David Pollack & Joel Klatt Preview WEEK 5 in College Football | Oregon-Penn State | Alabama-Georgia

Summary

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See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack

Episode: David Pollack & Joel Klatt Preview WEEK 5 in College Football | Oregon-Penn State | Alabama-Georgia

Date: September 25, 2025
Guests: Joel Klatt

Episode Overview

In this episode, David Pollack is joined by Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt to break down the biggest stories and matchups for Week 5 in college football. The conversation spans in-depth analysis of top teams' playoff outlooks, pivotal player injuries, and the most compelling games of the upcoming weekend—including Oregon–Penn State and Alabama–Georgia. The episode delivers candid insights into national championship contenders, questions about programs like Oklahoma and Penn State, and quick hits on coach changes and under-the-radar games. The tone is honest, knowledgeable, and entertaining, with plenty of back-and-forth and light-hearted moments.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Impact of John Mateer’s Injury on Oklahoma

[02:30 – 11:09]

• David opens by highlighting the major injury to Oklahoma QB John Mateer, who broke his thumb early against Auburn yet still delivered a clutch performance.
  • "He still goes 24-of-36, 271 [yards]. A touchdown, doesn’t turn the football over, leads the team in rushing." (David, 03:48)
• The panel discusses how Oklahoma can cope, especially with an “easier” stretch ahead—a bye and Kent State—before the crucial Red River game vs. Texas.
  • "If there ever was good timing for this...you would want it right now..." (Guest Analyst, 04:56)
• The significance of injuries in College Football Playoff selection is covered:
  • "If you lose to Texas, Mateer wasn’t there. Sorry, man, can’t hold that loss against me. It’s just a thing to consider." (David, 06:17)
• Michael Hawkins Jr. is poised to step in; his running ability and past seasoning are noted as positives.
• The stretch run is daunting: "Ole Miss at home, at Tennessee, at Alabama, Mizzou at home and LSU at home." (Guest Analyst, 09:17)
• Playoff implication: If Oklahoma beats Michigan but loses to Texas without Mateer, the injury caveat could help their case.
  • "You're 9-3 with a Texas loss with no Mateer is going to be better than anybody else's 10-2." (Guest Analyst, 09:47)

2. Coach Firings and Changes

[15:04 – 19:42]

• Oklahoma State fires Mike Gundy; Virginia Tech and Stanford also make coaching changes early in the season.
• The panel expects a "mass coach exodus" with increased money from NIL and program investments.
  • "Now that the knowns are a little more known, you’re going to see a lot of it." (Guest Analyst, 17:49)
• Virginia Tech is discussed as an attractive job with $50M in new investment and potential to lure Shane Beamer.
  • "No money, no success. Like, you have to have money in this sport." (David, 18:28)

3. Parity & The Changing College Football Landscape

[21:53 – 23:04]

• Joel Klatt reflects on a season of parity:
  • "We've got real parity in the sport. For the first time that I can ever remember, I legitimately look at the top 12-13 teams and I'm like, any one of them can beat any other team any given Saturday." (Joel Klatt, 22:03)
• The era of preordained Bama/Clemson/Georgia dominance appears to be over.
  • "For so many years...it was like, Oh, well, it’s Bama and Clemson or Bama and Georgia..." (Joel Klatt, 22:30)

4. Big Ten Contenders: Deeper Than Usual

[23:04 – 24:59]

• Klatt identifies 4-5 Big Ten teams as legit national title threats: Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Indiana, and possibly USC.
  • Note: Indiana and USC highlighted as "underrated and scary"—USC especially noted as top in the country in yards/play and sacks.
  • "USC...could surprise some people. They've got Illinois this weekend. They've got Michigan coming up. They've got Notre Dame..." (Joel Klatt, 24:30)

5. Quarterback Analysis: Arch Manning & Drew Aller

[25:58 – 32:04]

• Arch Manning’s adjustment curve:
  • "We pictured Arch running into the season as a Heisman front runner. And he just needed to learn how to crawl first..." (Joel Klatt, 28:42)
  • Emphasis on Manning’s footwork, timing, and the need for patience with young quarterbacks, especially those with a famous name.
• Drew Aller & Penn State:
  • David and Joel express disappointment, noting a lack of big-play passing and concern over Penn State’s 14 straight regular-season losses to top 10 teams.
  • "You realize the last big game we saw Penn State play was that national semifinal. They had zero catches from their wide receivers." (Joel Klatt, 33:16)

6. Oregon–Penn State Preview & National Title Case

[34:30 – 37:19]

• Oregon’s ability to “walk into” the Big Ten and dominate is discussed.
• Dante Moore’s emergence at Oregon is praised; run defense is cited as a possible Achilles' heel.
  • "Dante Moore is a sensational player...he is absolutely one of the top three guys for the Heisman Trophy as we speak." (Joel Klatt, 35:37)
• Pressure is “all on Penn State,” given their experience and expectations.

7. SEC Showdowns: LSU-Ole Miss, Alabama-Georgia

[37:19 – 44:00]

• LSU-Ole Miss:
  • Klatt sees Ole Miss as overrated, LSU as more solid than people think.
    • "Ole Miss is not as good as they were a year ago. I think LSU is better..." (Joel Klatt, 38:00)
  • Ole Miss's run defense is poor (121st in FBS), which could help LSU get their offense rolling again.
• Alabama–Georgia:
  • Kirby Smart's Georgia dominance at home is underlined. Bama’s road struggles and injuries are highlighted as crucial factors.
    • "Bama under Kalyn DeBoer is really bad on the road: 2-4 and looked terrible in some of those." (Joel Klatt, 40:57)
  • Gunner Stockton’s late-game heroics for Georgia credited to team chemistry and resilience.

8. Underrated Matchup: Washington vs. Ohio State

[44:09 – 45:44]

• Both praise Washington as hugely underrated, noting their offensive prowess and home win streak.
  • "Washington...they've scored on 17 straight drives. No one knows that. Why? Because they don't watch football on the West Coast." (Joel Klatt, 44:16)
  • Damond Williams (QB), Jonah Coleman (RB), Denzel Boston (WR) are called potentially the best trio in college football.

