Fall Camp SEC Panic Meter - That SEC Football Podcast

Loading summary

Transcript206 lines

[00:00]
Mike Bratton
I'm pretty confident talking into a mic. Hey, I'm doing it right now. But home projects, I second guess everything. Is that noise normal? Is that water damage? Who do I even call? That's where thumbtack comes in. Just upload a photo or voice note and it uses AI powered search to match you with the right top rated local pro. So instead of guessing, you get clarity and can hire with confidence for your next tone project, try thumbtack. Hire the right pro today.
[00:28]
Stephen Lassen
An undisturbed sleep is a beautiful thing. That's why a beautyrest mattress is designed to give you unparalleled motion separation, isolating movement with our pocketed coil technology to help you sleep soundly no matter what's moving on the other side of the bed, while providing individualized support for every sleeping position. People at their best get their beauty rest for 100 years.
[00:59]
DSW Announcer
You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it?
[01:05]
Angie Hicks
Yeah.
[01:05]
DSW Announcer
So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Find shoes that get you and prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you.
[01:33]
Mike Bratton
Hey, welcome in latest episode that sec. I'm your host, Michael Bratton. Oh, yeah, see, I'm going in slow motion now. I knew it.
[01:44]
Angie Hicks
Dang it.
[01:44]
Mike Bratton
Hold on a second. Let me, uh. Oh, I don't know if I can switch this now that we've already started here, but anyway, welcome in latest episode of that SEC podcast. I'm your host, Mike Braddon. Go by SEC Mike on the Twitters. And there's our great friend Stephen Lassen from Athlon Sports. What's up, buddy?
[02:03]
Stephen Lassen
Hey, Mike. It's good to talk to you, my friend. I want to tell you some good news. I saw motion pictures and photography from an SEC spring practice or fall practice today with the Missouri Tigers. I saw Austin Simmons throwing a pass. I saw him actually, you know, in Missouri gear. That must mean the season's here, right?
[02:26]
Mike Bratton
I think so. Yeah, I saw that as well. So, I mean, nothing's finer than seeing these players hit the practice field and get geared up for the college football season. That's what we know. It's real. Fall camps all across the SEC are opening this week, and Stephen is back to discuss his panic meter for Each and every SEC team. So I always enjoy getting to hit all the teams and looks like we're going to be starting with old Missouri. Stephen, because Mizzou fed oh7. We appreciate your buddy gifted another 20 memberships. This is 40 he's donated, Stephen, just today because he was here for that wild man Marler. So we will be talking a ton of Missouri off the, off the top rope here for old Mizzou fan number seven. But anything, you know, you know, before we take a deep dive into these teams, Stephen, I did want to ask you briefly, and by no means you have to go in, in full depth here because all this political stuff just bores me to tears. But any thoughts on the SEC and the Big Ten finally backing the Protect College Sports act and, and what that could mean if it does pass.
[03:40]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I think that the right kind of answer to this is like, let's see the final text of it first because there's been a lot of. They need this change to support it. There's this out there. There's been this. That's rumored. I want to see the final version of it because I did think dating back to some of the first releases, that it kind of left the door open for some of these eligibility lawsuits when it comes to like, we've seen this offseason and other off seasons. So I, I would, I think, in order to kind of calm the waters, which is what the Big Ten and SEC are hoping for. I think that's part of the equation. But I think in the big picture, Mike, I think there could be some good that comes out of this as far as, like, you know, we talk about rules and sort of like having a foundation for sports like the NFL and Major League Baseball. It could be good. I think some of the things in here that are kind of silly, like the capping conferences at 19, the Lane Kiffin rule. I think some of those things are kind of silly. So I, there's some good and bad. I guess my, my kind of ultimate take on this is like, let's wait and see what the actual text looks like because there's been so much rumored and I want to see if they kind of close some of these loopholes, especially these eligibility lawsuits that we, we have been seeing. And we actually saw it this weekend, too, with some players trying to come back for 20, 26. So some good, some bad.
[04:53]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, no, I, that makes sense. But again, I don't, I don't like to spend a ton of time on it because like you said, we don't Know what is official, when it's going to be official. So once we have that, I think that'll be the correct time. I'm just thankful I haven't spent the past couple of years, like some of these other reporters and podcasts, breaking all this mumbo jumbo down because to me, it's. It's football time. And the last thing I want is, you know, to talk about politics and all that junk.
[05:26]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, isn't that the worst part of this? And I know, I know you and I are probably going to like, age ourselves a little bit, but if you go Back to like 10 years ago, like back in our day, you spent the off season debating predictions, you spent the off season talking about players and teams. It feels like we've spent so much time and you and I really haven't. We spend every week trying to break down the SEC players and teams. But, man, it's been. Seems like so much oxygen in the world of college football is spent in these like round tables and congress and this lawsuit, this judge. And it's like, man, just get me to week zero, get me to practice, get me to some actual games and stuff. So all of this could bring some calm. But at the end of the day, Mike, I just miss it when we could spend all off season talking ball, right?
[06:18]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I think so. So I think that's the perfect segue, Stephen, to jump. Let's talk some ball for Mizou fan here for being so kind and donating so many memberships. I mean really all year. But Even just today, 40 members, cousins, he's added to the family. So for Mizzou fans, Stephen, where are we at on the Missouri panic meter as fall camp opened Monday in Columbia?
[06:46]
Stephen Lassen
Shout out to Mizzou fan, by the way, always with the generosity in those memberships, Mike. Like you said, I'm gonna start the panic meter, Mike. At a level six. So, Mike, here's my thinking on this. There's the uncertainty about Ahmad Hardy. There's optimism that he's going to be back at some point this season, perhaps by SEC play or shortly after. But Josh Atkins, the going to play right tackle, looks like he may be out longer than anticipated. So you're missing two key pieces. You also have the defense that is basically starting from scratch with Sterling Webb coming back. That's actually one returning starter. So they don't have zero anymore in the defensive side. But there's a of questions here and. And I kind of set the expectation for Missouri is the baseline is a bowl game. The goal should be top 25 and kind of being like one of these dark horse playoff contenders. So if you want to be at that kind of level, I think your panic has to be a little bit higher. So it's like a six or so. Because you have a quarterback in Austin Simmons, you don't know what's a, what you're going to get out of him. How does this defense rebuild? So it might be a little bit high considering their success, but also it feels like 6 and 6 and 7, 5 could be on the table here. If some of these preseason question marks actually end up as concerns and they don't find answers for.
[08:04]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, and don't you think, Stephen, that Missouri is in a little bit of a unique position because let's say Austin Simmons, take some time. Let's say the, you know, we've got new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsay, we got new quarterback coaches, we've got a lot of new receivers. Even though like Kaden Lee, he's, he's worked with Austin Simmons, so. But not for Missouri. But basically what I'm trying to hammer home here, Stephen, if, and we have seen this, right, several years in a row, Missouri's passing attack has struggled. You're kind of compounding the issue. If the passing attack is slow out the gate and you don't have Ahmad Hardy again, there's a lot of confidence in Jamal Roberts. I'm not trying to shortchange him at all. But to not have your elite running back, if the passing game takes a while, I mean, we're kind of making a, an issue, an even bigger issue with the rest of the, the offense. Would you agree with that?
[09:08]
Stephen Lassen
I would, Mike, because I think if you have Hardy and you had that defense from last year, like, you know what you can lean on, you know, you have a good ground game. And again, I think Jamal Roberts is going to be very good for Missouri. But you're taking away probably your best player in Ahmad Hardy, so you take away him. You guys, you could argue if it's like Kaden Green or Ahmad Hardy, but you're taking away one of your best players, so you're now down one of your stars. What happens if Jamal Roberts is banged up early in the year? Like you have to go on the road to Kansas and Mississippi State, like, if you're missing one, two pieces, you, you now have a defense that's got way more question marks than last year. You have a quarterback with a ton of upside and he's got question marks still. So, yeah, I think your strengths with Hardy and Roberts got A little bit kind of weakened with Hardy's uncertainty. And now you have these question marks elsewhere. Now, if all the pieces come together, that could result in a pretty strong Missouri team that's in the top 25. But also, given those questions, that's why my panic meter is a little bit high as we go into fall practice.
[10:11]
Mike Bratton
And we could just as easily look at the other side of the coin, right, Stephen? Like, let's say Austin Sim is in this passing attack with Arkansas Peanut Butter as your opening opponent. Little K, Kansas, Troy, let's say they come out and the passing game clicks right out the gate. Then perhaps not having a mod Hardy for the first couple games. Now it's, you know, now. Now our offense is more balanced. Maybe we don't need an elite running back till maybe at Mississippi State, maybe Florida. Certainly A and M and, and Ole Miss were, were going to need him, but you know, it. So that, that kind of crystallizes how important it is to get Austin Simmons in this passing attack going. Because if, if they're flying high right out the gate, I think Missouri can take their time getting Hardy back.
[11:04]
Stephen Lassen
Absolutely. You know, in a weird way, I think the ultimate goal for this offense, Mike, you want to see Austin Simmons kind of realize his potential. And Chip Lindsay is being brought in to kind of elevate this passing game. And you know, we talked about some of the quarterbacks he's worked with. You know, the Bryce Underwood thing last year at Michigan. I think some of it is Bryce Underwood's pretty raw. They had some question marks at receiver going back to North Carolina. They put up a lot of yards with Drake May, and of course, Drake May is a pretty special player. So Chip Lindsay, I think it's not one of my favorite hires, but I also, I can also understand that if you can do X, Y and Z in the passing game, you can raise the kind of ceiling for this group. So in a weird way, Mike, it's almost. You have time for Ahmad Hardy to get back to 100% and be healthy for SEC play, but it also forces you to maybe do the things that maybe you weren't going to do with him in the lineup, like when you go on the road to Kansas, maybe Austin Simmons has to make three to five throws that maybe he wouldn't if Ahmad Hardy was in the lineup. So it's almost like trying to figure out you're almost going to be forced to win a little bit differently early on, which perhaps pays some dividends on the back end of the schedule for
[12:14]
Mike Bratton
Missouri and how Big is it in your opinion, Stephen, to again, I guess it's official. I really don't know. But getting Sterling Webb back now, now that is official. He is back. But I do know the NCAA is actively fighting this. Colorado judges ruling that again, if anybody that missed, if you, if you ran out of eligibility last year, you got another year because the NCAA came out a couple weeks ago, months ago, whatever it was, and, and finally made it a. The rule of the land that you can have five years to play. Five. So the guys that just ran out after four, where's my five? And this judge says, all right, you're right, you get your five. So again, long story, but getting Sterling Webback for a, for a Missouri defense that literally returns no starters on defense, even though they do return guys that have played a lot. But getting a returning starter back on the defensive line, how big could that be for Missouri to kind of have at least some, some, some more continuity, particularly on that defensive line?
[13:21]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I think it's huge. I mean I think certainly Webb played over 400 snaps last year for this Missouri defense and you talk about amount of turnover. So you're asking guys who maybe were second string, third string, they were in the portal, they were playing somewhere else last year. Now you add a guy who can give you kind of starter caliber snaps and not only just adding to your depth, but also maybe probably helping your rush defense, giving you kind of a, a foundational piece as you find the right mix up front. So I think it's huge for Missouri just to get some of that experience and especially at a premium position like tackle, defensive line. It's so hard in the portal to find multiple contributors and now Missouri is getting back a guy they know well. Won't take him that long to get up to speed considering his experience in this defense.
[14:04]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. Any other final thoughts on Missouri, Stephen, before we shift to another team?
[14:10]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I, you know, I'm intrigued by their schedule early in the season because they have that trip to Kansas and then SEC play with nine games on the road against Mississippi State in those two home games, Florida and Texas A M. So I think just getting off to a fast start, you know, we talk about this is true with every team, but you got the rivalry game, you got SEC play against Mississippi State, maybe a team that's on the rise and two, you know, tough home games, but maybe some aspirations of pulling off an upset there. So I think the, the game against Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Mike, it's going to be a blowout, we know. But I'm Going to be very kind of curious to watch Austin Simmons early in that game, just to kind of see what kind of progression that we've seen since last season, because I think that schedule, they've got to get off to a fast start if they want to be one of those dark horse teams in the SEC this year.
[15:03]
Mike Bratton
All right? And hey, anybody throw us a donation, we'll throw your team to the top of the list. Not. Not an obligation, of course. We're going to hit on all these teams. But I. I see the wild man, Jared in there. He always throws his donations. So let's do LSU for cousin Jared. Stephen, a panic meter for Lane Kiffin and company. Year one in Baton Rouge. This fall camp is gearing up.
[15:26]
Stephen Lassen
How about an eight? Oh, here's why. The expectations, Mike. They are sky high. It's playoff. I know, national championship. I think some LSU fans are probably pretty reasonable and that it's going to be unrealistic to win one this year. But the playoff, with all the money that LSU has spent to go get Lane Giffen to go into the portal to land this roster. The expectations around Sam Levitt, Jordan Seaton, I mean, the list goes on and on.
[15:55]
Mike Bratton
Top.
[15:56]
Stephen Lassen
Maybe the top coaching hire, maybe the top transfer. Portal expectations are sky high. This is it, Mike. This is the last time that LSU is going to have to practice. Like Sam Levitt looks like he's going to be 100%. The season starts now. So there's no, you know, there's no portal with acquisitions. Everybody's got to stay healthy. They've got to make this mesh and work. So that's why I'm setting the panic meter high, is the expectations. Now, if you ask me about the personnel, I love a lot of things about this team because I picked this team to go to the playoff. And seeing Sam Levitt look like he's going to be 100 is a great sign, but this team's got a lot of questions. O line run game, how does this all work? That's why the panic meter is high. Because they got a couple weeks to make this kind of get to 100 before the season starts.
[16:43]
Mike Bratton
Whoa, Stephen. I mean, that's significantly higher than I thought you'd say. Heck, I. I thought LSU, they're just living the dream. Panic Meter 0. Because they got old dumbass Dabo coming in here week one. But, you know, I. Again, I, I get what you're saying, because it's. It's almost like championship or bust. And maybe not championship, but playoff or bus. But heck, you Talk to LSU fans. They want to be competing. You know, they. They deserve to. They deserve to. After, allegedly, this roster now is up to $50 million, so. Oh, buddy. And we, you know, I get everybody's. It says, you know, where's the next Indiana? I don't know that we'll ever get a Indiana, you know, where it's like, no disrespect, but like a Kentucky or an Arkansas, where they're at today and winning the national championship in the SEC in two years. But if there is a team that. If you mean Indiana, can you just kind of come in and immediately go to the playoff year to win a national championship? The answer is probably lsu. Do you. Do you think that's a fair comment?
