno State ... they’re eliminated. They’re officially eliminated in Week Zero. They’re the first one.” (David, 26:01)
  • Stanford: “I think there’s another one ... Stanford ... I’m ready to eliminate them ... I’ve seen enough evidence already. They’re gone.” (David, 27:38)
  • Panel jokes that Stanford “may not win a game.”

8. Weekend Winners (“W’s”), Conference Scheduling, and Looking Ahead

[28:41-34:35]

• Alex Wes Blankenship’s “Weekend W”:
  • Big Ten: For shifting to a nine-game conference schedule and making life tougher for the SEC, ending “cupcake” scheduling.
  • SEC fans and schedule uniformity: David calls for more cross-conference rivalries—Big Ten vs. SEC, SEC vs. ACC, SEC vs. Big 12.
  • “Let's make those crossovers, man. So we got more data and more points ... it's going to lead to better games, man.” (David, 30:04)
• Brent: Biggest winner is the fans, since fewer blowouts = more significant, watchable games.
  • “If you go to games, why would you want to go watch your team play someone they’re favored by 40?” (Brent, 32:55)
  • Jokes about Georgia never having played at Texas A&M since conference expansion.

9. Previewing CFB Week 1 – What’s the Game to Watch?

[34:35-48:13]

• Wild excitement about a loaded Week 1 schedule; rare to have multiple Top 10 matchups.
• Biggest games:
  • Texas vs. Ohio State
  • LSU vs. Clemson
  • Notre Dame vs. Miami
• David: Most intrigued by LSU-Clemson (“Battle of Death Valley”) and the pressure on both programs for a statement win.
  • “They get to catapult ... start their season with something just freaking huge.” (David, 36:37)
• Brent: Interested in Notre Dame-Miami for new QB looks (C.J. Carr) and Miami's implications if QB play is strong.

10. Fun Segments, Quotes, and Behind-the-Scenes

Humorous and memorable exchanges throughout:

• Pollack razzes Brent for looking up “the weather in Dublin, Ireland for some stupid reason.” (50:40)
• Show reveals a work-in-progress studio: Arizona State helmet is the first of many going on the podcast wall.
• Long tangent on TV rights/media hacks: David jokes about his “hacked Fire Stick” saving money on subscriptions.
• Brent shouts out Hawaii’s kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, who learned kicking from YouTube and became a hero: “Kansei Matsuzawa ... the first Power Conference win for Hawaii since 2019.” (Brent, 40:49)

11. Final Thoughts & Community

[46:10-50:40]

• “Best win in the country ... already number one team in the country right now in the power rankings. That’s pretty fantastic.” (David on Iowa State, 46:10)
• Kansas also gets big props for offensive excitement.
• Friendly reminder: Join next episodes for Chris Fowler preview, more picks, “he gone!” eliminations, and plenty of banter.
• Pollack: “Keep joining us, man... This is going to be fantastic and an unbelievable start to week one this weekend.” (50:41)

Notable Quotes

• On Iowa State’s physicality:

  “Iowa State was more physical on both lines of scrimmage. Iowa State was 3 for 3 on fourth down.”
  (David Pollack, 05:04)

• On Big 12 chaos:

  “It’s always going to be a coin flip ... It’s going to be an insanely fun league to watch.”
  (Brent Rollins, 14:26)

• On Kansas’ offense:

  "They’re as good as anybody in the country ... just making your eyes go slanted and cross-eyed."
  (David Pollack, 09:42)

• On Jalen Daniels’ durability:

  "Absolutely zero percent chance of making it through the season ... If he does, it will be impossible to survive a season, man."
  (David Pollack, 11:03)

• On CFP eliminators:

  "Fresno State ... they’re eliminated. They’re officially eliminated in Week Zero."
  (David Pollack, 26:01)

  "Stanford ... I’ve seen enough evidence already. They’re gone."
  (David Pollack, 27:38)

• On the new era of scheduling:

  “Let's make those crossovers, man. So we got more data ... and it's going to lead to better games.”
  (David Pollack, 30:04)

• On the fan experience:

  “...the biggest winner in all of this though is fans. Because ... why would you want to go watch your team play someone that they're favored by 40?”
  (Brent Rollins, 32:55)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:31 – Week 0 sloppiness, weather, first feelings
• 03:31 – Big 12: On-field analysis of Iowa State/Kansas State
• 07:02 – Kansas State’s 4th down decision
• 09:10 – Kansas coaching, Jalen Daniels analysis
• 14:26 – Big 12 unpredictability
• 20:06 – Brent’s key numbers and Iowa State TE usage
• 24:50 – College Football Playoff Eliminator segment: Fresno State & Stanford out
• 28:41 – Weekend W’s / Big Ten & SEC schedule talk
• 34:35 – Previewing Week 1’s big games
• 36:56 – LSU vs. Clemson preview & stakes
• 46:10 – Iowa State & Kansas as weekend winners
• 48:13 – Rapid Week 1 preview, listener questions
• 50:41 – Closing thoughts, show tease for Chris Fowler

Closing Tone

High-energy, honest, authentic, and fun — Pollack and Rollins blend deep knowledge with natural banter, making for a highly engaging and accessible breakdown for die-hard and casual college football fans alike. They emphasize the importance of physicality, identity, and adaptation in CFB, deliver predictions with humor, and invite the audience back for next-level analysis and stories week-to-week.