9. Joel Klatt’s Career Path – Memorable Story

[45:58 – 49:48]

• Klatt shares his unlikely journey into sports broadcasting, aided by faith and his wife’s encouragement.
  • "Sometimes it takes someone believing in you before you believe in you." (David, 48:01)
• Humorous anecdote about covering a radio remote from a Taco Bell kitchen “for a show no one listened to” as a contrast to current national exposure.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Oklahoma’s Playoff Path:

  • "If you lose to Texas, Mateer wasn’t there. Sorry, man, can’t hold that loss against me." (David, 06:17)

• On Parity in 2025:

  • "For the first time that I can ever remember, I legitimately look at the top 12-13 teams and I'm like, any one of them can beat any other team any given Saturday." (Joel Klatt, 22:03)

• On Learning as a Young QB:

  • "Crawl, walk, run. He's still learning to crawl and then he can walk and then maybe someday he can run." (Joel Klatt, 29:32)

• On Penn State’s Big Game Disappointments:

  • "To see them beat a top 10 team, you got to go back to 2016. It's been 14 straight regular season losses versus top 10 opponents for Penn State and James Franklin." (Joel Klatt, 32:42)

• On Oregon’s Heisman Hopeful:

  • "Dante Moore is a sensational player...he is absolutely one of the top three guys for the Heisman Trophy as we speak." (Joel Klatt, 35:37)

• On Bama’s Road Woes:

  • "Bama under Kalyn DeBoer is really bad on the road: 2-4 and looked terrible in some of those." (Joel Klatt, 40:57)

• On Gunner Stockton:

  • "He has no... He's the antithesis of wanting hype, wanting flash, wanting people. Like, he just wants to blend in with his 1983 Ford truck that doesn't have air conditioning." (David, 43:02)

• On Underrated Washington:

  • "Washington...they've scored on 17 straight drives...one of the single most underrated teams in the country because apparently no one watched them." (Joel Klatt, 44:16)

• On Career Gratitude:

  • "When I get to sit there and listen to the national anthem...I think about being on my hands and knees in that Taco Bell kitchen floor. And I'm grateful." (Joel Klatt, 49:24)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:30 — John Mateer’s injury and Oklahoma’s playoff hopes
• 15:04 — Oklahoma State fires Mike Gundy, coach carousel chatter
• 21:53 — Joel Klatt on the new wave of college football parity
• 23:28 — Big Ten national title contenders discussion
• 28:42 — Arch Manning’s adjustment and learning curve at Texas
• 32:04 — Drew Aller, Penn State’s passing struggles, big game weight
• 34:30 — Oregon–Penn State: stakes, pressure, national implications
• 37:19 — SEC matchups: LSU-Ole Miss, Alabama–Georgia breakdown
• 44:09 — Washington–Ohio State preview; Washington’s national disrespect
• 45:58 — Joel Klatt shares his broadcasting journey and Taco Bell story

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Tone and Style Highlights

• Friendly, candid, and occasionally self-deprecating exchange (e.g., Klatt acknowledging his preseason mis-pick of Clemson).
• Sharp, analytical football insight but with humor and storytelling.
• Both hosts and guests keep the analysis relatable and grounded, celebrating “other fanbases” and sharing motivational anecdotes.

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Final Thoughts

This episode delivers a comprehensive college football Week 5 preview with sharp analysis, behind-the-scenes context, and engaging personal stories. Listeners get real X’s-and-O’s breakdowns, postseason scenarios, and a veteran’s perspective on what makes this season so wide open and exciting. If you want to know which teams are for real, who’s flying under the radar, and why coaching exits might skyrocket this year, this hour is a must-listen.

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Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

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[David]

Thursday Night Football is on and it's only on Prime Video. Tonight the Seattle Seahawks face the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC west showdown.

[Joel Klatt]

Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with Football's Best Party TNF tonight presented by Verizon.

[David]

Not a Prime member, Not a problem.

[Joel Klatt]

Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Seahawks and the Cardinals tonight.

[David]

At 7pm Eastern only on Prime Video.

[Joel Klatt]

Restrictions apply.

[David]

See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

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[Joel Klatt]

How about that Polack interception in the end zone?

[David]

Well, it's David Pollux. He's got a heart of a line.

[Joel Klatt]

I'm real proud of that kid. This is C Ball, Get Ball. College football's top show for football analysis, predictions and coach interviews.

[David]

Now here's your host, three time All American, seven time Emmy Award winner. Welcome back in everybody. It's hump day right in the middle of the week. I know we're trying to we're pushing through. Yeah, Hump day. That is. That was a really good commercial. This is, this is always fun because, because every day this in the middle of the week, we're always going to have a guest on and we've had some really, really good ones. And we had SVP to start the season and Bear. And then we've had a couple of your other bald friends too with Cole Kubelik who was fan freaking Tastic. We had Jeff Palmer and Booger McFarland like and now Joe Clatt, who's really, really good at his job. Like really fun to listen to him talk ball. We'll discuss all things football. Probably talk about the big news of the day too. Like we, we heard about it yesterday and just John Matier and probably the story of college football to start the season and everybody seeing him and just his impact on Oklahoma and Oklahoma going from a team that was thought could be pretty good to now a team that, you know, people are putting in the, in the playoff picture. Broke his thumb in the Auburn game, which was a really, really tough game. If you wondered, you know, if he was a little bit sluggish in that game, you can be like, yeah, he didn't play his best but he first quarter, he broke it in the first quarter. And here's the thing. To me, that is all you need to know about John Mattier. He still goes 24, 36 to 71. A touchdown doesn't turn the football over, leads the team in rushing. A rushing touchdown, gets the ball with seven minutes left and takes it down the field to take the lead for good too in the team. So still came up clutch even with an injury. That says something about the dude's mindset. That says something about who that dude is. Big time, big time performance. And now Oklahoma's going to have to find a way to live without him. And that's not going to be as easy said than done because we saw life last year without John Mateer and it was not the best looking thing in the world. So Oklahoma fans, man, I know you were jacked up. You were excited. Brett, do they need to, do they need to be on a watch. A watch alert list or are we, are we going to be going. Oklahoma is going to fall off a cliff.