[17:55]
Stephen Lassen
I think it is. I think just because of the investment that they made, and now we mentioned it, like, Kiffin's a top 10 to 15 coach in college football. He's thrived in this era of roster changes, transfers, and nil. And I mean, LSU's track record, Mike. I made Edward Giraud. Unless Miles won a national championship, if they give it a national championship, Blake Gifford better be able to bring one here. So I. I realized, Mike, the panic meter might be a little high. It's not necessarily like, you know, there's a difference between a panic about, oh, somebody's going to get fired. This is more of a panic of their high, high expectations. And you've made that investment, and now you've got three to four weeks to get this team ready for Clemson. And also looking at the schedule, Mike, with Ole Miss and Texas A and M coming in, you know, you've got to get this thing started off fast because that road trip to Oxford is tough. Turn around and play A and M. A slow start out of the gate means LSU could be out of the playoff race by October. I don't think that's going to happen, but my panic meter for this team is high just because of expectations, new faces trying to meet those goals. But on the flip side of that is exactly what you said, Mike. If Indiana can do this in two years, LSU is already starting from a much stronger kind of talent base. Right? So they should be able to turn this thing around quickly and get to the College Football Playoff, perhaps this year.
[19:20]
Mike Bratton
Does it concern you at all that it seems like every opportunity that Kiffin has a microphone in front of his face, whether it was spring, whether it was at SEC media days, he seems to be kind of doing whatever he can to pump the brakes a little bit on the hype train. Does that concern you at all?
[19:38]
Stephen Lassen
A little bit, yeah. I can't decide. I mean, obviously Lane is a very difficult person to get inside his brain because there's the whole, you know, going invisible on Twitter and like ghosting social media now and there's, you know, him trying to pump the brakes at the same time. I, I, it's, he's so hard to, to read into and, and try to like psychology, what that means. I, I am a little bit worried because of all the new pieces that they have. And also I think we have seen that anytime with a vast amount of transfers, Mike, it doesn't take like one or two injuries and your depth at a certain spot is problematic. Maybe it takes half a season to get going. Indiana is probably like a special case scenario. It's going to be really hard to kind of replicate some of that. So I, I am, I am worried about my LSU playoff prediction for sure.
[20:29]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I mean, I think it's a Gable, but they're investing like they should be a factor all season long. I just don't know how realistic that is right out the gate. But, and again, I mentioned the Indiana comparison. It's easier when you play in a Big Ten and have legitimately like two or three hard games, you know.
[20:53]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, absolutely. I mean this LSU schedule, especially early and, and late is going to be significantly harder than anything that Indiana had that first year, Mike. I mean, nine SEC games, a non conference game against Clemson, potentially the number one team in the country in Texas, playoff team last year in Texas A and M and Alabama. I mean this is a very, very difficult schedule, Mike. I, maybe I should say this. If LSU misses the playoff this year, I wouldn't necessarily be surprised. I think what would worry me is if they miss it again next year too. Because I think if you go over 2, considering the investment, considering Kiffin, I'll start to get a little bit worried if they miss it this year, even though I'm picking them to all of the new wouldn't surprise me. That's a lot to come together and get to the playoff.
[21:41]
Mike Bratton
I hear you. Hey, shout out Kelso for the donation. He's asking about Bazoo here. Steven, real quick. Why is it that they're playing a. I think he's saying are not playing a prime team outside of the SEC as compared to the rest. I, I think and then I see him in the comments, he doesn't consider the Big 12 as a, as a legitimate.
[22:03]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah.
[22:03]
Mike Bratton
Conference. Which that's, Hey, I don't either really, to be honest. With you. But that, that is their one where they're, you know, their, their power opponent is Kansas, right?
[22:14]
Stephen Lassen
It is, yeah. I mean, Mike, I guess the, the good thing for Missouri is if, if, if you're a Missouri fan and you're ultra confident, you know, isn't playing a team like Kansas from the Big 12 a good place to start because you're not having to challenge yourself like going on the road to like an Ohio State or Notre Dame. Right. I mean that seems like a pretty. That's like almost getting. And maybe like teams from the Big Ten or Big 12 would have viewed Vanderbilt like you know, a couple years ago, right?
[22:42]
Mike Bratton
I think so, yeah. So I, to me, that's smart scheduling by Missouri. I'd much rather be playing them than, you know, like, yeah, my Arkansas playing at Utah though. I mean, I, for the life of me, I. Arkansas needs all the breaks they can get. What, what the hell are they thinking there? I'll never know.
[23:04]
Stephen Lassen
You know, there's. There's kind of like an interesting split, isn't there? Because you and I, as fans, we want to see the Miami Missouri game. But I think if we're putting, you know, if you're putting yourself in a position of a fan, it's like, yeah, it is great to see those games and it's great that they could come to Columbia, but at the same time it's like it's a, it's a guaranteed W if you're playing Pine Bluff or Troy for the most part. They've had a bit of a track record of knocking off teams from the power conferences before. So kind of interesting back and forth, isn't it?
[23:34]
Mike Bratton
It is. And Kelso, we appreciate you again for the donation. He's a Tennessee fan. Stephen. So where is your panic meter for them Tennessee Vols, Mike?
[23:45]
Stephen Lassen
It is set at a six, so just a little bit above half. You can kind of call me crazy here, but Tennessee's got a quarterback battle that always causes anxiety, right?
[23:58]
Mike Bratton
It.
[23:59]
Stephen Lassen
There's all these question marks on defense. You know, Jim Knowles usually takes two years. How do they overcome the pass rush questions without Chaz Coleman? I actually think Tennessee is going to surprise some people, Mike, because I think their defense is going to be a heck of a lot better. And I trust hypo, whether It's Brandon or McIntyre. Plus I love how the schedule sets up. I think Tennessee could be a real sleeper this year. Maybe this could be a little bit higher, but, but maybe this is also my trust factor in hypo and NS kind of factoring. Into this grade too.
[24:31]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. And again, is there any logic in this statement, Stephen? Maybe not. I've never claimed to be the most logical person, but Tennessee seems to do well when a lot of people are counting them out. Tennessee seems to do poorly when everybody's on the bandwagon. So I've done my part to kind of rally some of that support and, and some people have picked up on it. But I think for the most part, I think most people anticipate a down year for Tennessee simply because they don't know who the quarterback is. But again, and that is a huge factor in a nine game sec, you better have your signal. Signal caller playing well. But I think the schedule with Furman at Georgia Tech and Kennesaw, I believe that allows you time to kind of find that answer before mighty Texas comes to Neyland Stadium. But I, I don't know, Stephen. I just think Tennessee is going to be really good this year. They got a lot of talent around the quarterback and I'm just fascinated to see what this Jim Knowles defense. Not that I think they're going to be one of the best of the best, but I do think they're going to be a lot better than anticipated. And I, I did see. Stephen, I don't even want to mention this guy's name because I don't want you to flip out and, and quit the show and flip your table over and knock down all your helmets. But I did see a preseason magazine not named Athlon because we respect Athlon here, but a noted preseason magazine. They had Tennessee as the 13th best defensive line in the, in the SEC. And I'm sitting here saying, you ever heard of Rodney Gardner?
[26:18]
DSW Announcer
Yeah.
[26:18]
Mike Bratton
Have you looked up and down this roster, which I. There's youth on it to be sure, but they are, they are loaded with talent at the defensive line. Now, ass rush, admittedly was an issue and that's why they went and got Chaz Coleman. Whoops. But I again to. To have Vanderbilt as a better defensive line as this preseason Mag magazine had than Tennessee. I think that's asinine. What, what's your thoughts on that?
[26:43]
Stephen Lassen
I would trust Rodney Garner in Tennessee to figure something out. Maybe. Maybe Josh Hypo and Jim Knowles are scrolling one of these transfer portals saying, who can. If, if this goes through and you can transfer, maybe you could find a pass rusher or two, right, Mike? I, I think, you know, one thing is I like Tennessee. I think they have a pretty good baseline of just raw talent here. I know there's A lot of turnover in the room, but I would trust Gardiner. And also I think you have to put a lot of trust in Jim Knowles. And I think one of the differences between Penn State and Tennessee, it seems like when Knowles went to Penn State, he was kind of almost doing it alone. Now, Tennessee's brought a lot of guys who are familiar with that system. They can go teach those specific areas, speeding up the timetable. Also, I would assume that Jim Knowles probably has to be motivated after last year, because if you polled people in college football, I think they would have said he's probably one of the better defensive coordinators, if not the best outside of like someone was Brent Venable serving as head coach. So I think there's got to be motivation to get this back on track and understanding from Noel's perspective that it can't be two years because they don't have that kind of time. It's got to be right away. Also, Mike, I think you bring up something that's important, like when we talk about these teams in the preseason, it does feel like. And I, I'm probably guilty of this too, anytime it's like a team, it's missing a quarterback, we automatically like knock them down the rankings. Instead of thinking about the trust factor that maybe you have in a Josh hypo and it's case by case basis. But there, there is a pretty strong kind of track record of teams that have new quarterbacks end up doing very well. I mean, look at last year, Ole Miss, Carson Beckett, Miami. I know these are transfers, but there you can find. I think if you look at Tennessee, the bones and foundation of this team are really strong with O line skill, talent. And I think the defensive talent is a lot better than it showed last year. And that's kind of why I think they can rebound just almost by default. And then Knowles, over the course of the season improves this defense.
[28:47]
Mike Bratton
Well, Stephen, I've always said you're a smart man and I like, I like everything you had to say right there. So way to, way to keep it going there.
[28:56]
Stephen Lassen
Does. Is Shane starting to feel like 98 again or is that. Is he holding off to that?
[29:02]
Mike Bratton
Shay's always feeling like 98 around these parts, so I, I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but I do appreciate the enthusiasm. Just like we appreciate you, cousin Glenn. We appreciate you, Glenn Warsaw. Love the show. Looking forward to SEC football. Boomer. Sooner. So let's do Oklahoma next. Stephen, where is the panic meter entering fall camp for the Sooners.
[29:26]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, it's Pretty low. I've got it set at a four. Now, this team, I think the expectation ought to be get to Atlanta, get to the College Football Playoff and win some games. The schedule is challenging early, but I trust Brent Venables on this defense. I also think the offense is going to be better, but if I'm panicked about one side of it, it has to be how far does this offense grow in 2026? So I actually feel pretty good about Oklahoma. Not a ton of preseason questions, but the questions that are there are pretty significant and probably determine how high this team goes, whether they're playing in Atlanta for the SEC championship game or they're just outside the College Football Playoff. So I've got it set pretty low. Mike, it's a four. Am I crazy?
[30:14]
Mike Bratton
I don't think you're crazy, Stephen, but let me ask you. So I've got this graphic up here. According to my Numbers, Oklahoma returns 71% of their offense production from last year, which is number one in the Southeastern Conference. And that typically means that a unit will improve over the previous year because of that continuity. But I, I think you could easily, let's say you're a, you're a Sooner hater and say, well, who cares if they ever bring back a hundred percent of that offense, let, let them come back. Because outside of Satania, you know, I don't know how many good players they had on that side of the football last season. But where, where do you stand right there. If Oklahoma's returning more production than anybody on the offenses, does that give you confidence that the offense will be better or, or are you a little concerned because they didn't have a ton of success on that side of the ball last year?
[31:08]
Stephen Lassen
The age old question, right? Is it good to bring back players off of a bad group? Like, are they getting better and like, or is it like, is it good they're coming back because they're going to get better, or is it not a good sign because there's question marks here, Mike. I, I think the variable in this is that Matier injury, because I think over the course of the season, I think we would have seen Oklahoma be much more productive offensively. And also you just kind of look at some of the positions. I mean, you had Fazuzi, who was a young tackle in the sec. He's going to be a lot better this year. I also think just having Matier healthy, he's seen defenses now in the SEC one time. You've got a better O line, you can run, you've got A better tight end. You got a chance to maybe have a little blocking, little difference in that offensive scheme. So I think it is a case of. There could be still some questions like what exactly is the upside or ceiling of this group? But I think by default, if. If Mattier stays healthy, combined with the growth of some of the younger players, combined with somebody like a Troll Harris, like a Parker Livingston contributing, it feels like they're in a much better position now than they were at the end of 2025. So I'm. I'm buying some stock in this Oklahoma offense.
[32:21]
Mike Bratton
Hey, shout out to Jadon Brinkley here. He says Morristown west could beat the Sooners. I bet you have no idea what that. Do you have any idea what that reference is, Stevens?
[32:32]
Stephen Lassen
Vaguely. I'm.
[32:34]
Mike Bratton
That's my alma mater.
[32:36]
Stephen Lassen
Yes, that's what Morristown.
[32:38]
Mike Bratton
Shout out the Trojans that they could not beat the Sooners this year. But I do appreciate that's a funny. He said it about about half the SEC and Morristown West. I don't even think they're that good this year.
[32:53]
Stephen Lassen
There's. There's no, there's no Arch Mandy walking through that door. Right? Can you maybe. Could you find a judge to see if you could get eligible this year?
[33:05]
Mike Bratton
I think we would hurt him more than we would help them. I promise you that.
[33:08]
Stephen Lassen
I think I. Yeah, I think me and my injured foot would be a very little help to shout out to Hickory County High School out there.
[33:16]
Mike Bratton
Well, I wonder that there's a. Maybe an outside shot. Doug Beaver, the Vol. He might be a Trojan himself from East Tennessee. So, Doug, welcome to the family. Yeah, we appreciate your buddy. Hey, all right, so we got. We got another generous donation here, Steven, from Brandon Rodart Day says hook up. Appreciate you, Brandon. So how about Mighty Texas, Stephen? You can't go negative. You can't go negative. A million for panic meter for Texas. What? What's your panic meter for the Longhorns?
[33:51]
Stephen Lassen
All right, Mike, you can tell me if I'm crazy. I only set this at a 5. Maybe my personal belief that Texas is going to be pretty good this year is playing into this. But I also thought about bumping this up just because of the similar kind of feeling about LSU in Texas. Like the expectations are high after a disappointing year. That being said, I do feel good about where this Texas team is because Arch Manning was much better late in the season. I like what they did on the offensive line in the portal. Obviously Cam Coleman is going to be a big time weapon. And the additions that they have at running back, too. It just feels like this offense was trending up at the end of the year. They can carry that over with better weapons. The biggest question for me is, like, how does this all come together? Because you get Ohio State early in the season, you got to go on the road to Tennessee and you get Oklahoma. I don't think you can afford to have that kind of slow start they had last season. Arch kind of needs to pick it up from where he was playing against Michigan, not see the Arch Manning we saw in September last year. So maybe five is too low given the expectations. But I also think that this team is in a much better spot this year than they were last preseason.
[35:07]
Mike Bratton
Well, it's so funny you say that, Steven, because I wanted to ask you about Steve Sarkeesian's comments at SEC media days when he was suggesting that, hey, we've upgraded the talent. We had to let. We had to cut guys, essentially. We had to make room for some elite playmakers. And if you look at the transfer ratings and all that, that's exactly what they did. But I mean, he's kind of cutting guys. He signed and he developed. I mean, isn't there. At what point is it. Is that his responsibility to coach these guys up?
[35:45]
Stephen Lassen
It's definitely his responsibility to develop some of those guys. I, I think the other, I guess when I saw that comment, my mind immediately went to like, this is College football in 2026 to some extent. And that, you know, we've, you've always heard and kind of seen that. Oh so. And so was kind of run off the team. Well, it's even more true now trying to clear cap space for whatever there is, a hard cap right now and also roster space to, to bring those upgrades. Because, Mike, I think, you know, I, I know the, the Sarkeesian hot seat thing has been kind of a talking point throughout, you know, media days here and there. But at the same time, I mean, he's. Last year you were underachieving. And so if you can't develop those guys or those guys didn't hit, you've got to go out and bring the upgrades in. So I know it's kind of cutthroat, but at the same time, I think this is college football in 2026 and you have to do it if you want to try and compete for a national championship and not finish outside of it, right?
[36:42]
Mike Bratton
Well, certainly, and I understand that logic, but I guess where I'm lost in the translation is you pick these guys. You're not a first year Coach, you're not a second year coach, you're not a third year coach, you're not a fourth year coach. I mean, you've seen these guys through it all. Why'd you pick them to begin with? It, to me, it strikes as a coach saying, it wasn't my fault. It was these guys that I picked and coached and developed and I've just upgraded thanks to somebody else's coaching these guys and making them into players. Does that make sense?
[37:17]
Stephen Lassen
It does. You know, now that you say that, I really would. I wish somebody would have asked Kirk Signetti that at Big Ten media days. I don't think they did because, you know, as, as he was taking shots at the SEC saying, we don't whine, we just, you know, so I, I would have loved to appear, you know, heard his comments as somebody who's been at JMU in Indiana and brought players and developed them. So I, I think, you know, as boring of an answer as it is, Mike, it's like, yes, it is on Sark and it is on every coach to, you know, recruit, retain, develop. But also rosters are just so fluid, more than ever. And if you want to win a championship and you're Steve Sarkeesian and you're kind of feeling some pressure, I think you have to do kind of, you know, kind of bold, cutthroat, things like this. Unfortunately, no, that makes sense.
[38:04]
Mike Bratton
That makes sense. But you know what I would suggest, Stephen, is bold, but it's not cutthroat. It's quite actually the opposite of cutthroat. That's our friends over at Cash app. Go check them out. Cash app. Download the Cash app and put in that promo code family10. Welcome to the family. The Cash app Family. Go check them out. You know, Steve, have you ever been in a situation where you got to pay someone real quick for maybe some, some work they did on your house or maybe they bought you a cup of coffee or something like that. You could just send them and you don't have any cash on hand. Well, one of the best ways to send, transfer that money in a safe manner is the cash app. So go check them out. New Cash app users can earn up to 10 bucks if they use that promo code Family10 in their profile. At signup, send 5 bucks to a friend within 14 days. So check them out. The terms apply there. Over at Cash App we use Cash Cash app. That's how we pay people around here. That's how I get Shane. All his beer money is the Cash app. So we love the cash app. Go check them out. We also love Stephen work wear back for another season. They sent Shane and I some clothes. I couldn't believe they fit Shane. But he loves them. He loves the brentwerk wear clothes. I love mine. And I especially love the boots over there, Stephen. They got like steel toed worker boots that you could get over@brentworkwear.com I'll put a link in the show notes. Go check them out. Put in that promo code SEC over@bruntworkwear.com and they'll get you 10 bucks off your order. So we're just trying to save you money, trying to help you get some work clothes that look good and will last you a long time.
[39:52]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, you can't beat those deals, right? Trying to save you some cash before the season starts to maybe use to fund a tailgate out at Missouri or South Carolina or Texas or wherever you are. And hey, as Mike, as you know, you got to have those work boots outside, man. It's I was outside cutting the grass on Saturday and working out there so I could use a good pair of work boots. So shout out to our friends that
[40:18]
Mike Bratton
are brunt and you got to get all your home projects done, Stephen, before football gets here because you know you nobody's ass in here is doing yard work or work around the house when there's football on 100.
[40:29]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, any you know last night I made a list of stuff and I said this has to be done on August 28th because if it's not done then it's got to wait till January after the national championship game. So stuff around the house will have to wait till then.
[40:44]
DSW Announcer
Right.
[40:44]
Stephen Lassen
Because we got to concentrate on important things like football.
[40:47]
Mike Bratton
Absolutely.
[40:49]
Angie Hicks
The GLP1 pill you've been waiting for is now on Roe. Yep, it's finally here with the same clinically proven ingredient now in a pill and now on Roe. It's the first FDA approved GLP1 pill for weight loss at the lowest price available. That's one daily GLP1 pill. For big results now on RO go to ROE CO. Listen to see if you qualify RX only go to RO CO safety for
[41:16]
Stephen Lassen
serious side effects and boxed warning associated with GLP1s a Beautyrest mattress gives you unparalleled motion separation isolating movement with our pocketed coil technology while providing individualized support for every sleeping position. People at their best get their Beautyrest for 100 years.
[41:35]
Angie Hicks
Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of Angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair done well. Kitchen sink install done well. Deck upgrades done well. Electrical upgrade done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years. So we know the difference between done and done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project@angie.com
[42:06]
DSW Announcer
at DSW, we ask the important questions like what shoes are you going to wear? Whether you're prepping for wedding season, festival season, or just planning the ultimate vacay, the right shoes can make or break an rsvp. So own the moment. You've got big plans and we've got just the shoes at the perfect price, of course. Get ready to get ready with Designer Shoe Warehouse. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today and let us surprise you.
[42:35]
Mike Bratton
All right now we gotta concentrate, Stephen, on our friend Steven. Appreciate you, Steven up for the kind donation. Despite Sec Mike's trash talking Bama, there's no panic for me. What say you, Lassen? We're still the Crimson Tide, so let me play his little jingle for him. We showing up for them boys in Tuscaloosa. It's Stephen up. Roll Tide. Thank you. Steve it up.
[43:05]
Stephen Lassen
Shout out to you Stephen up. Thanks as always for showing up and hanging out with us.
[43:09]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. So what you got, Stephen for the panic meter for Stephen ups Crimson Tag.
[43:16]
Stephen Lassen
All right, Stephen up. Hang with me here because I'm gonna set it as a six. But here's my thinking on this. This team has expectations of going to the playoff this year and I think they can't because I think the schedule combined with really, really high upside quarterback play, I think this Alabama team can get there. But I'm setting it a little bit high right now because I want to see how this offensive line and run game and defensive line develop in the fall. Those are probably some of the hardest groups O line D line to see how they develop in fall practice. So we probably won't necessarily have a great idea until we get into the season with the Florida State Kentucky games for Alabama. But I think this can be a playoff team. So for that reason I'm setting the bar a little bit higher maybe than I would if this was a a little bit different situation coming into the season. So I like the pieces. I just want to see how it fits together. And I and if they want to get back to the playoff, my panic meter is a little bit high. That's why it's at 6.
[44:17]
Mike Bratton
Okay, did you see we posted an interview with Dari Noka from ESPN and I shared it on Twitter. But he, he had a bold take that Keelan Russell will be a top three quarterback in the Southeastern Conference by the end of the season. Do you think that is conceivable?
[44:38]
Stephen Lassen
I was actually going to give you a bold take on Alabama and say that Keelan Russell was going to be a top five quarterback by the end of the year in the sec. So that's pretty bold. That that's not too far off of where I would be. I mean, I think when you kind of think about the SEC's quarterback tiers, Mike, I think everybody's going to have Arch, Jambliss, Stockton and kind of your top three and then four through wherever feels very wide open. Like, do you like Marcel Reed? Do you like John Mateer? Do you like Lenor Sellers? Do you like Byron Brown? That's kind of where I think Keelan Russell could fit in. If he starts from game one to game 12. With the track record of Kaylin DeBoer and Ryan Grubb at quarterback and if they can get some balance, I think he could be a top five quarterback in the league.
[45:26]
Mike Bratton
But does it surprise you that all the hype around him and then we get to media days and there seems to be some buzz that it's going to be Austin Mack?
[45:36]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, that's a really. It feels like Alabama's got two capable quarterbacks, doesn't it? I mean, I feel like they could win with either one. I feel like if you're going like, upside, I think it's got to be Russell. And I think that's kind of why it wouldn't stun me if both quarterbacks play in that first game. And then over the course of the season, Russell becomes the guy. It's a good problem to have because it feels like no matter which one starts, they're going to be in good shape. But despite having that quarterback battle, Mike, it feels like it's not the biggest, even the biggest question mark on this team this year.
[46:09]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. But sometimes, Stephen, I mean, you know, well, following this sport as long as, as we have, sometimes these coaches, they don't, they don't look at it as, you know, who's got more upside and talent. They look at, you know, the loyalty. And Max been with Deboring for so long, go back to his days at Washington. I, I don't know. There. There's a, there's a loyalty factor there. And, and, you know, not that he's going to sit here and play favorites because his, of course, he did just get an Extension. So people would debate me and say he's not coaching for his job, but, you know, he's got to play the guy he thinks gives him the best chance to win. But what if. What if in his heart he believes that's Austin Mack because he knows the system inside and out. And. And if we have offensive line issues, a lot of people say, well, you want the guy that can run, right? I don't know. I think a lot of these coaches want someone that can identify. That can. Can identify the reads, can identify the. The hot routes because they're going to need to get the ball out of their hands very quickly, potentially if they have issues on the offensive line.
[47:16]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I think you should. It's worth mentioning that most contracts probably aren't worth the paper that they're printed on in college football rights. We've seen that. Right. So despite extension, yes. If things went south anywhere, I think any team would be. They'd be open to making a change, regardless of whether it's Alabama or some of these other teams. I. I think. I always think about the idea in a quarterback battle where if it's close, you give a tie to the younger player with more upside because of where you think they could grow throughout the season. And I just think about, like, if Russell ends up. If Mac ends up being really, really good, then that tells me that Keelan Russell might just be like elite by this time next year. And so if he transfers and he's out performing Mac, it's not going to reflect all that great on Galen DeBoer in this staff. So I think they can win with both Mike. But I think if. If it's me calling the shots, I want the guy with more upside. The more longer term, he's going to be a redshirt freshman this year. You've got him at least for 2027. If he's your starter, maybe even 2028. I think the. The tie and if it's close should go to someone like Keelan Russell. And maybe that's kind of the approach of early in the season is Austin Mack starts and Keelan Russell is kind of getting his feet wet, especially on the road in SEC play.
[48:39]
Mike Bratton
Hey, shout out, Mizzou fan. Bold take Missouri versus Bama in the SEC championship. Mizzou takes it 2410. He's. I love.
[48:47]
Stephen Lassen
He's even given us a score.
[48:50]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, you keep donate Mizu Fed.
[48:52]
Stephen Lassen
I've.
[48:52]
Mike Bratton
I've all in. I'll. I'll buy it. But how do you rate that? Hot take or bold take? How is that too bold for you, Stephen?
[49:00]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, on the, on the bold meter, that's like a 10 out of 10, right? Hey, I will say, how about that game between Missouri and Alabama last year, right? If we could get a couple of those between these two teams every year, we'd be set, right? That was a great game.
[49:16]
Mike Bratton
It was. Came right down to the wire. And if I'm mistaken, you know, Ty Simpson made a couple throws, Bo Prabila could not. And that's, I mean that kind of sums up those two guys season last year, doesn't it?
[49:28]
Stephen Lassen
It really does. Yeah. Simpson was so like some of the throws that he made that were clutch and like they were just placed in the most perfect spot to, for the passing game to click. That was like you said, Mike. I mean that was the difference. Like Missouri had that great run game, but the passing game fellow came up short. Alabama struggled to run the ball, but Simpson was kind of the difference maker there. Kind of showing the. The difference between having like a elite SEC quarterback versus one kind of in the middle of the conference, right?
[49:57]
Mike Bratton
I think so. All right. Hey, shout out. I love this. We got a nice generous donation and a comment here from the Cody Taylor show. Go Gators. Start of the John Sumrall dynasty. Stephen, already they're already using the D word down in Gainesville. What's the panic meter for the Gators entering the debut season of John Sumrall?
[50:19]
Stephen Lassen
It's about time to get that John Sumrall statue next to Tebow, right? Go ahead and start. Clear. Clear some space out there, Mike. I'm setting it pretty low. It's only a four. The vibes, they're pretty good, right? Summer all. He's pushed all the right buttons. He had a great SEC media days. You know, I, I think quarterback, offensive line, yes, there are questions, but I trust John Sumrall and this staff to figure it out, especially with the coordinators that they hired. And I also anticipate that they are going to take a massive step forward on defense. I think Summer and Brad White will maximize the heck out of that talent way better than Billy Napier and his defensive staff did. So I think the goal for most people in Florida is just to get to a bowl game. I actually think this team could surprise. I think they could easily finish in the top 25. So Mike, that's why it's a four. Vibes are high. Yes, there are some concerns, but I actually think a better coaching staff fixes just some of this stuff from day one.
[51:20]
Mike Bratton
Oh, well, that's got to be music to Gator fans ears. Stephen, where, man, a lot of people are jumping on the hype train of old John Sumrall. They're liking what they're seeing. They're believing in the Gators. Does that give you any cause concern? You know, the fact it seems like there's always a team where like we all jump on the bandwagon and then we're all wrong. Or. Or is that just is. Have I just been bitten one too many times?
[51:50]
Stephen Lassen