[Guest Analyst]

Can I play devil's advocate here?

[David]

No, you can't.

[Guest Analyst]

Because this might actually be. If there was ever good timing for this, for an injury to happen to him, you wouldn't want it later on in their schedule with the gauntlet at the end of their schedule is you would want it right now where you have a bye week and then you play Kent State at home. I think a walk on QB for them would be just fine. Handling business there.

[David]

You're saying you could handle business against Kent State at quarterback for Oklahoma?

[Guest Analyst]

I think I could, actually.

[David]

Okay. All right. Low scoring game. Field goal wins it.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, but played about strengths. Play to the defense, but. But then you get the Red River. And everything that you've read, that I've read has said about a month that there's possibility that he's back for the Texas game. And even if he's not, even if it's not that game and it's say the following week at South Carolina, maybe you go and you find something about your running game out and you evolve a little bit from that perspective and your offensive line maybe clicks more because of things and because he doesn't have to or know that he's not Superman and Heisman material for you in the background. You don't have that. You don't have that in the back pocket all the time.

[David]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

What do you think of that?

[David]

I understand what you're saying. I think the timing is, is as good as it gets for Oklahoma. And here's another thing that I'll say. If you look at the playoff criteria, one of the most important things that are outlined in the playoff criteria for people to take into account is injuries. If you lose to Texas, Mater wasn't there. Sorry, man, can't hold that lost against me. It's just a thing to consider. It's something that will be talked about. Like it's a part of the we. They talk about head to head being a criteria. They talk about common opponents. They also talk about injury. That's. That's a real thing that's going to be discussed. So do they get a little leeway for that? Do they get some, some reprieve because it's legit now? Here's the thing that's different about Oklahoma this year. Their defense is still really good, but they also have Arbuckle and Arbuckle is a better play caller. They are in a better spot. You know, Michael Hawkins Jr. Got to go through spring last year. He was a freshman, like feeling his way through. Did he look great?

[Joel Klatt]

No.

[David]

Go turn on the South Carolina tape and you're like, I, I think I'm out. Like I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go hide real quick. He ain't my guy. Which is why Jackson Arnold, you know, becomes, becomes the guy again. But he played in seven games he started in a hostile environment at Auburn. You know, he played, he played pretty good in the bowl game. He's a four star, highly recruited kid. So I think in a better system with a good support, with a better supporting cast, because the supporting cast is better, I think the run game becomes better because they have to depend on the run game. Like that is what he's best at. When I watched Michael Hawkins Jr. A year ago, I thought he was best at that. Like, I thought his ability to run and not only run, I like the way that dude would lower his shoulder. Like he'd go get a tough yard. He was not scared to hit people in the mouth. And you know, he came in that, that volunteer game when that, when they, when, when it didn't. When it kind of got sideways. But he showed you some good stuff against Auburn with rushing and throwing and finding a way to win, even though it was, it was not the prettiest in the world. But I don't think it's as goes back to as bad as it was a year ago because I think the team's a lot better this year and they got, they got Kent State and then obviously the Texas thing is going to be that defense without Mater.

[Joel Klatt]

Oof.

[David]

I do not wish, I do not wish that on humans.

[Guest Analyst]

I did I just hear you agree with my devil's advocate position.

[David]

What was your Deborah's advocate position? That this was a good.

[Guest Analyst]

If there was any sort of. If the timing was going to happen.

[David]

But that's not devil's advocate advocate. That's true.

[Guest Analyst]

That this was a good thing for the devil advocate.

[David]

You was devil's advocate would be. You're saying that it's a good thing that it happened. That's not a good thing. It happened.

[Guest Analyst]

But the timing of it was as good as it can happen.

[David]

As good as it can get. Yes.

[Guest Analyst]

Because you'd rather it happen now or would you rather happen it during the stretch of Ole Miss at home, at Tennessee, at Alabama, Mizzou at home and LSU at home? The last five games that they have.

[David]

Geez Mania. That's against four against 20 against 15 against 17 and Texas, Texas is seven and Ole Miss is 13. Like that's like South Carolina's like, you're like, thank God we're playing South Carolina this year and last year. Obviously that wasn't the case.

[Guest Analyst]

But so you're talking about the playoffs and injury. So you lose to Texas, you somehow win three out of the five that you have to play there at the end of the season or four Four out of six, I guess, and you're nine and three with wins potentially, you know, at Tennessee or at Alabama or against LSU or like the wins that you're going to have. Michigan win, you're 9 and 3 with a Texas loss with no mater is going to be better than any anybody else's 10 and 2.

[David]

And what's the trump card? What's the ace in the hole? You beat Michigan.

[Guest Analyst]

Yep.

[David]

And I think Michigan's going to be the one of those teams that you'll be battling for to fill that spot. And you're going to go, been there, done that, bought the T shirt and hat. Like, there's, there's no, like, I don't need you to say, oh, the metrics. No, no, no, no. They came in here and they left and it did not go well for them. Like, so obviously it's, it's. This is the part of the year that all this is going to happen too, man. Like, we're going to get more injuries to, to more significant pieces. You've got to deal with it and you've got to find a way to overcome. They can't, you know, completely blow their foot off, but, you know, Kent State, they probably can. That's. We'll see Just. We'll see just how good.

[Guest Analyst]

Texas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, lsu. Boy, did they get the wrong end of the stick.

[David]

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[Joel Klatt]

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[David]

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[Guest Analyst]

That's nationaldebtrelief.com One other thing that I forgot to mention on Saturday when we did the live reaction show, I went and watched the game Oklahoma Auburn game with their former offensive coordinator. I got to sit with coach Donen and watch that game who's outside of Georgia. He is a he's boomer sooner and all their families there and he was into it and dialed in and just watching him and enjoying that game with him was phenomenal and well and that's.

[David]

So fun for to watch different fan bases get to experience that like get to experience winning get to experience being really really good. Like that's a. That's a fun thing to me. I love to celebrate other fan bases, especially ones that have struggled for a little while that are used to being so good and winning natties or Being in that, in that position, like it's fun. This parody in this new world and you hit John Matiere and it's like, wait a minute. Our life is different. Like this is really, really fun. So boomer sooner, baby.

[Guest Analyst]

Other sort of negative news. Maybe it was inevitable, but it's still not a good thing. It's never a good thing to see somebody get fired. But Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy.

[Joel Klatt]

I, I.

[Guest Analyst]

As much as you know, it's kind of had to happen. I think maybe or was going to happen. But I did see where they had said, hey, you could. Something about resigned. But he's like, no. So they. Anyway, he is now no longer the.

[David]

Almost they paid him $15 million to go away, which is fantastic. God bless America. Here's what I'll say, man, if you go back, what shoot is it 13 months. They were almost in the playoff. Like literally like life comes at you fat and they got stopped on the one yard line, right? Wasn't that the play? I mean literally. So like life comes at you fast, man. And Gundy's done a lot of great things. He's the winningest coach in their, in their history. And he's had great moments on the field and he's had elite moments on the press conference. Elite. Like one of the few guys that I love take shots at. Everybody can be petty. I love that. I just, I love that out of coaches that, that are like that, that are honest, that are themselves like it's not easy to be the Oklahoma State coach when Oklahoma is clearly the team in that state that, that, that has more success, has more history. But he did a good job in that game. Like he did a good job being, being very competitive. He won a lot of football games. Always replaced coach after coach after coach. They got hired elsewhere from, from his staff. So of all the guys that have been let go and you know, Brent Pride got let go to Virginia Tech, like struggle bus man. I mean you can't defend 16 and 24. And you know, getting beat down by New Mexico, like that's not a good thing. And then, you know, Troy Taylor was the first before the season in March for, for Stanford, like he was the, he was the first to go which was like, we're not used to seeing that in March. And then there's one other one too that got fired. Sean Foster, UCLA, who went 03 actually that was the one that got beat by New Mexico. Brent Pride was ODU that TKO them. But obviously this is going to happen, continue to happen throughout the season. And you've already seen crazy things. You've already seen Arbuckle like linked to jobs and I'm like, bro, it's September. It's not even like we're kind of going through this season and now people are going to be getting a jump on coaches and transfer portal. You have tampering all that stuff. Like this is. This must be a new level too, of reaching out.

[Guest Analyst]

I said this on the show, I think Saturday night that I think there's going to see mass coach exodus, firing changes. I think it's because you just didn't see it a year ago because of all the unknowns in the sport. And now that the knowns are a little more known, you're going to see a lot of it. And the Virginia Tech one is the most interesting one because did you see the announcement or the sort of talk about how much money they're going to start pumping into all that 50 million, baby? Because 5,0I the question for me, why would if, if they call Shane Beamer, why would he say no?

[David]

I mean, the history of being at his dad's school would obviously be awesome. It would be exciting. Now you got to, you're, you go, you're going to go to the stadium, you're going to walk by your daddy's monument like his statue. That ain't easy. But he was also on the staff before he went to South Carolina, you know, interesting to see how they finish. But I think the 50 million that they put in is very important because now at least somebody goes, okay, I got a chance to be successful like you. No money, no success. Like you have to have money in this sport. And so knowing that they're serious about it now allows you to go talk to the Arbuckles of the world and say, we've got an investment. We're going to get. We're going to be competitive in the nil market. We're going to get guys. We're not going to leave you hanging. We're not just going to. Let's send, you know, all of our guys to other schools that you watch. You know, maybe at LSU this year, dominating the cornerback spot that just came from your university. Right. Like, we're, we're going to do our best to keep those guys and so that, that definitely matters.

[Guest Analyst]

And you're in the acc. Yeah, you're not much better place for him. You're not in the sec.

[David]

It would be, it would be interesting that that's better. You know what, Like, I know you got to take off and be an adult because you have adulting to do today. I'll ask Joe Clyt that one. That might be a good one to.

[Guest Analyst]

Well, what do we normally do on Wednesdays, too, though? What do we always do on Wednesdays?

[David]

Podium kings.

[Guest Analyst]

Podium kings. And what better way today than to pay homage to possibly the king of podium kings? Because he's a.

[David]

He's a man and he's 40. You know the movie Christmas Story? You ever watch that? Where the kid goes down? Well, that's how I came out when we broke the huddle. Like Nebraska's defensive line had their shirts tied. This is not good.

[Joel Klatt]

How vital was it to you that he gets off to a good start in this game?

[David]

Criticism.

[Joel Klatt]

Where?

[David]

From where?

[Joel Klatt]

Outside noise.

[David]

From where? Twitter radio. Oh, I give a rat's ass about Twitter. College football, as we all know, has changed in a very, very dramatic fashion. And it's really not the old college football. This is a paid game, okay? So whether I agree with it or not makes zero difference. It's like being in an argument with your wife. And you know, you're right. It makes zero difference.

[Joel Klatt]

You're wrong.

[David]

You might as well just get over it, give in. Things are going to be much smoother. If anybody hasn't read this article, I don't read it.

[Joel Klatt]

This was brought to me by a mother of children. I think this is worth reading if you want to go after an athlete, one of my athletes, you go after one that doesn't do the right thing.

[David]

Where are we at in society today? Come after me.

[Guest Analyst]

I'm a man.

[Joel Klatt]

I'm 40. I'm not.

[David]

I'm not a kid. Write something about me. All right, we got the great Joe Klatt. You find him every week on Fox. He's calling a big game and he's got the Joel Klatt Show. Joel, great to have you, brother. Especially during the season, during the grind this football season so far. Like what? When I say that, like what comes to mind? What does Joel Clatten know now, you know, five weeks into the season that maybe you didn't know before it started.