It does concern me and especially it concerns me because it's Florida. Because you and I have been high on Florida. We've been burned a couple off seasons now. So yeah, it's, it's hard to figure out like, where does the line of like talent development and new coaching, how fast is that turnaround? And we've also, we've talked about Indiana with Kirk Signetti. They've turned things around quickly. Like there's case studies of programs doing this. There's case studies of it being just a small jump then big jump in year two. It's really hard to kind of figure that out because it does feel like this Florida roster has way more talent than it certainly showed in the win total last year. But also just when you watch them, like if you can tap into making Jaden woods and elite edge rusher Dallas Wilson, if he becomes an all SEC guy, I mean, the upside in this roster in a couple spots is pretty significant. So that's kind of why I'm buying into this team, is seeing some Rawls work at Troy and Tulane, maximizing that roster. And now he's working with a heck of a lot more talent down in Gainesville.
[52:57]
Mike Bratton
Hey, appreciate you. The Bengal, he gave us a donation here, Stephen. And maybe you can fact check me here or fact check him. I just, I just repeat what they say. I don't even fact check it, but Eli Drink was currently has a 24 game winning streak against unranked opponents. Remember that? And again, I think that's pretty impressive, Stephen, where. I think that's one thing we, you know, we all recognize Nick Saban, elite. Most people have him as the greatest college coach of all time. That's, that's certainly where I'm at. But what one of the accolades that he had, aside from the championships obviously and getting all these guys to the NFL and, and you know, so many outstanding records. But one of the more impressive things I thought from Nick Saban was he had that like 100 plus win streak over unranked teams. And yeah, you could sit here and Say, well, they're supposed to beat those teams. That's good and well, but there's a reason, particularly in college, that you lose to teams like that because you, you just. It's because of coaching. It's not because of the talent. It's because you don't get your team up for Saturdays. That's something Nick Saban has done, obviously. And now Drake, he's a long way from Saban, but If that's accurate, 24 games wins in a row against unranked opponents, I think that's pretty, pretty dang impressive.
[54:16]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, Mike, I think it, I'll share your, your kind of accolades for Nick Saban about just kind of like taking care of business, you know, like it is something to be said about just taking care of the automatic W's. Don't get upset and then you kind of get up for the bigger games and there's your path to the national championship, like take care of the layups and dominate them. And I think that was always one of the things about that Alabama team was just start to finish. They were just a machine. I mean they had some close calls here and there. Maybe like after they play lsu, you go on the road to play in Mississippi State and maybe you struggle for a half. And I think in Missouri's case, that streak kind of shows like another thing like just taking care of business, taking care of the automatic W's and the games that you can. Now the question is, can you take it to the next level? And I think that's kind of what I think I'm interested in this season, Mike, is you have this five star quarterback in Austin, Simmons with potential. You've got all these new faces on defense. It's kind of a good kind of barometer of like where this program is. Because I think if you're a Missouri fan and you look at the last three years of the win total, they've been at one of the best programs in the SEC by that. But I think you want to try and close the gap and that's your path to the playoff, is take care of business in the automatic games. You should. And then punch above your weight and try to go 10 and 2 and get to the playoff. And so that's kind of the next step for this Missouri program here.
[55:41]
Mike Bratton
Well, I'll tell you who's taking care of business for us, Stephen. That's cousin Rick. Been a long time no see, Buddy. It's Texas A and M's biggest fan. Cousin Rick Gigam. Aggies Shout out Cousin Rick. Still Love the show. Ready for college football. Pray every team stays healthy. Bold take Aggies in Oklahoma undefeated when they meet in Norman. Giggle Baggies. Thoughts on that one, Stephen? How bold is that? Cause that'll be late in the season, I believe. Let me get the schedules up here. A and M, Oklahoma. So that'll be the 11th game. So each 10 0, man, that'd be something. How would you rate that bold take.
[56:27]
Stephen Lassen
Man, it's good to see cousin Rick and first of all Mike, but if he's, he's calling his shot there to say that Oklahoma walks into Athens and wins on September 26th that Texas A M goes into to LSU. They won last year of course, man, I, that's probably a little too bold for my taking. But Mike, I do like these two teams as playoff teams again this year. It's dangerous to pick, you know, the same teams to make the playoff, but I think they got the right ingredients. Either way, Mike, that game being that late in the season is probably going to mean a lot for the SEC championship positioning and also for the College Football Playoff because these two teams, if you believe the preseason predictions, are probably fighting over the same territory somewhere after Texas and Georgia. And if that's the case, it might mean a lot for seeding or which one of these two teams gets to the playoff, right?
[57:21]
Mike Bratton
I think so. And let me ask you this, Stephen, again, there's. There's no way to know this, right. But there's complete hypothetical if, if Oklahoma and Texas A and M are meeting mid to late November each 10 and oh, do you like their odds to meet in Atlanta a couple weeks later? I mean. Yeah, you'd almost have to, wouldn't you?
[57:41]
Stephen Lassen
I think you would at that point. Yeah. I mean if, if nothing else, Mike, there's probably a good chance they play again in the College Football Playoff. I mean, just as you know, in the the ERA of 16 teams, nine conference games may help a little bit break some of those ties because may have more head to head if both those teams are undefeated on November 21st. I'm guessing we're probably the odds are pretty high of a rematch in Atlanta.
[58:07]
Mike Bratton
So where would you for cousin Rick, where's your panic meter for the Aggies?
[58:13]
Stephen Lassen
It's a little high, Mike. So this is because I think this team can be a playoff contender, go maybe win a couple games in the playoff. I'm going to set it at a six. And it's largely because of the question marks on offense, new offensive coordinator, four new starters on the offensive line. How does this look like in fall camp? Does Marcel Reed kind of take to this offense and take that step forward? So I think that this team, like I said, Mike, I think they can get back to the playoff. I think they got a pretty good shot to get to Atlanta. I'm just setting the panic meter high because there are big questions on offense when they're a playoff contender and they have hopes of beyond that. And so I think with those expectations, I think you got to heighten your panic meter a little bit about where this offense is and we'll see what happens in this fall practice for the Aggies.
[59:05]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, you know, it. Could it at all be similar? It's hard to compare all these, you know, different teams, different years. But remember Texas this time last year, Stephen? They were kind of preseason, preseason number one. So clearly they were getting their hype. But one thing that most people overlooked was the fact that they sent, I think it was like 10 or 11 or maybe even 12 guys of the NFL and it was just hard to, it was hard to replace those for Texas and they. And they fell just short. Now you got A and M in that situation where they just sent, I believe, 10 to the NFL draft and a couple more undrafted to the NFL. It's not to be down on A and M, but it's just, you know, it's just so difficult to replace that much high end talent in one year to now. You, you can do it via the Portal, so you can be aided there. And that's something coach Elko has said. We, we believe we can, we can duplicate that success and have 10 more guys drafted. But a lot of that's via the transfer guys and we got to see that play out here in College Station. But that's just such a difficult thing to navigate, don't you think?
[60:21]
Stephen Lassen
It is. And, and Mike, there are some similarities with the offensive line. I mean, last year was, well, it's going to be okay because of Kyle Flood and you know, maybe they have a Portal guy here or there and the internal development, but it does take some time for offensive lines to develop. And I think, if anything, I think it's. It's hard now to manufacture like great offensive line play because you almost need guys to stick together for like three or four years to kind of develop and get on the same page. And in the Portal era, you've got people moving around so much. And so I do think it is hard to like build continuity now kind of on a homegrown level and especially with A and M trying to break in four New starters, you got new oc. What kind of tweaks does he put on the offense? First time play caller, big shoes to fill. I. I know you can nitpick Colin Klein for some things, but man, I mean, the production on the stat sheet was there. And so you're. You're going to nine games in the SEC with a first time play caller, four new starters in the offensive line. How does this rushing attack develop? I. I think that's a lot of. I mean, that's a lot of questions and I think it's kind of how you could draw the similarity to Texas is we didn't put enough stock on how shaky the offensive line was and the depth was an issue and that resulted in too much pressure on Arch, not a good run game, and that resulted in them missing the playoff last year.
[61:39]
Mike Bratton
Right. So again, I'm seeing some similarities there. Again, it's not a perfect comparison, but I do see it there. So that's going to be tough for the Aggies to navigate, but I got a lot of confidence in Mike Elko. He's kind of proven people wrong year after year, and I think he could do it again this year.
[61:57]
Stephen Lassen
I think that's my. If I'm going to counter my argument that here's the similarity or that I think it has to be that you trust Elko based upon the last two years, and depending on how you feel, maybe you have more trust in him than Sark after underachieving last season. I do think the baseline of having those guys who already played in the SEC in the offensive line gives them a pretty solid starting point this year.
[62:24]
Mike Bratton
All right, Stephen, let's move on. I'm not seeing any donations, so we'll just go random order here. How about Arkansas? What do you got the panic meter for the Razorbacks?
[62:35]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I'm gonna go ahead and apologize. I do not want to be Mr. Negative here, but it's got to be pretty high. I'm gonna set it at 9. Oh. I mean, this team was 2 and 10 last year. They lost a lot and they went through a coaching change. They've got a quarterback question mark battle ongoing and wondering how far this defense is going to progress. It feels like everything needs to break right for this Arkansas team to just find a win or two in SEC play. So I know there's some optimism. Obviously, I think Ryan Silverfield's had a good off season so far, but I think the reality is going to set in week two, week three, when this team starts to go to Utah. They go into the heart of SEC play. I think it's going to be a really heavy lift to get out of the cellar of the SEC this year.
[63:32]
Mike Bratton
Could it be though, Stephen, that, you know, again, what do they have, 60, 70 some odd new players? I think it's like 68, something like that. But you know, is it a case where it's just incredibly difficult to peg this team because of all the. The new pieces? Like, couldn't that conceivably be a good thing coming off a 2 and 10? And it's almost like, well, we, we cleared ourselves of a lot of guys that. That couldn't compete or didn't want to. And I know they got some quality guys back, like certainly Quincy Rhodes fits in that category. But is it that they're going to be bad or is it just that it's kind of hard to project what they are?
[64:11]
Stephen Lassen
I think that's fair. You know, I also think, like, it's fair to wonder, like, what is the expectation here? Like, I think most reasonable fans would look at this and say you want to see progress and maybe you're not aiming for a bowl game, but I mean the schedule is just so unforgiving at Utah and maybe, maybe number one team in the country, Georgia. Then you get Texas A M, Tennessee and at Vanderbilt. It's just a very, very hard schedule. And I think given the question marks that Ryan Silverfield faced when he was hired, the amount of time that he's going to have to answer them before these losses could start stacking up, he's not going to have time, I don't think, to build much optimism. Like, I think the schedule was easier. Maybe if you played a Vanderbilt, you played in Auburn. Utah was later, Georgia was later. You get a little bit better idea of what this team is. So I. The element of surprise could absolutely work in their favor. And I think a fresh start is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just when you look up and down this roster, you kind of wonder like where the difference makers are going to be on defense. And is the quarterback. Taylor Green was very, very good. And now they're taking a big step
[65:17]
Mike Bratton
back there this year, right? Well, we've got a difference maker in car. Doc Shade or Shane. Steven. Apologies, Steven. This is for both of us. How doable is a nine or ten win season for Auburn? Losses, Georgia, Ole Miss and toss up. Bam. Oh. What do you think, Stephen? Nine or ten win season for Auburn. I love the optimism and this could be a team right where they're going to look completely different on the offensive side of the football. And it's, it's fascinating because they're retaining DJ Durkin of course on defensive side of the football. So you want that cut. And they were very good on the defensive side last year. So you know, makes sense to, to buy into the Tigers and say, hey, if we just get a competent offense, the sky's the limit for this team. What's your thoughts here? 9 to 10 wins conceivable this year. Mike?
[66:18]
Stephen Lassen
I think the one thing, if you want to make like the best case scenario for this team, I think you have to like the idea that Florida and LSU throw Arkansas in there too. And Baylor is in Atlanta, it's not in Waco. Some of your harder games, Florida and Vanderbilt toss up games too. They come at home this year. So the path is there at home. Also I think if you want to kind of compare Arkansas versus Auburn, I think if you in this era of the portal and guys are moving around, it's you know, like that, that stat you said about how many new players. I mean Auburn's got a ton of new players so it's not necessarily well they did this year, they can replicate it. I think it has to start with like you trust DJ Durkin, he did a great job with this defense last year. Xavier Atkins is back. They'll find out who they are through the course of the season. But also I think the difference here between in Arkansas and Auburn is that day one kind of ready made offense that's coming over from South Florida, you got the same head coach scheme, quarterback, running backs, receivers, offensive line and you can kind of get going not at the level they were in the American, but that gives you a chance to kind of hit the ground, ground running. So I, I mean I don't think Auburn wins nine games, Mike, but I think it's doable if you want to play. The optimistic route of the offense takes off. Durkin finds the right answers and the schedule. The fact that you get those games at home kind of gives you a path to like 9 and 3 or 10 and 2. I think they're closer to like 7 and 5 this year. 6 and 6, 7 and 5. But I, if you want to take that optimism in say home games upsets, I could, I could talk myself into that most optimistic route.
[68:00]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, and I've been saying, Stephen, I think most like a optimistic outlook for the, for the tigers. I think 8 and 4 is kind of where I'm at with an optimistic, you know, you'd have to win, I guess you wouldn't have to, but you just have to sweep everything else outside of October. But I think they can win one of those October games and you know, conceivably not if you knock off Alabama, I'll get you to nine. That's kind of where I'm at best case scenario. So I think 10 is, is being a little greedy. But I don't. We live in a world, Steve, where Indiana just won the national championship. So yeah, what's more you can see, boy, Indiana wins the national championship or Auburn wins 10 games. I think more inconceivable is Indiana wins the championship and they did it. So yeah, there you go auburn. Count your 10 wins right there.
[68:55]
Stephen Lassen
You know what Mike? I see, Yeah, I see, I see a lot of toss ups on the schedule to your point. Don't. Don't you? I mean I guess let's just say like toss up wild card type games. Yeah, we talked about like the Florida, Vanderbilt. I mean we think Tennessee could be good but what if the defense isn't very good If Byron Brown goes in to Knoxville and just shreds Tennessee's defense later in the year? We think Keelan Russell and this Alabama offense is going to be good. But what if they're, what if they're still sputtering on the ground game? Maybe the both quarterbacks don't work out. Alabama's just obviously it's a rivalry game so it's going to be hard. But I mean there's no Oklahoma, there's no Texas, there's no Texas A M on the schedule and you know some of the next tier of the SEC like a Tennessee's early, I think you want to catch Tennessee early. The next range of teams like a Florida, those, those games coming home. So I think Auburn schedule, even though there's a lot of toss ups on there, actually sets up well for Alex Golish in his first year.
[69:59]
Mike Bratton
Well, Lisa's setting us us up for a nice good season here. Steve, we appreciate you Lisa. Cousin Lisa appreciate all the great content from SEC media day. He's been enjoying all the interviews. Thanks Mike and Shane and thanks you Stephen for helping us prep with some of those outstanding questions. So even Stephen had a hand in all that. But we do appreciate you Lisa. Let's do the dogs for old Lisa. Stephen, where we at with Georgia panic meter?
[70:31]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, tip of the cap to you and cousin Shane as well for all those great interviews. Man, that's a ton of great content. It's getting me even more fired up for the season. I didn't know that was possible, but. But it is. I am going to set this panic meter up a notch or two and I'm going to set it kind of halfway because the goal is to win a national title if you're Georgia. So I'm going to set it at 5 because I need to see receivers step up this fall. I need to see Gunner Stockton take a step forward. I want to hear some more optimism about the passing game because I know Georgia is going to have a good defense. I'm not worried about that. I'm not worried about the run game offensive line, but I'm comparing Georgia to these teams that are going to be in the mix to win it all. Notre Dame's got C.J. carr. Oregon's got Dante Moore. Texas has Arch. Ohio State's got Julian saying, Miami's got Darian Mensah. Indiana's got Josh Hoover. All those passing games have way more upside right now than Georgia does. So I, that's my concern is did Georgia do enough to raise the floor of this passing game to fill the, the voids of players that they lost? And also when they get into the playoff, do they have the firepower in these games to keep pace with like an Ohio State or Georgia if they need to make a big player to in the passing game? So it's a little high. But Mike, they got one concern and that's what I want to see this fall. See if they answer it.
[71:58]
Mike Bratton
Well, Georgia's just going to roll out four tight end sets. Stevens could be unstoppable. They're. They're run blockers, they pass catchers. You know, that could be the path, you know, go to go Bully Ball. I, I don't think that's a, a bad strategy perhaps. I know everybody's enamored with receivers and all this, that and the other. But heck, when you were rattling off the list there of, of great passing attacks. No, no disrespect to Dante Moore and Arch Manning and all these others, but last I checked, Gunner Stocks is pretty good too. Stephen, now I know maybe you like the weapons better around some of those other quarterbacks, but give me Gunner. I've seen him go head to head against Arch. Stephen, and guess what? Gunners won every time.
[72:43]
DSW Announcer
Yeah.
[72:44]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah. I think, I think my question is and I think back to that Sugar bowl and I think about, okay, what would happen if they got even deeper into the playoff and you're in a fourth quarter and it's third and 11, they're Georgia's down by a field goal. You need a touchdown. To win the national championship. Can you get somebody open when it matters in, in one of these games? So I Mike, I think you are spot on and like the creativity and like the whole parts of Georgia make me think that this team can finish number one. But I mean they lost Zachariah Branch who was so valuable they lost some other guys. I just need to see some guys step up this fall for my predicted SEC champion. A team that I think could be played for the national championship. It's just setting the bar so high because that's where the expectation is.
[73:29]
Mike Bratton
No, I got you. Because again, win back to back SEC championships and people are like what's wrong with Georgia? Well, sorry, sorry they can't win the national championship every friggin year. You know, but maybe they can end the horrible three year skid of not winning a national championship.
[73:48]
Stephen Lassen
You know what, and Mike, there's also a little bit of context in this too is like once you start going to a 12 team playoff, you add more matchups, you add more variables is if Georgia is just the top, we're just still in the era of the top four. I mean it's a much easier path to win two games. Instead you got to win multiple games now. So I think it's going to be harder for Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, whoever it is to repeat and win multiple national championships in a row. I'm Hannah. I've lost 75 pounds in 20 months with GLP1s diet and exercise on row. I've gone from struggling to run a
[74:23]
DSW Announcer
mile to running farther every day.
[74:25]
Stephen Lassen
You can access FDA approved GLP1s online, get the support you need to reach your weight loss goals. Go to Ro Co Weight to see if you qualify.
[74:34]
DSW Announcer
I'm a paid row partner.
[74:35]
Stephen Lassen
20% average weight loss loss in one year and non diabetics with obesity or
[74:38]
DSW Announcer
overweight with a weight related medical condition
[74:40]
Stephen Lassen
versus 3.1% in placebo arm Rx only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to RO Co Safety. And now the next chapter of the SERTA Counting sheep.
[74:49]
Mike Bratton
Hey uncle number one, why aren't we counting anymore?
[74:52]
Stephen Lassen
Let me tell you a story.
[74:54]
Mike Bratton
Long ago Certa invented the Perfect Sleeper mattress.
[74:57]
Stephen Lassen
Oh no. Oh yes.
[74:59]
Mike Bratton
It says the all new Serta Perfect sleeper with the Q4 support support system
[75:02]
Stephen Lassen
has four in one perfectly interlinked coils
[75:05]
Mike Bratton
that help relieve aches and back pain for perfect sleep night after night.
[75:10]
Stephen Lassen
We'll never get counted again.
[75:12]
Mike Bratton
Nope. Serta. We make the world's best mattress
[75:18]
DSW Announcer
at dsw. We ask the important questions like what shoes are you going to wear? Whether you're prepping for wedding season, festival season, or just planning the ultimate vacay, the right shoes can make or break an rsvp. So own the moment. You've got big plans and we've got just the shoes at the perfect price, of course. Get ready to get ready with Designer Shoe Warehouse. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today and let us surprise you.
[75:46]
Angie Hicks
Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of angie. From Roof Repair to Emergency Plumbing and more. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Angie the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project@angie.com
[76:03]
Mike Bratton
yeah, I. I think that's fair. I think that's fair, Stephen. I also think it's fair that cousin Rick is the bad Shout out Cousin Rick with another one. Texas A and M's biggest fan, Cousin Rick Gigam, Aggies. Now he's battling a Texas fan, a Texas coward. I see. Because. Because he's not, he's not giving any donations just because of Rick. His name's one deep. If it's not undefeated Oklahoma when they play the Aggies, I pray it's the Longhorns, my second favorite team. Don't tell my Baton Rouge family gig. Man, imagine that. Imagine because of Rick's odd one here. But what if, what if A and M and Texas are undefeated going into the final game of the season?
[76:47]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, you got Billy Lucci's number, right? You better text and he'll be more server spaced. The college stat might incinerate there.
[76:55]
Mike Bratton
Man.
[76:56]
Stephen Lassen
Man, what a great thing that would be. I mean, into the season to have these two teams with the rivalry back in the SEC to be playing with, with undefeated. But also, Mike, I mean, same thing applies if Oklahoma and Texas A and M are undefeated. If Texas A and M and Texas are undefeated at the end of the year, they're probably playing again in Atlanta, right?
[77:19]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. I mean, how silly would that be? But you're pro. You're probably right. I mean they, they'd be in that position. Now we've seen it the last couple years, right, where A and M has been playing for the right to go to Atlanta and they've not been able to get it done. So man, for a third year, that, that'd be something, wouldn't it?
[77:40]
Stephen Lassen
I just had the vision of Sark sitting out arched to let him play in the SEC championship game against the Aggies. And then the Internet would not be able to handle Any of this, right?
[77:50]
Mike Bratton
No, I don't think so at all. You're right. They're going to need new server space here at Texas.
[77:54]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, for sure, Mike. I mean, that. That's the. That's the great part about this is, is that, you know, the first two matchups since they've been in the SEC have been awesome. The atmosphere in College Station for that finale is going to be unbelievable. And Texas A M ought to be motivated to try to end this losing streak and potentially end up playing for more than just a rivalry win.
[78:16]
Mike Bratton
Hey, appreciate you, Marty Focuser for the donation. Order of finish, Stephen. LSU, Bama, A& M. I've got it as A and M, LSU and Bama third. What would you say that lsu, Bama, A and M. What. What order of finish do you have them in?
[78:35]
Stephen Lassen
I hate to be boring, but I would match your order. I would have A&M, LSU and then Alabama. All pretty close. Like national power rankings, I think, like, scattered, like 9 through 15 or so.
[78:50]
Mike Bratton
And if I'm not mistaken, you got A M and LSU as playoff teams again, right?
[78:54]
Stephen Lassen
Yes, both of those are in my playoff. Alabama would be like one of the first teams out of the playoff in my projections right now.
[79:01]
Mike Bratton
Okay. All right. How about for a cousin Pamela over there? Steve? We do South Carolina. Where. Where's the panic meter for the Gamecocks, Mike?
[79:14]
Stephen Lassen
I think this one's got to be pretty high. Now, you can talk me off the ledge on this one, but Shane Beamer starting to feel the pressure after last year's season. I love the changes that they made with Kendall Briles trying to get Lenora Sellers back on track, the offensive line upgrades. Assuming Jacarius Peak is out there for the bulk of the season, I think you're going to see a much improved group. But I've got to set it at 7, Mike, because last year was disappointing. You've got too many good pieces this year to have a 5 and 7, 4 and 8 type of season. They've got to get this going quickly, and that's kind of underscoring the urgency of why this is a seven.
[79:55]
Mike Bratton
Wow. You know, again, that's pretty bold, Stephen, but I get it. I think you're right. I mean, we're. We're sitting on a hot seat. Of course, Shane Beamer has acknowledged it, and we did the episode with Wild Man Marlowe this afternoon, and he said, hey, this is the most talent he's ever had to work with. Shane Beamer, that is so, again, Even like a 6 and 6, I don't know that that's good enough and nor should it be if the talent is to that level. I think the higher offensive coordinator, Kendall Browse, has been universally praised. So there's, there's belief the offense will not be holding us back this year. So we need to see some results. And I think they're coming. I think Carolina wins around maybe eight games this year, hopefully nine. I mean, hopefully they're even better than that, but I think they're coming. But I think you, I understand why you got it pretty high. It's, it's, it's now or never for Shane Beamer. Given Lenore Sellers year three. We've got to see something here that.
[80:57]
Stephen Lassen
That's exactly it, Mike. You know, you expect, you know, Lenora Sellers to coming back, going to be in the NFL. Dylan Stewart also, you know, starting to think about the NFL draft coming up too. I mean, your high caliber, like difference makers are kind of close to the end of their tenure in Columbia. You've made all these changes. Like most coaches don't get four or five offensive coordinator changes and hires when they haven't worked out. So, you know, there's got to be some urgency here. I mean, certainly I think recruiting is going well. You've got the right pieces this year to turn this around. I also think the schedule with Tennessee, Texas A and M coming into Columbia, South Carolina pulls off upsets and Williams Bryce. It wouldn't stun me if they did it again this year, but I'm just setting it high. Mike, because of last year was so disappointing and it feels like they've got to get this right if Shane Beamer wants to be the head coach in 20, 27, 2028 and beyond that.
[81:54]
Mike Bratton
All right, I see cousin Tim in the comments here. Stephen, how about we do oh Miss. What's the panic meter for the Rebels?
[82:03]
Stephen Lassen
Mike? This is similar to Georgia. I'm gonna set it at 5. Am I crazy?
[82:11]
Mike Bratton
Oh, interesting. All the way up at 5. I think of a Rebel fan would have it pretty low, but it's, it's interesting because to me the people that are not Ole Miss fans, they seem to have it pretty high. So you, you might have nailed it here, Stephen, because if we just kind of average low to high, we, we'll get a mid panic meter. There's a lot to like about Ole Miss. I, I was kind of stunned how many people are picking them to go to the playoff. And, and we had several people pick them to win the national championship at SEC media days. Again, that stunned me. Because I kind of anticipate a slight step back again. It's almost, it's hard not to step back from 11 and 1. Right. But can they go back to the playoff? I, I, I fully believe they can. I just have them just on the outside looking in, if that makes sense.
[83:04]
Stephen Lassen
That that's kind of where I am. And the reason why I said it at kind of a five, Mike, is just that, you know, they came within a player two of going to the national championship game. And now you've paid big bucks for Trinidad Chambliss to come back. You've kept key one, Lacey, you've hired John David Baker, which should ensure continuity. I think they've upgraded on defense, too. I think their defense might end up being one of the most underrated groups this preseason. When we look back in December at the final stats, it just feels like there's no room for like a slit, like a, the slippage here. Like they should be back in the playoff based upon what they bring back. So just because of the expectation, you've got those offensive line concerns, they've got to get it right to protect Chambliss. Now. Chambless can probably get rid of the ball so quick, and his mobility, they can overcome some of those things. But I'm just setting it high, Mike, because they are under the microscope with retention. Coaching change there. There's no reason why this team should be like a 7 and 5 or 8 and 4 team. Barring some kind of injury, they should either be right in the playoff or just missing it because of maybe they had three losses and missed it this year. So just trying to maintain the high level of expectation is kind of why it's a, it's high in the panic meter and those offensive line concerns too.
[84:21]
Mike Bratton
And they got to hit the ground running right with Louisville in Nashville is the opener. Lsu, of course, at Florida. This is the first time, I can remember, Stephen, where Ole Miss did not have a. I don't know if easy is the right word, but just kind of like they kind of load up with, with non conference they last year, like they played Georgia State, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tulane. Of course Tulane ended up being a playoff team, but I mean, would they have been if they played in the sec? We all know the answer there, but basically the point being it's like they usually have a little Runway before they, before it gets going. They don't have that this year. It's, it's game one, it's game three, it's game four. They could conceivably lose all of those. And I'm. I'm not sitting here saying they will. I think they'll probably win most of them. But if they are not ready to play right out the gate, this could be a very disappointing season.
[85:17]
Stephen Lassen
Right. A very good Louisville team in week one that will test that Ole Miss defense. And then, Mike, you said it. I mean, Charlotte's picked at the bottom of the American Conference, rightfully so. But that LSU game is just going to take up like so much oxygen. And I think I worry about this for teams. I mean, you've seen it throughout, you know, past couple years, even history. It's like you don't want to put too much stock in one game because you put all your eggs into trying to beat Lane Kiff and improve a point. Then you got to turn around and go to Florida. You lose or, you know, it's easy to put too much stock in that game. Maybe you lose to LSU and the season could quickly kind of go to that 8, 4 direction that we talked about. But I think they have. You're absolutely right about the schedule. It is sets up for a much harder start by playing one of the. The favorites to make the ACC championship. Potentially a playoff team in LSU and one of the toughest places to play in the SEC in Gainesville.
[86:13]
Mike Bratton
Hey, shout out Cousin Lou A and M as a new offense coordinator. Doesn't matter taxes. Fight for Cousin Lou. Steve, just profess your love for something Texas. I mean, I know you could go endless options here.
[86:30]
Stephen Lassen
Man, Arch Manning was great at the end of the last season, wasn't he? Think about those touchdown passes that Cam Coleman is going to catch this year from Arch Manning. It's going to be like majestic. I want NFL Films to put that music behind it. You know, you watched it as Mike. Those, those long touchdown passes, they got the music behind and the balls just fluttering through the air. Imagine how beautiful that's going to be, right?