[Joel Klatt]

That I was a idiot at the beginning of the year and I picked Clemson to win the national champions. Guilty.

[David]

I'm with you. I'm with you.

[Joel Klatt]

I did, too.

[David]

Yes.

[Joel Klatt]

Oh, my goodness. You know, obviously. Obviously a little tongue in cheek there. But it speaks to what I actually think has been so great about the season. I think we've got real parody in the sport. For the first time that I can ever remember, I legitimately look at the top 1213 teams and I'm like, any one of them can beat any other team any given Saturday. And I think that's a great thing. And we haven't had that for a long time. For so many years. As you know, it was like, oh, well, it's, it's Bama and Clemson or Bama and Georgia and, or, or maybe Ohio State was thrown in there. But we knew the national champion was going to come from one of those two, three, maybe fours, four places. LSU joined that mix obviously in 19. Now I legitimately feel like any one of these teams, if health breaks their way, the right turnover game breaks their way, that they could go on and win the national championship. And to me that's incredibly exciting. So I think that we're set up for maybe the best two months of college football that we've seen in a long time.

[David]

Yeah, it's awesome. It's so great not to know, like, not to go into games going on. This is going to be beat downs. Like we saw that for, for so many years, the uncompetitiveness. So you talked about national championship contenders, Big Ten. How many do you look at now? You know, this end of the season that you're like, all right, like, yeah, yeah, I'm checking that box. I mean, I think you, I think they could be a national championship contender.

[Joel Klatt]

I, people would think I'm crazy. I have four that I think can, can compete for a national championship and maybe a fifth we'll see here in the next couple of, of weeks. I think it's pretty clear Ohio State is up there and I think it's pretty clear that Oregon and Penn State have played at that level and they've, they've, they've been there. So those three are just the teams that I think that we know. What we saw last week from Indiana was pretty eye opening for me, David. I. The way that they went about dismantling Illinois, the efficiency that their quarterback played with, the balance between their run game, running it for 300 yards and being able to throw the football like they were able to do, he only had two incompletions. That was eye opening to me. So I think Indiana is a much more scary team than people are giving them credit. That's the fourth and then the fifth. I would just say watch out for usc. USC is very much in the mold of what Lincoln Riley's teams were when he was at. Oh, you. They run the ball well with balance. They're actually number one in the country in yards per play at just over 9, which is exactly what they used to do at. Oh, you. They've got a defensive line that is actually really good and has 16 sacks on the year. One of the best pass rushing teams in the country. And so quietly, as a very underrated team right now ranked, what is it, 21 in the country, I think USC could surprise some people. They've got Illinois this weekend. They've got Michigan coming up. They've got Notre Dame. They go on a little bit of a win streak. And I think everybody around the country will have their eyes open.

[David]

Yeah. And the interesting thing about that, like, I feel like Lincoln Riley made a very tough decision a year ago when he said no to Miller Moss. And now you look at the two. And he said yes to Jaden Maiva, and look at the. Look at the two playing. And you saw him make a lot of mistakes because he's a little bit of a gambler. He's from. From unlv. I guess that comes with the territory. But, like, he definitely threw, you know, too many interceptions. But now he got that experience. And I think that was a big reason why now you've seen him come into that mix. You mentioned Ohio State. Like, we saw them play Texas Week 1. There's a ton of Arch reactions. And I know you. You don't say things just to say things. That's not who you are. Which is one of the reasons why I love, you know, the way you do your work. When you look at Arch and when you saw him against Ohio State and just moving forward, like, where is he? Like, is he. Is he closer to that Heisman Trophy that we talked about, or is he, you know, several notches below and he's going to have to prove it along the way, the rest of the season?

[Joel Klatt]

Well, I think that there's. There's an old adage in really everything, and my dad used to say this and some other great leaders that I've been around, they say crawl, walk, run. You gotta crawl before you can walk. You gotta walk before you can run. Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company. They're one of America's largest financial services companies. Like how I'm more than just Peyton Manning. I'm also motivate Manning. When I say insurance, you say financial services. Insurance. Financial services. Insurance, Financial services. Now, when I say nationwide, you say is both. Nationwide. Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs, Nationwide is on your side.

[David]

Nationwide Investment Services Corporation Ember Finra Columbus, Ohio. What if we could reduce carbon emissions and strengthen the economy? At ExxonMobil, we believe both are possible. As a global leader in carbon capture and storage, we're empowering industries to reduce their emissions all through technologies that are creating job opportunities in America. How's that for a win? Win. ExxonMobil. Let's deliver. Come to DSW for the shoes, stay for the fun. Because let's be honest, if shoe shopping isn't fun, are you even doing it right? So go ahead, try something new. Try something different. Good different. Try some. Something that feels like you, you know, the real you. And then definitely brag about it later. Because at dsw, you've got unlimited freedom to play with sneakers, boots, and everything in between. For every style, mood and occasion, you'll definitely find shoes that get you at prices that get your budget. Dsw, let us surprise you.

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[Joel Klatt]

And I think all of us were picturing Arch running into the season as a Heisman front runner. And he just needed to learn how to crawl first and be a starting quarterback. And the few times that we got to see him early last year looked good, and he had a great team around him. And so we thought, oh, man, this is, you know, they're going to be boom. They're going to be take off like a rocket ship. And what he had to learn is, is you got to go out there and you've got to really learn how to play the position. And we're seeing him do that in real time. And unfortunately for him, we don't give players time to do that, in particular when their last name is Manning. I've seen early in this season a player that is not on the same timing as the rest of his offense. So for whatever reason, now you can say that the concepts and the spacing and the pictures are late or he's rushed, but he was always out ahead of it. So David, you know, he would come out, read one, and it wasn't developed yet, and he was already the two. And I was like, oh, okay, something's wrong right now. I always think, and certainly Sark would be coming from this background, that the timing of the offense is kept in the quarterback's feet. And his feet were rushed. And so because he was rushed, he was too quick. And when you're too quick, you rush your throw. Your arm angle is bad. You step out and you get out away from yourself. You're. You're generally over stride and your accuracy dips way down. So at some point, and I said this last week, he's going to figure out the timing. It will click. The pace with which he needs to move, play with his feet is going to click with the picture around him and it'll start to look a lot better. And I think that we saw some of that against Sam Houston last week. It'll be interesting to see how he's able to continue to develop as their competition rises. But he's certainly a guy that I would still be optimistic about. We just need to go back to that equation. Crawl, walk, run. He's still learning to crawl and then he can walk and then maybe someday he can run.