[86:52]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, no doubt. I saw someone. We posted today one of our media day interviews. We've been posting them, you know, obviously as quickly as we can. But Brad Logan, who covers Ole Miss, he said Cam Coleman, in his opinion, was the best receiver in the country. And he's getting ripped apart because everybody's pointing to the Ohio State receiver. And I get it. Jeremiah Smith is amazing, right? But is there a world, Stephen, where by the end of the year Coleman is viewed as in a similar class, as a Jeremiah Smith? Because again, we don't. There's so many things you could say about Auburn the last couple years, but I Think even the most anti Auburn person would say they had a head coach that didn't know what he was doing and they had no quarterbacks of any worth. You know, how can you evaluate Cam Coleman? So playing for Steve Sarkeesian and that offense, playing with Arch Manning, if everything goes the way you want it to in Austin, could you see by the end of the year people debating Cam Coleman, Jeremiah Smith, you know, who are they in the same class? Could you see that debate?
[88:07]
Stephen Lassen
This is an interesting, you know, kind of question, Mike. It's going to be tough to pass Jeremiah Smith. He's just so good at so many things. Is it possible maybe that Cam Coleman has a better season? Like statistically maybe the Ohio State's going through so they have some receiver changes and you may remember Chris Henry Jr. The five star freshman's probably going to play a pretty big role in that receiving core. I, I think maybe the, the. I think it's going to be tough to, like I said, tough to pass Jeremiah. I think he's going to be wide receiver one. I think maybe the question is, is like, does Cam Coleman go onto the radar of. Oh, like that's how good he is. Like people like you and I and all the Cousins know from watching him at Auburn the talent that he has, but maybe he jumps onto that national radar and people view him as like clear wide receiver two behind Jeremiah Smith. So that's going to be fun to, to track Mike because he is so talented and now he's got a head coach and quarterback that know what they're doing this year.
[89:10]
Mike Bratton
All right, well, speaking of what should be fun, Stephen, it should be fun to watch Kamario Taylor play football this year. But where do you have the panic meter for Mississippi State entering camp?
[89:22]
DSW Announcer
Mike?
[89:23]
Stephen Lassen
I got to set it pretty high. I got to set it at a seven because it's kind of an important year for Jeff Levy. I mean, they took a step forward last season, but there was the finish of some games. How far does this defense progress? How does this offensive line take a step forward? All of those questions. With a nine game SEC schedule and a tough road trip to Minnesota, there's not a ton of room to maneuver or frankly there's, there's not a whole lot of time for this team to come together just based upon going to Minnesota, going to Columbia and then Missouri all in September. So it feels like this team has to come together quickly because another losing season may not spell good things for Jeff Levy. So I think they've got to come together quickly and that's why it said high at a seven.
[90:15]
Mike Bratton
I think that's fair, Stephen, because we, we've got to see some results. I don't think we're out of excuses and getting tripped to Minnesota early in the season is not going to be easy by any means. But I think Mississippi State fans demand you win that one and they demand you win some conference games. You vote. You've only won one up to this point. Close ain't gonna cut it. Year three in Starkville.
[90:40]
Stephen Lassen
Yes, especially I think year three is kind of like things could really kind of go in the opposite direction if you have another like 4 and 8, 5 and 7 type season. Like you have a little bit of momentum here. You got a potential star on Camario Taylor. It's kind of time almost now entering year three to capitalize like comments like the best roster, best coaching setup of Flubby's tenure, right?
[91:01]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I think so. And speaking of them boys up north, Steven shout out cousin Lou. He's back again with another generous donation. We're going to stomp at other conference. Can't even acknowledge them. Sec, baby. Texas fight. I love that again. If they're, they're being honest, Steven, I can only imagine how much Texas and Oklahoma fans hated to hear about the damn SEC and carrying water for the conference and waving that flag. And now they do it just like the rest of us. I absolutely love it.
[91:40]
Stephen Lassen
Also, Mike, isn't it. I mean, there is a, there's a legitimate argument and, and I promise I'm going to say this one time and you don't have to close out the show. There is an argument that you can make that the Big Ten was the better conference last year. But it is funny to me that, you know, it's always about, well, the championship, championship. If Miami had won the national championship. Nobody is saying that the ACC was the best conference. Right, Right. Right. So like, I think you have to take the totality of the entire conference and weigh the Purdue's, the Marylands, the, the Michigan States and Rutgers as well. Right. If you take the top, you have to take everything with it too.
[92:18]
Mike Bratton
Not if you ask old Signetti, if you, if you tell me. But if you, if you were to ask me, but no, that's an excellent point, Stephen. And, and one that, you know, just flies over all these damn arguments.
[92:30]
Stephen Lassen
You know what, it, it, it is funny, Mike, how you know, this, this off season, like it's been spent on the, you know, this legislative stuff or this Big Ten SEC thing that's not going to go away Anytime soon. It's good, it's good to debate. It's a fun debate. But you know, maybe the Ohio State, Texas game, Oklahoma, Michigan and Mississippi State, Minnesota games will have something to say about that early year, right?
[92:54]
Mike Bratton
I think so, Steven. All right, let us know. Final two teams here, Kentucky. Where's the panic meter for Will Stein and company entering the debut season of their new coach?
[93:06]
Stephen Lassen
Mike? I think it's got to be pretty low. I'm setting it at 3. Optimism is pretty high. Think Will Stein's hit the right notes some optimism about Kenny Minchi. Yes, there are a ton of questions, but also, and maybe this is a little bit unfair to Arkansas too, to put it at a three, because I think the expectation is, hey, if Kentucky can get to a bowl game, it's a good season. So I'm setting it at a three just given expectations, off season optimism. Is that fair, Mike?
[93:40]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I mean, I, I, I see what you're saying now. They're getting hyped up for this Alabama game week too. Like they're, I don't think fans are demanding you win it, but they're getting pretty hyped up. We got Nick Roush, that wild son of a gun out here picking Kentucky to win that game. So what happens if we don't win it? Is there going to be some letdown? Probably within the fan base, but I'm sure they'll get right back on the next week with, with a big game against A and M. But would you agree with this, Stephen? I think if right now, if I'm a Kentucky fan, after living through the Mark Stoops era, the C coach, I called him because I was his grade. They used to get so mad, but now they would, they would call him an F coach, which I got no problem if you want to call them that. But basically playing boring ball to go to Will Stein football. I think if there's one fan base I'm kind of envious of right now, it's Kentucky fans because they are going to go to a completely different experience this fall. Getting exciting basketball on grass, if you will type after. You know, Mark Stoops, Kentucky fan, recently told me his strategy was just to keep it close and not lose by too many. I mean, we're going complete opposite end of the spectrum with old Will Stein.
[95:02]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, I think that's a great point. I mean, and also if you are going to struggle early in your tenure, at least be exciting, right? Like score some points, have some fun offensively, you know, throw 50 yard passes and maybe it scores a touchdown, you draw pass interference. I mean, there's, there's something to be said of playing an exciting brand of ball that builds the optimism, that keeps the good vibes going until you get better players in the program. Because, Mike, I mean, there's nothing wrong with playing good defense in a run game. I like watching teams that are built that way. But the style shift that Kentucky is going through is going to be pretty significant. Just with the, the way that Will Stein has been a coordinator at UTSA and at Oregon, he's going to want to score some points. There's not going to be, I don't think he's going to play it as close to the vest as Mark Stoops has done the last couple of years.
[95:52]
Mike Bratton
Right. And again, when you're at a place like Kentucky, no disrespect, because I do think there's commitment now and they've done really well via the Portal. But when you're playing an upper echelon type team, you're behind the eight ball when it comes to overall talent. And I, I truly believe, you know, Mark Stoop style defense, running the football, I mean, there's a reason they can never beat Georgia, right? I mean, you just, I don't think you could beat teams that way. I don't think you could beat Alabama under Nick Saban that way. And yeah, most people couldn't beat those teams to begin with, but I think you give yourself a puncher's chance if you have a fun offense that, that is flying high. You know, there's a reason that South Carolina, Steven Garcia, you know, knocked off Alabama because Stephen Garcia had himself one of those days, right, where your quarterback gets hot, you're making some big plays, you're just not going to, you're not going to beat teams that are better than you trying to play their style. You get, you have to play an explosive type style. I think that's the only path to kind of closing that talent gap, if you will.
[97:02]
Stephen Lassen
It feels like it gives you a greater margin for error. I think that's kind of like if you're hoping to keep it close in the fourth quarter, maybe you bank on a turnover, maybe you bank on your defense. Like, I think it's possible. But I also think that having a quarterback like Kenny Minchi or Will Stein's offense, like if it does raise the bar, it just gives you kind of another, it just gives you some potential because you could put the ball in. Like if Minchi ends up being good in the fourth quarter and it's a tie game. Put the ball in his hands instead of trying to say, well, we're gonna punt and try to make the other team, like turn the ball over where you could go win it with your offense. Mike, I will say, if you're an Alabama fan, should you be more concerned about that trip to Kentucky given the fact that they've lost at Florida State and they lost at Vanderbilt in games they should have won the last two years?
[97:52]
Mike Bratton
Now, I think that's an excellent point, Stephen. And yeah, I think if I have a, if I'm a Bama fan, that's what I'm concerned of. Because we, we go, let's swing it back to that drink stat. You know, where he's allegedly beaten 24 unranked teams in a row. You know who can't say that? Oh, Caleb, the boring.
[98:11]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, Mike, I mean that, that is the, the good and the bad is that it's good to beat teams like Georgia, but you also have to take care of business against the Florida states in the Vanderbilt.
[98:20]
DSW Announcer
Right?
[98:20]
Stephen Lassen
There's 12 of them. He is exactly what we talked about with Nick Saban, right? I mean, if he would just go up to Lexington and it might be the most like, boring 24 to 3 victory ever, but there you wouldn't have to sweat it. Whereas it feels like this one. Just given the track record of Alabama, they may have to sweat this one out, especially if Kenny Minchi is as, as good as advertised. I, I think as the off season has gone on, Mike, I think that game has gotten more and more interesting and certainly seeing Nick's prediction only kind of magnified it.
[98:53]
Mike Bratton
Well, speaking of those nerds from Nashville, Steven, that's the final team we got here, Vanderbilt. Where's the panic meter for the camera, Mike?
[99:03]
Stephen Lassen
I'm setting it at 6 because you got to replace Diego Pavia. Defense has got to get better. Offensive line also replacing quite a bit from last year. So was it all Diego Pavia? How much of, how much of a good foundation is Clark Lee built? I think he's built a pretty solid foundation, but you also have a true freshman quarterback starting in the sec. So I, I think it's going to be very difficult to match last year's run to the playoff. But I think if you're Clark Lee just keeping the momentum going, got to be a lot of pressure to do so, even with Jared Curtis under center. I think just getting back to a bowl game, six or seven victories would be a good place for this team to kind of rebound given the personnel losses. So I think it's high because of all the change and plus you're losing, I think one of the most impactful players in Vanderbilt history in Diego Pavia.
[99:56]
Mike Bratton
Right. And you just got to believe that Clark Lee and company bought themselves so much goodwill that regardless of any kind of step back, you know, the support is not going to diminish for Vanderbilt given what they've accomplished the last couple years.
[100:12]
Stephen Lassen
And there could be a world, Mike, where they only go 5 and 7 or 6 and 6, but Jared Curtis gets better and better throughout the year and then you can go sell that in the transfer portal next off season. You could say, hey look, we need a, we need our version of Cam Coleman. We need some offensive linemen come play at Vanderbilt where Diego Pavia was a Heisman finalist. We got Jared Curtis, who's a five star. We can produce high powered offenses. So I think there's a, there's the final record matters, obviously, but there's also a world where like progress and what you see from week to week could also matter a lot for perception for Clark Lee. I don't think Vanderbilt's necessarily going anywhere, but I think it's very easy to see a fairly kind of significant step back given who they lose.
[101:00]
Mike Bratton
Right. Well, I'll tell you, we're not taking a step back, Stephen. We're just gearing up with football season right around the corner and we want to thank Mizu fan for the 20 gifted memberships. My goodness, we don't deserve you, Mizzou fan. So I want to give a shout out to all the cousins Stephen that he gifted here. We got a bunch of them again. 20 Gatorman, ATX, B Shed, Zaba, Zabba, Shooting Star Steve, Texas Jill man, Jalen. I'm sure I butchered that Diesel Sprouts, Mountain Dog, J Dalton, Cypress Papas, Steve J, Bloody Guns, Aussie Maverick, Radio Starling and David Blackman. Welcome to the family. Dirty Bazou fan number seven. We appreciate you buddy. Appreciate any closing thoughts even before we wrap this bad boy up.
[101:59]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I, I know we touched on it at the beginning, but man, it's so good to see the videos and pictures and intel coming out of fall practice. Football season's almost here. We got some preseason games for the NFL. So I'm just fired up to to get to week zero and week one and can't wait to talk. We talked so long this offseason about all these teams. I can't wait to see they actually hit the field and see what they look like.
[102:22]
Mike Bratton
Absolutely. So we'll be here to get you there all the way to kick off. We appreciate each and every one of you for hanging out. We'll be back tomorrow with the old Tennessee Homer. Same time as always, 7:00 Eastern, 6 Central. And then I'm trying to get out these interviews so we'll be pumping them out. We got about 20 more to go, but doing my best. And until then, we will see you on the next one. Bye bye. Hey buddy, this beer's for you, Mike and cousin Shane. That SEC podcast loves the pirate and the Pirate loves that SEC podcast.
[103:01]
Stephen Lassen
Hail State.
[103:09]
DSW Announcer
I'm Serena Williams and I'm healthier on row. I've lost 34 pounds in a year. With GLP1's diet and exercise on row you can access GLP1 options including the first FDA approved GLP1 pill for weight loss. Go to roe.co journey to see if you qualify. 14 to 20% average weight loss in one year in non diabetics with obesity or overweight with a weight related medical condition versus 2.2% to 3.1% in placebo arm Rx only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to RO Co Safety.
[103:39]
Stephen Lassen
Let's check in on the SERTA Counting Sheep why aren't we counting anymore? Well, the all new Serta Perfect sleeper has the Q4 support system that helps
[103:47]
Mike Bratton
relieve aches and back pain.
[103:48]
Stephen Lassen
Will never get counted again?
[103:50]
Mike Bratton
Nope. Serta we make the world's best mattress.
[103:55]
DSW Announcer
You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it?
[104:01]
Angie Hicks
Yeah.
[104:01]
DSW Announcer
So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Buying shoes that get you and prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you.
[104:24]
Angie Hicks
Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair done well. Kitchen sink install done well. Deck upgrades done well. Electrical Upgrade done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years. So we know the difference between done and done well. Angie the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project@angie.com.