[David]

So he needs more of his. His uncle Peyton with the feet and shuffling the feet. Because you're right. Like, I see that and I see, you know, looking here, going to here, and then doing it with his arm sidearm and not being in rhythm and so obviously making, you know, some mistakes. A guy that I haven't seen take a next step either. And there's plenty of guys that we talked about before the season and where they're at, like Drew Aller, like, watching him, I kind of think I feel like it's a little bit of Georgia gunner Stockton before the Tennessee game where I know Colton Nikki ain't showing us everything, that he ain't doing that. Like he's being very basic. But I don't look. I haven't seen Drew Aller look really sharp. I haven't seen him look elite. They haven't asked him to do a bunch. They don't ask him to do a bunch. But like, is this the week now where we see the best Drew Aller against a good Oregon team at home with all the experience? Like, does Penn State come? Because, Joel, there is a lot of this and man, I don't get into the, like, if it's not now, then when. But like, gosh darn, man, like, all the experience of Penn State, like, you got the best, one of the best one, two punches of OCDC in the country. Like, it's now, man, you're at home, white out like Penn State. Come on, man. Come on. James Franklin, big game, right?

[Joel Klatt]

So there's, there's a lot there. I've been disappointed in Penn State, to be honest with you, early this season, they have not earned the right. And I, and I say this, you know, with all due respect, to just have the benefit of the doubt because there are things that we haven't seen from them. Two very specifically. The first is they do not beat top 10 teams and in particular in the regular season. In fact, their only two top 10 wins of recent vintage were against Boise, which is again, a group of six team in the playoff last year, and Utah and a Rose Bowl a couple of years ago. So postseason games in the regular season, to see them beat a top 10 team, you got to go back to 2016. It's been 14 straight regular season losses versus top 10 opponents for Penn State and James Franklin. So that's number one. And number two is I haven't seen you dominate with the passing game regardless of opponent. And at some point, I can't just say, oh, it'll be there next time, because I haven't seen it at all. You know what's, what's a great example of this? I didn't know what Ty Simpson was going to be able to, to do until all of a sudden they get away from Florida State. And then Bama starts really throwing the football really well. And he looked great against Wisconsin. So now I have some level of comfort saying, okay, with Georgia's defense struggling against the pass against Tennessee, maybe Bama can throw the football on them. We saw him do it last year. And maybe Ty Simpson and those guys can, can get loose in the passing game. Maybe. Okay. At least there's some level of. I've seen it with, with Penn State, I haven't. You realize the last big game we saw them play was that national semifinal. They had zero catches from their wide receivers. Zero. They've tried to rebuild that room and they have to have a threat on the outside or they will not be an Elite, national champion winning, Big Ten winning team. And so at some point during the opening part of the season, I thought to myself, we're going to see it in one of these games. They're going to throw for 350. They're going to throw for, you know, we're going to see it. And then we didn't. And now we're going into Oregon. I can't just trust that I'm going to all of a sudden see something that I have not seen. And so for. For those reasons, like, I get concerned with Penn State this week against an Oregon team that, by the way, I think is really talented.

[David]

Yeah, I heard you talk about Oregon a little bit. So we'll go there next. Like, to me, if Oregon wins this game, they're literally, they're doing the Conor McGregor walk. Like, they're walking into everybody's. Because. Because they just walked in the Big Ten and just said, this ain't that bad, bro. Like, we haven't lost in the regular season. We won the league last year. Like, I'll come to Penn State with all this experience, all these guys that are back that came, like, we just returned, we just replaced 18 starters and we just come in here, like, strutting our stuff, like, yeah, I mean, but what do you think about. Or. We don't know a lot with. Listen, both these teams played a preseason schedule. Like, we're out of the preseason now. But like Dante Moore, this offense, the weapons, the defense, like, I feel like you said you, you thought Oregon was. Was pretty elite and near the top and could win a national championship.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah, I still feel that way. I have one concern about Oregon. My, my main concern is their run defense, and that's specific to this week. And because I called the game against Northwestern, which they didn't play great up front. And as you know, to me, it's like, that should travel every week. Like a run defense. It doesn't matter. You play in the parking lot, you play in Neyland Stadium or in Athens or wherever. It's like, if you can stop the run, man, you can stop the run. It has to do with toughness. It has to do with being sound, fundamentally. And when they didn't do that against Northwestern, it was cause for concern. And Dan Lanning knows it, Tosh lapoy knows it. So they know that they're going to have to play much better in that respect against Penn State. But to your point, they're really talented everywhere else. Dante Moore is a sensational player. I know that people don't always watch west coast football, but he is absolutely one of the top three guys for the Heisman Trophy as we speak. And he's got talent all around him at running back, at wide receiver. Decorian Moore, that great recruit, he's really good for them. I think Oregon has. Yep. And I think Oregon has the ability to potentially win the national championship. Having said that, the most dangerous team is a team with nothing to lose. And I don't think they have anything to lose in this game. I think the pressure is all on Penn State for the exact conversation that we're having. It's like, hey, if not now, then when? For Penn State and Oregon, it's like, hey, like, this ain't bad. We already won the league. We can still win the league if we lose this game. Like, we're good. You know we're good, man. And by the way, they won at Michigan last year. The last time they went to Ohio State, granted, they weren't a Big Ten member, but. And it wasn't Dan Lanning, but Mario Cristobal went to Columbus and beat Ohio State. The last time that they played Ohio State in Columbus, they beat Ohio State last year in the regular season, they beat Penn State in the Big Ten championship game. So they've seen all the big boys and they're like, hey, man, we can do this. We can hang up here and not only hang up here, but potentially dominate. So it'll be an interesting one on Saturday night.