Summary9 min read

That SEC Football Podcast – Fall Camp SEC Panic Meter (August 4, 2026)

Host: Michael Bratton (SEC Mike)
Guest: Stephen Lassen (Athlon Sports)

Episode Overview

In this lively preseason episode, SEC Mike and Stephen Lassen take a tour around the Southeastern Conference as fall camps open, checking the "panic meter" for every SEC football program. With the backdrop of early practices, roster changes, transfer portal drama, and sky-high expectations, the duo grade each team’s worry level for 2026. They also tackle fan questions and offer bold takes, setting the table for what promises to be a wild college football season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of College Football Law & The "Panic Meter" Concept

NCAA/SEC/Big Ten Legislative Updates:
[03:39]
Stephen Lassen: "Let’s wait and see what the actual text looks like... There could be some good that comes out of this... Like having a foundation for sports, like the NFL and Major League Baseball. It could be good, but there are some silly things..."
The hosts agree that talking policy bores them: "It’s football time. The last thing I want is to talk about politics and all that junk." (Mike Bratton, 05:00)

2. Team-by-Team Fall Camp Panic Meter Analysis

Missouri Tigers

Panic Meter: 6/10
[06:46]
- Uncertainty about RB Ahmad Hardy's injury and absence.
- Starters missing on OL (Josh Atkins at RT may be out longer).
- New OC Chip Lindsay, new QB Austin Simmons, new WR corps.
- Defense basically starting from scratch (Sterling Webb returning at DL a huge boost).
- Ceiling: Top 25 dark horse; floor: 6-6 or 7-5 if question marks persist. Stephen Lassen: "If all the pieces come together, that could result in a pretty strong Missouri team that’s in the top 25. But also, given those questions, that's why my panic meter is a little bit high." [09:08]
Schedule is key: Early fireworks; need fast start.
Bold Fan Take: Mizzou to beat Bama in SEC Title (Fan “Mizzou Fan #7”). [48:38]

LSU Tigers

Panic Meter: 8/10
[15:25]
- Lane Kiffin’s first year, all-in via massive portal/roster investment ($50 million reported).
- Sam Levitt at QB, roster hype, but high expectations mean a high-pressure fall. Stephen: "With all the money LSU has spent to go get Lane Kiffin and to go into the portal... Expectations are sky high." [15:25]
Can they pull an “Indiana” and immediately reach the playoff? The hosts agree it’s possible but pressure is immense.
Lane Kiffin “pumping the brakes” on expectations worries Stephen. [19:38]
Brutal schedule—must start fast to stay in playoff hunt.

Tennessee Volunteers

Panic Meter: 6/10
[23:44]
- Quarterback battle; “causes anxiety.”
- New DC Jim Knowles installs aggressive defense, but “usually takes two years.”
- Defensive line depth and pass rush (esp. after missing out on Chaz Coleman). "[I] trust Heupel... love how the schedule sets up. I think Tennessee could be a real sleeper this year." (Stephen, [23:58])
Mike: “Tennessee seems to do well when counted out; poorly when everyone’s on the bandwagon.” [24:31]
Questions about defensive line ranking draw laughter.

Oklahoma Sooners

Panic Meter: 4/10
[29:25]
- Returns most offensive production in the SEC (71%). QB Mateir healthier.
- If returning bad offensive production—improvement in question.
- Brent Venables trusted; main worry: can the offense take the next step for a playoff bid? Stephen: "The variable is that Mateir injury. I think over the course of the season, we would have seen Oklahoma be much more productive offensively." [31:07]

Texas Longhorns

Panic Meter: 5/10
[33:51]
- Expectations are high, bounce-back from disappointing year needed.
- Portal upgrades (Cam Coleman at WR); QB Arch Manning much improved late last season.
- Sark’s comments on cutting “his” guys were critiqued as a coach dodging responsibility. Mike: “It strikes as a coach saying, it wasn’t my fault. It was these guys that I picked and coached and developed...” [37:16]
- Key early test: at Ohio State, at Tennessee, vs. Oklahoma.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Panic Meter: 6/10
[43:15]
- New coach Kalen DeBoer; QB battle between Keilan Russell (elite freshman talent) and Austin Mack (system veteran). Bold take: Dari Noka (ESPN) says Keilan Russell could be top 3 SEC QB by season’s end; Stephen says top 5. [44:38]
- OL and DL depth are big question marks; playoff expectation for program.

Florida Gators

Panic Meter: 4/10
[50:19]
- Vibes “pretty good” under John Sumrall; defense expected to improve with Brad White as DC.
- QB/offensive line still unresolved, but staff inspires confidence.
- Stephen: “I actually think this team could surprise. I think they could easily finish in the top 25.” [51:19]
Discussed the risk of offseason optimism after previous Florida hype/burns.

Texas A&M Aggies

Panic Meter: 6/10
[58:13]
- New OC; four new starting OL; Marcel Reed at QB must take a step forward.
- Replacing 10+ NFL-caliber players is a huge challenge.
- Stephen: "It's hard now to manufacture great offensive line play... A lot of questions."
- Some see A&M as a playoff team if they clear the OL/OC hurdles.
- Fan Bold Take: Could both A&M and Oklahoma be undefeated before their November showdown? (Unlikely, but wild possibility).

Georgia Bulldogs

Panic Meter: 5/10
[70:30]
- National title or bust expectations.
- Concerns at WR and about the upside of the passing game with Gunner Stockton at QB.
- Defense/run game/OL lauded, but can the offense keep up with elite playoff teams?
- "Did Georgia do enough to raise the floor of this passing game to fill the voids of players they lost?... When they get into the playoff, do they have the firepower?" (Stephen, [71:58])
- Mike: "Maybe they’ll go bully ball with four tight-end sets!"

Auburn Tigers

Panic Meter: not stated, but discussed as possible 7-5/year, outside shot at 9-10 wins
[66:17]
- DJ Durkin’s defense expected to remain strong.
- Major offensive overhaul brings optimism; "runway" via transfer QB, RB, and skill talent.
- Favorable schedule: tough games at home; chance to steal a marquee win.
- Ceiling debated: Mike says 8-4 optimistic, 10 “greedy but possible in this wild era.”

Arkansas Razorbacks

Panic Meter: 9/10
[62:35]
- Only 2 wins last season, coaching change, 68 new players this year.
- Schedule is "unforgiving," and there's little time to mesh before tough games.
- Element of surprise from massive roster turnover, but expectations are near rock-bottom.

Kentucky Wildcats

Panic Meter: 3/10
[93:06]
- Will Stein hired for offensive fireworks; big stylistic change from Mark Stoops’ grind-it-out defenses.
- Low expectations this year; a bowl is a win. "At least be exciting"—early struggles easier to stomach with a fun offense.
- Circle the Alabama game (Week 2) as a possible upset, but upsets more likely with a dynamic offense.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Panic Meter: 7/10
[79:13]
- Shane Beamer on the hot seat; last year’s disappointment increases pressure.
- QB Lenore Sellers and new OC Kendall Briles expected to bring improvement.
- Have to capitalize on “most talent Beamer’s had,” must show results (8+ wins suggested as target).

Ole Miss Rebels

Panic Meter: 5/10
[82:03]
- High outside expectations (some media pick them for national title); fans more relaxed.
- Returns big names—Chambliss, Lacey, new OC J.D. Baker.
- Immediate tests: Louisville, LSU, Florida—no time to ease into season.
- Offensive line concerns and high expectations mean any slip is major.
- "If not ready to play right out of the gate, could be a very disappointing season." (Mike, [85:16])

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Panic Meter: 7/10
[89:22]
- Year three for Jeff Lebby. Must win more SEC games, show progress with potential star Kamario Taylor.
- Early tough road trip to Minnesota, Columbia (Missouri).
- "Another losing season may not spell good things for Jeff Lebby." (Stephen, [90:15])

Vanderbilt Commodores

Panic Meter: 6/10
[99:02]
- Diego Pavia is gone; pressure on coach Clark Lea to prove the playoff run wasn't a fluke.
- Jared Curtis (true freshman QB) the new hope.
- High bar from recent years means even 5 or 6 wins would be acceptable for building momentum.

Memorable Quotes

"It feels like we’ve spent so much time... in these round tables and Congress and this lawsuit... Man, just get me to week zero, get me to practice, get me to some actual games and stuff." — Stephen Lassen [05:26]

"If all the pieces come together, that could result in a pretty strong Missouri team... But also, given those questions, that's why my panic meter is a little bit high as we go into fall practice." — Stephen Lassen [09:08]

"With all the money that LSU has spent to go get Lane Kiffin, and to go into the portal... the expectations are sky high... This is the last time LSU is going to 'have to practice'..." — Stephen Lassen [15:25]

"My personal belief that Texas is going to be pretty good this year is playing into this..." — Stephen Lassen [33:51]

"Keilan Russell will be a top five quarterback by the end of the year in the SEC." — Stephen Lassen [44:38]

"I trust Rodney Garner in Tennessee to figure something out." — Stephen Lassen [26:43]

"If Oklahoma's returning more production than anybody on offense, does that give you confidence that the offense will be better, or are you a little concerned because they didn’t have a ton of success?" — Mike Bratton [30:14]

Timestamps for Major Teams/Segments

[06:46] — Missouri
[15:25] — LSU
[23:44] — Tennessee
[29:25] — Oklahoma
[33:51] — Texas
[43:15] — Alabama
[50:19] — Florida
[58:13] — Texas A&M
[66:17] — Auburn
[62:35] — Arkansas
[70:30] — Georgia
[79:13] — South Carolina
[82:03] — Ole Miss
[89:22] — Mississippi State
[93:06] — Kentucky
[99:02] — Vanderbilt

Listener Interaction & Fan Takes

Many segments prioritized based on generous fan donations and superchats, creating a spontaneous and interactive tone.
Memorable "bold takes": Mizzou over Bama in SEC title; A&M/Oklahoma both undefeated into late November; start of the John Sumrall “dynasty” at Florida.
Quote: "Anybody throw us a donation, we'll throw your team to the top of the list." — Mike Bratton [15:02]

Closing Thoughts

High excitement for fall camp coverage—"football time" is finally here.
Theme: The SEC (and college football at large) is in a state of rapid change—roster churn, massive expectations, wild schedules, and no shortage of pressure for big-money coaches.
Wrap-up: “We talked so long this offseason about all these teams. I can’t wait to see they actually hit the field and see what they look like.” — Stephen Lassen [101:58]

Overall Tone & Takeaways

The podcast keeps a conversational, playful, and occasionally irreverent tone, with fan passion, institutional pressure, and a love for the chaos of SEC football always front and center. The "panic meter" concept gives a fun, honest way to frame just how nerve-wracking this season might be for every program in the league.

For listeners who want the big stories:
This episode gives you a crisp read on every SEC team’s worries, hopes, and wildcards as fall camp opens in 2026.