[David]

Yeah, let's go. Let's go to some of the SEC matchups real quick too. Like lsu, Ole Miss. Kind of, kind of weird watching lsu, like, just offense the last several years. Like, that's what you do. And now like D. It's a defensive school. It's a defensive university. Nussmeier looks pretty average, but going against Ole Miss and as we all had it, Joel, preseason, Trinidad Camless, like, that was the. Of course, that's the guy that's. That's leading Ole Miss in a high flying offense.

[Joel Klatt]

Man, Shambliss is pretty good now, like, what, he threw it for like 300 and ran it for 100 against Arkansas, truth be told. And I get labeled an SEC hater and you know, like, that's. That's fine. Truth be told, I think Ole Miss is overrated. I think that they're more like, like, you know, South Carolina was overrated for a time from the preseason until they got beat. Ole Miss is not as good as they were a year ago. I think LSU is better than they were a year ago. And the reason is because they can play defense. Defense travels. Defense wins games, and they've won two big games with their defense. I think that I trust that I've seen Brian Kelly develop an offense before. I've seen Nussmeier play at a high level. So I'm going to trust what I've seen prior and that LSU will come out of this funk offensively. I would also mention Ole Miss is not Florida in run defense. Florida is actually a really good defense, very good defense. They're athletic, they're tough, they're fast, and. And that's part of the reason why LSU struggled. Ole Miss is 121st against the run. So if you're wondering, like, well, will LSU be able to run the football? They probably will run it more efficiently. Maybe not great, but more efficiently than they did against Florida. And if you give Nussmeyer just a little bit of a threat in the run game, I still believe that what I've seen in the past is going to show up. So to me, I could not believe that Ole Miss was favored by a point and a half. Like you, you're probably closer to it than I am. I was shocked when I saw that line because I think Ole Miss is overrated. They struggle with Kentucky, they struggle with Arkansas. Arkansas just lost to Memphis. I'm like, what am I missing here?

[David]

Well, I'll say this. I think the shine of lsu too, though, when you see Clemson now go lose several games, it's like, was it that impressive because Syracuse went in there and beat him worse? Like, yeah, they lost to Georgia Tech. So I think some of the shine off LSU. It's amazing to me that they averaged 4 yards of carry last year. LSU and they averaged 4 yards in attempt this year. Like, it is, literally. I don't even know who Nuss Meyer is. Like, the ball's coming out so hot now. Green coming back might help them a lot because he's 6 foot 18 on the outside and he can go win some jump balls and they'll go quads and they'll. They'll split him out and take advantage of some matchups. But I'm interested to watch lsu. I think Ole Miss is better with Trinidad at QB because this allows Lane to really use his tempo. He. And because of his tempo, too. Man, he's in the headset. Charlie's telling him what he's seeing because the dude wasn't even there in May. Like, Talking to old Mrs. G.M. they were like, we were kind of looking around going, all right, we need a backup. We ain't Got a bankroll to spend. Like, we've already spent it. So who do we go get? All right. This dude's really good. He won a national Ferris State.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah.

[David]

Like, he's a little undersized, but, man, he can run the rock, like. And so this game will be so interesting. Another game. Joel, this is amazing to me. Kirby's got 19 losses at Georgia. A third of them. Six of them are Alabama, although.

[Joel Klatt]

Although none of them have been in Athens.

[David]

No, none has been in Athens. So. Okay, does that change your opinion?

[Joel Klatt]

100%. Because I will tell you this, like, Bama under Kalyn DeBoer is really bad on the road 2 and 4 and looked terrible in some of those. Not like they're losing overtime games or this. I mean, like, they looked uninspired against Vandy and lost last year. They got handled by OU on their own. That was not a great OU team at that point. We know that their offensive line was. Is decimated. They had five. Their top five wide receivers out, and OU handled Alabama. Then they have the entire off season to fix that. Get refocused, Come out with a new renewed sense of vigor and purpose. And played awful at Florida State. I mean, awful and in fact, safe for what was a special teams blunder the month.

[David]

The drop point.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah, that's not as close of a game as the score indicated, and it wasn't a close score. So Georgia runs the sec. This league goes through Athens. This league goes through Kirby. Texas hasn't beat Georgia. You know, I know Bama has. Has beaten Georgia, but they haven't done it in Athens. So I like Georgia in this game. I was so impressed, David, when Georgia came back from 217 and Gunner started making those throws. That fourth down throw was incredible. That's going to give them, I think, a lot of confidence moving forward. It might not be their best defense that they've had. It probably isn't. But you still got to beat them in that conference. And to me, they're still the favorite. I thought that line was a little off to the way that Bama struggles on the road and Georgia plays at home. Longest home win streak in the country and they're only favored by two and a half. You're telling me I can take Georgia by a field goal and I'm on the right side of the bet, like, well, of course I'm going to do that.

[David]

You would love Gunner Stockton. He plays in my golf tournament every year. And the dude is an absolute stud. Like, love it. You wouldn't know he's there. He doesn't. He has. No. He's the antithesis of wanting hype, wanting flash, wanting people. Like, he's just wants to blend in with his 1983 Ford truck that doesn't have air conditioning. Like.

[Joel Klatt]

Yes.

[David]

He's just that kind of guy that.

[Joel Klatt]

That you love him because of it, you know, and that's, that's something that, that team. To me, you don't come back in that environment. You've played at Tennessee. You don't come back in that environment unless you love each other. No, I know that. Like, no one talks about that. And for, for a couple of players to be able to chat like this, I think that's the unspoken, you know, chemistry or whatever when it's really love. Like, do you love your teammate enough to give it everything you've got in the face of adversity? Do you, do you love this group enough? They showed me that they've got a tight knit group that wants to play for each other and was unafraid of the circumstance when they were down 21 7.

[David]

Yeah, they, they were. They go into halftime of the SC championship game last year, one of the tight ends goes up to Gunner and was like, if you believed in you as much as we did, we ain't got no problem going and winning a national championship.

[Joel Klatt]

That is, that's incredible. What an incredible line.

[David]

Yeah, they, they, they love the cat. They love everything. All right, what's the, what's the one game this week that nobody's talking about that you're really looking forward to?

[Joel Klatt]

Oh, that's a good one. I want to leave Ohio State.

[David]

Yes. That's where I wanted you to go. Because, because I think Washington's really good, man.

[Joel Klatt]

I do too. I think it's an, it's a. The AP poll is just so bad. They didn't receive a vote. Washington didn't. Meanwhile, they've scored on 17 straight drives. No one knows that. Why? Because they don't watch football on the West Coast.

[David]

Like, do they have the best trio in the country of quarterback, running back, receiver?

[Joel Klatt]

I, I think that they would certainly be up there. And a trio that's better doesn't come to mind. Damond Williams is our quarterback. He's going to have Ohio State's full attention. You know, in fact, Ryan Day compared him to Kyler Murray. I think he's, that he can be elusive and he can be a threat with his legs. Jonah Coleman, their running back, is an excellent running back. One of the better running backs in the Big Ten. Denzel Boston on The outside. He's a terrific player. They've got the second longest home win streak in college football to Georgia. No one knows that. They've won 22 in a row at home dating back to 2021. It's an environment that's going to be very difficult for a quarterback that's starting his first true road game. And Julian saying, so there's a lot of things in this game that it's like, okay, like, it gives you a lot of pause. It's an eight and a half point spread right now. I would consider taking those eight and a half with Washington because I think they're that good. Don't pay attention to the rankings. This is probably. Washington is, I think, without question the single most underrated team in the country because apparently no one watched them. The fact that they didn't get a vote in the AP poll is staggering to me.

[David]

It's embarrassing. All right, we do. I want to start doing this with more folks, but I thank you for your time, man. Your knowledge obviously speaks for itself. You're one of the best at what you do, man. How did you get into this? Obviously great player at Colorado?

[Joel Klatt]

Like, bro, you can't throw great around. I was broke.

[David]

Like, 40 records, bro. Like, you did something right to be. To be at Colorado and be great.

[Joel Klatt]

So I threw the ball at an option school. That's what we did. So it was a. I never studied to do this. I never thought that I would do this. It actually, I was an economics major. I thought I would be a coach, maybe an investment banker. So I started going into the investment banking world, and I actually was working at a REIT in Denver, real estate, investment trust, and doing some speculative real estate stuff with. With the company. And this is 2006. 7. In the meantime, there was a high school football analyst in Denver, Alfred Williams. He's a Super bowl champion, played for the Broncos, and he was the color analyst for a high school football package. And he gets sick one week, and they had called me up and they said, hey, we hear you're in town. Would you come by and fill in on a high school football game? And I was like, no, thanks. I don't want to do that. And they said, no, please, like, we're stuck. Would you do us a favor? We'll pay you, like, 150 bucks. I was newly married at the time. And I was like, done. $150. That's great. I'm in. I did that one game, David. And the executive producer said, I think you should do that more I thought you were good at it. And so he started giving me more games. Real estate market crashes. I lose my job as an investment banker. And my wife, God bless her, she was like that tight end in that locker room and she said, you're going to go and make a career in broadcasting because I know that you can. And she said, go ahead. I don't care what you make for the next year, year and a half, two years, go make it work. And I got this really rinky dink radio show in Denver, kind of low rent, no one listened. And I started doing radio. And then my career just started to grow ever, ever since then. But it was, it was the faith that my wife put into me and she said, she, she saw it as a calling for me. And we both trusted the Holy Spirit and the will of God. And sure enough, here we are.

[David]

That, that's outstanding. And dude, sometimes it takes someone believing in you before you believe in you. And that's just a great, that's a great story with that, like taking an opportunity like putting yourself out there, which isn't easy to do, man. Well, that's awesome. And that makes everybody, I promise you, want to cheer for you even more. But thank you so much.

[Joel Klatt]

One quick story, if you don't mind. I've got one quick story. So when I was doing that radio show, they would sell remotes and we would go out and do a remote broadcast and they sold a remote to a Taco Bell, a specific Taco Bell, and we had to set up our own show. And so my co host at the time, he was doing all the technical setup and he was like, hey, you need to go and plug the phone line in. This is before like the, the Internet was good enough to do it all via WI Fi and everything. So I had to go plug the phone line in so that we could be on the air from the Taco Bell. And then as he hands me this hundred foot phone line, he says, hey, make sure to tape it down so no one kicks it out of the wall and we go off the air. But the office was in the back of the Taco Bell. So I was on my hands and knees in a Taco Bell floor, kitchen floor taping a phone line down to do a radio show that no one listened to. So trust me when I tell you, when I get to sit there and listen to the national anthem before the red light comes on for Michigan, Ohio State or Ohio State Texas or some big marquee game, I think about being on my hands and knees in that Taco Bell kitchen floor. And I'm grateful and I'm thankful for where I'm at.

[David]

That's awesome. And I can't imagine they got many 99s for their. For their health service at the Taco Bell. So. No, that Florida might be. That floor might be a little bit dirty. Like, for a defensive lineman, it's one thing. For a quarterback, that's a totally different thing. So, hey, congratulations on all your success, man. Much more success for you.

[Joel Klatt]

I appreciate you. Thank you, man. Appreciate you. And I appreciate everything that you do.

[David]

Appreciate you, brother. What if we could reduce carbon emissions and strengthen the economy? At ExxonMobil, we believe both are possible. As a global leader in carbon capture and storage, we're empowering industries to reduce their emissions all through technologies that are creating job opportunities in America. How's that for a win? Win ExxonMobil, let's deliver.