Loading summary

Transcript206 lines

[00:00]
Mike Bratton
I'm pretty confident talking into a mic. Hey, I'm doing it right now. But home projects, I second guess everything. Is that noise normal? Is that water damage? Who do I even call? That's where thumbtack comes in. Just upload a photo or voice note and it uses AI powered search to match you with the right top rated local pro. So instead of guessing, you get clarity and can hire with confidence for your next tone project, try thumbtack. Hire the right pro today.
[00:28]
Stephen Lassen
An undisturbed sleep is a beautiful thing. That's why a beautyrest mattress is designed to give you unparalleled motion separation, isolating movement with our pocketed coil technology to help you sleep soundly no matter what's moving on the other side of the bed, while providing individualized support for every sleeping position. People at their best get their beauty rest for 100 years.
[00:59]
DSW Announcer
You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it?
[01:05]
Angie Hicks
Yeah.
[01:05]
DSW Announcer
So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Find shoes that get you and prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you.
[01:33]
Mike Bratton
Hey, welcome in latest episode that sec. I'm your host, Michael Bratton. Oh, yeah, see, I'm going in slow motion now. I knew it.
[01:44]
Angie Hicks
Dang it.
[01:44]
Mike Bratton
Hold on a second. Let me, uh. Oh, I don't know if I can switch this now that we've already started here, but anyway, welcome in latest episode of that SEC podcast. I'm your host, Mike Braddon. Go by SEC Mike on the Twitters. And there's our great friend Stephen Lassen from Athlon Sports. What's up, buddy?
[02:03]
Stephen Lassen
Hey, Mike. It's good to talk to you, my friend. I want to tell you some good news. I saw motion pictures and photography from an SEC spring practice or fall practice today with the Missouri Tigers. I saw Austin Simmons throwing a pass. I saw him actually, you know, in Missouri gear. That must mean the season's here, right?
[02:26]
Mike Bratton
I think so. Yeah, I saw that as well. So, I mean, nothing's finer than seeing these players hit the practice field and get geared up for the college football season. That's what we know. It's real. Fall camps all across the SEC are opening this week, and Stephen is back to discuss his panic meter for Each and every SEC team. So I always enjoy getting to hit all the teams and looks like we're going to be starting with old Missouri. Stephen, because Mizzou fed oh7. We appreciate your buddy gifted another 20 memberships. This is 40 he's donated, Stephen, just today because he was here for that wild man Marler. So we will be talking a ton of Missouri off the, off the top rope here for old Mizzou fan number seven. But anything, you know, you know, before we take a deep dive into these teams, Stephen, I did want to ask you briefly, and by no means you have to go in, in full depth here because all this political stuff just bores me to tears. But any thoughts on the SEC and the Big Ten finally backing the Protect College Sports act and, and what that could mean if it does pass.
[03:40]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I think that the right kind of answer to this is like, let's see the final text of it first because there's been a lot of. They need this change to support it. There's this out there. There's been this. That's rumored. I want to see the final version of it because I did think dating back to some of the first releases, that it kind of left the door open for some of these eligibility lawsuits when it comes to like, we've seen this offseason and other off seasons. So I, I would, I think, in order to kind of calm the waters, which is what the Big Ten and SEC are hoping for. I think that's part of the equation. But I think in the big picture, Mike, I think there could be some good that comes out of this as far as, like, you know, we talk about rules and sort of like having a foundation for sports like the NFL and Major League Baseball. It could be good. I think some of the things in here that are kind of silly, like the capping conferences at 19, the Lane Kiffin rule. I think some of those things are kind of silly. So I, there's some good and bad. I guess my, my kind of ultimate take on this is like, let's wait and see what the actual text looks like because there's been so much rumored and I want to see if they kind of close some of these loopholes, especially these eligibility lawsuits that we, we have been seeing. And we actually saw it this weekend, too, with some players trying to come back for 20, 26. So some good, some bad.
[04:53]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, no, I, that makes sense. But again, I don't, I don't like to spend a ton of time on it because like you said, we don't Know what is official, when it's going to be official. So once we have that, I think that'll be the correct time. I'm just thankful I haven't spent the past couple of years, like some of these other reporters and podcasts, breaking all this mumbo jumbo down because to me, it's. It's football time. And the last thing I want is, you know, to talk about politics and all that junk.
[05:26]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, isn't that the worst part of this? And I know, I know you and I are probably going to like, age ourselves a little bit, but if you go Back to like 10 years ago, like back in our day, you spent the off season debating predictions, you spent the off season talking about players and teams. It feels like we've spent so much time and you and I really haven't. We spend every week trying to break down the SEC players and teams. But, man, it's been. Seems like so much oxygen in the world of college football is spent in these like round tables and congress and this lawsuit, this judge. And it's like, man, just get me to week zero, get me to practice, get me to some actual games and stuff. So all of this could bring some calm. But at the end of the day, Mike, I just miss it when we could spend all off season talking ball, right?
[06:18]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I think so. So I think that's the perfect segue, Stephen, to jump. Let's talk some ball for Mizou fan here for being so kind and donating so many memberships. I mean really all year. But Even just today, 40 members, cousins, he's added to the family. So for Mizzou fans, Stephen, where are we at on the Missouri panic meter as fall camp opened Monday in Columbia?
[06:46]
Stephen Lassen
Shout out to Mizzou fan, by the way, always with the generosity in those memberships, Mike. Like you said, I'm gonna start the panic meter, Mike. At a level six. So, Mike, here's my thinking on this. There's the uncertainty about Ahmad Hardy. There's optimism that he's going to be back at some point this season, perhaps by SEC play or shortly after. But Josh Atkins, the going to play right tackle, looks like he may be out longer than anticipated. So you're missing two key pieces. You also have the defense that is basically starting from scratch with Sterling Webb coming back. That's actually one returning starter. So they don't have zero anymore in the defensive side. But there's a of questions here and. And I kind of set the expectation for Missouri is the baseline is a bowl game. The goal should be top 25 and kind of being like one of these dark horse playoff contenders. So if you want to be at that kind of level, I think your panic has to be a little bit higher. So it's like a six or so. Because you have a quarterback in Austin Simmons, you don't know what's a, what you're going to get out of him. How does this defense rebuild? So it might be a little bit high considering their success, but also it feels like 6 and 6 and 7, 5 could be on the table here. If some of these preseason question marks actually end up as concerns and they don't find answers for.
[08:04]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, and don't you think, Stephen, that Missouri is in a little bit of a unique position because let's say Austin Simmons, take some time. Let's say the, you know, we've got new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsay, we got new quarterback coaches, we've got a lot of new receivers. Even though like Kaden Lee, he's, he's worked with Austin Simmons, so. But not for Missouri. But basically what I'm trying to hammer home here, Stephen, if, and we have seen this, right, several years in a row, Missouri's passing attack has struggled. You're kind of compounding the issue. If the passing attack is slow out the gate and you don't have Ahmad Hardy again, there's a lot of confidence in Jamal Roberts. I'm not trying to shortchange him at all. But to not have your elite running back, if the passing game takes a while, I mean, we're kind of making a, an issue, an even bigger issue with the rest of the, the offense. Would you agree with that?
[09:08]
Stephen Lassen
I would, Mike, because I think if you have Hardy and you had that defense from last year, like, you know what you can lean on, you know, you have a good ground game. And again, I think Jamal Roberts is going to be very good for Missouri. But you're taking away probably your best player in Ahmad Hardy, so you take away him. You guys, you could argue if it's like Kaden Green or Ahmad Hardy, but you're taking away one of your best players, so you're now down one of your stars. What happens if Jamal Roberts is banged up early in the year? Like you have to go on the road to Kansas and Mississippi State, like, if you're missing one, two pieces, you, you now have a defense that's got way more question marks than last year. You have a quarterback with a ton of upside and he's got question marks still. So, yeah, I think your strengths with Hardy and Roberts got A little bit kind of weakened with Hardy's uncertainty. And now you have these question marks elsewhere. Now, if all the pieces come together, that could result in a pretty strong Missouri team that's in the top 25. But also, given those questions, that's why my panic meter is a little bit high as we go into fall practice.
[10:11]
Mike Bratton
And we could just as easily look at the other side of the coin, right, Stephen? Like, let's say Austin Sim is in this passing attack with Arkansas Peanut Butter as your opening opponent. Little K, Kansas, Troy, let's say they come out and the passing game clicks right out the gate. Then perhaps not having a mod Hardy for the first couple games. Now it's, you know, now. Now our offense is more balanced. Maybe we don't need an elite running back till maybe at Mississippi State, maybe Florida. Certainly A and M and, and Ole Miss were, were going to need him, but you know, it. So that, that kind of crystallizes how important it is to get Austin Simmons in this passing attack going. Because if, if they're flying high right out the gate, I think Missouri can take their time getting Hardy back.
[11:04]
Stephen Lassen
Absolutely. You know, in a weird way, I think the ultimate goal for this offense, Mike, you want to see Austin Simmons kind of realize his potential. And Chip Lindsay is being brought in to kind of elevate this passing game. And you know, we talked about some of the quarterbacks he's worked with. You know, the Bryce Underwood thing last year at Michigan. I think some of it is Bryce Underwood's pretty raw. They had some question marks at receiver going back to North Carolina. They put up a lot of yards with Drake May, and of course, Drake May is a pretty special player. So Chip Lindsay, I think it's not one of my favorite hires, but I also, I can also understand that if you can do X, Y and Z in the passing game, you can raise the kind of ceiling for this group. So in a weird way, Mike, it's almost. You have time for Ahmad Hardy to get back to 100% and be healthy for SEC play, but it also forces you to maybe do the things that maybe you weren't going to do with him in the lineup, like when you go on the road to Kansas, maybe Austin Simmons has to make three to five throws that maybe he wouldn't if Ahmad Hardy was in the lineup. So it's almost like trying to figure out you're almost going to be forced to win a little bit differently early on, which perhaps pays some dividends on the back end of the schedule for
[12:14]
Mike Bratton
Missouri and how Big is it in your opinion, Stephen, to again, I guess it's official. I really don't know. But getting Sterling Webb back now, now that is official. He is back. But I do know the NCAA is actively fighting this. Colorado judges ruling that again, if anybody that missed, if you, if you ran out of eligibility last year, you got another year because the NCAA came out a couple weeks ago, months ago, whatever it was, and, and finally made it a. The rule of the land that you can have five years to play. Five. So the guys that just ran out after four, where's my five? And this judge says, all right, you're right, you get your five. So again, long story, but getting Sterling Webback for a, for a Missouri defense that literally returns no starters on defense, even though they do return guys that have played a lot. But getting a returning starter back on the defensive line, how big could that be for Missouri to kind of have at least some, some, some more continuity, particularly on that defensive line?
[13:21]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I think it's huge. I mean I think certainly Webb played over 400 snaps last year for this Missouri defense and you talk about amount of turnover. So you're asking guys who maybe were second string, third string, they were in the portal, they were playing somewhere else last year. Now you add a guy who can give you kind of starter caliber snaps and not only just adding to your depth, but also maybe probably helping your rush defense, giving you kind of a, a foundational piece as you find the right mix up front. So I think it's huge for Missouri just to get some of that experience and especially at a premium position like tackle, defensive line. It's so hard in the portal to find multiple contributors and now Missouri is getting back a guy they know well. Won't take him that long to get up to speed considering his experience in this defense.
[14:04]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. Any other final thoughts on Missouri, Stephen, before we shift to another team?
[14:10]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I, you know, I'm intrigued by their schedule early in the season because they have that trip to Kansas and then SEC play with nine games on the road against Mississippi State in those two home games, Florida and Texas A M. So I think just getting off to a fast start, you know, we talk about this is true with every team, but you got the rivalry game, you got SEC play against Mississippi State, maybe a team that's on the rise and two, you know, tough home games, but maybe some aspirations of pulling off an upset there. So I think the, the game against Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Mike, it's going to be a blowout, we know. But I'm Going to be very kind of curious to watch Austin Simmons early in that game, just to kind of see what kind of progression that we've seen since last season, because I think that schedule, they've got to get off to a fast start if they want to be one of those dark horse teams in the SEC this year.
[15:03]
Mike Bratton
All right? And hey, anybody throw us a donation, we'll throw your team to the top of the list. Not. Not an obligation, of course. We're going to hit on all these teams. But I. I see the wild man, Jared in there. He always throws his donations. So let's do LSU for cousin Jared. Stephen, a panic meter for Lane Kiffin and company. Year one in Baton Rouge. This fall camp is gearing up.
[15:26]
Stephen Lassen
How about an eight? Oh, here's why. The expectations, Mike. They are sky high. It's playoff. I know, national championship. I think some LSU fans are probably pretty reasonable and that it's going to be unrealistic to win one this year. But the playoff, with all the money that LSU has spent to go get Lane Giffen to go into the portal to land this roster. The expectations around Sam Levitt, Jordan Seaton, I mean, the list goes on and on.
[15:55]
Mike Bratton
Top.
[15:56]
Stephen Lassen
Maybe the top coaching hire, maybe the top transfer. Portal expectations are sky high. This is it, Mike. This is the last time that LSU is going to have to practice. Like Sam Levitt looks like he's going to be 100%. The season starts now. So there's no, you know, there's no portal with acquisitions. Everybody's got to stay healthy. They've got to make this mesh and work. So that's why I'm setting the panic meter high, is the expectations. Now, if you ask me about the personnel, I love a lot of things about this team because I picked this team to go to the playoff. And seeing Sam Levitt look like he's going to be 100 is a great sign, but this team's got a lot of questions. O line run game, how does this all work? That's why the panic meter is high. Because they got a couple weeks to make this kind of get to 100 before the season starts.
[16:43]
Mike Bratton
Whoa, Stephen. I mean, that's significantly higher than I thought you'd say. Heck, I. I thought LSU, they're just living the dream. Panic Meter 0. Because they got old dumbass Dabo coming in here week one. But, you know, I. Again, I, I get what you're saying, because it's. It's almost like championship or bust. And maybe not championship, but playoff or bus. But heck, you Talk to LSU fans. They want to be competing. You know, they. They deserve to. They deserve to. After, allegedly, this roster now is up to $50 million, so. Oh, buddy. And we, you know, I get everybody's. It says, you know, where's the next Indiana? I don't know that we'll ever get a Indiana, you know, where it's like, no disrespect, but like a Kentucky or an Arkansas, where they're at today and winning the national championship in the SEC in two years. But if there is a team that. If you mean Indiana, can you just kind of come in and immediately go to the playoff year to win a national championship? The answer is probably lsu. Do you. Do you think that's a fair comment?
[17:55]
Stephen Lassen
I think it is. I think just because of the investment that they made, and now we mentioned it, like, Kiffin's a top 10 to 15 coach in college football. He's thrived in this era of roster changes, transfers, and nil. And I mean, LSU's track record, Mike. I made Edward Giraud. Unless Miles won a national championship, if they give it a national championship, Blake Gifford better be able to bring one here. So I. I realized, Mike, the panic meter might be a little high. It's not necessarily like, you know, there's a difference between a panic about, oh, somebody's going to get fired. This is more of a panic of their high, high expectations. And you've made that investment, and now you've got three to four weeks to get this team ready for Clemson. And also looking at the schedule, Mike, with Ole Miss and Texas A and M coming in, you know, you've got to get this thing started off fast because that road trip to Oxford is tough. Turn around and play A and M. A slow start out of the gate means LSU could be out of the playoff race by October. I don't think that's going to happen, but my panic meter for this team is high just because of expectations, new faces trying to meet those goals. But on the flip side of that is exactly what you said, Mike. If Indiana can do this in two years, LSU is already starting from a much stronger kind of talent base. Right? So they should be able to turn this thing around quickly and get to the College Football Playoff, perhaps this year.
[19:20]
Mike Bratton
Does it concern you at all that it seems like every opportunity that Kiffin has a microphone in front of his face, whether it was spring, whether it was at SEC media days, he seems to be kind of doing whatever he can to pump the brakes a little bit on the hype train. Does that concern you at all?
[19:38]
Stephen Lassen
A little bit, yeah. I can't decide. I mean, obviously Lane is a very difficult person to get inside his brain because there's the whole, you know, going invisible on Twitter and like ghosting social media now and there's, you know, him trying to pump the brakes at the same time. I, I, it's, he's so hard to, to read into and, and try to like psychology, what that means. I, I am a little bit worried because of all the new pieces that they have. And also I think we have seen that anytime with a vast amount of transfers, Mike, it doesn't take like one or two injuries and your depth at a certain spot is problematic. Maybe it takes half a season to get going. Indiana is probably like a special case scenario. It's going to be really hard to kind of replicate some of that. So I, I am, I am worried about my LSU playoff prediction for sure.
[20:29]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I mean, I think it's a Gable, but they're investing like they should be a factor all season long. I just don't know how realistic that is right out the gate. But, and again, I mentioned the Indiana comparison. It's easier when you play in a Big Ten and have legitimately like two or three hard games, you know.
[20:53]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, absolutely. I mean this LSU schedule, especially early and, and late is going to be significantly harder than anything that Indiana had that first year, Mike. I mean, nine SEC games, a non conference game against Clemson, potentially the number one team in the country in Texas, playoff team last year in Texas A and M and Alabama. I mean this is a very, very difficult schedule, Mike. I, maybe I should say this. If LSU misses the playoff this year, I wouldn't necessarily be surprised. I think what would worry me is if they miss it again next year too. Because I think if you go over 2, considering the investment, considering Kiffin, I'll start to get a little bit worried if they miss it this year, even though I'm picking them to all of the new wouldn't surprise me. That's a lot to come together and get to the playoff.
[21:41]
Mike Bratton
I hear you. Hey, shout out Kelso for the donation. He's asking about Bazoo here. Steven, real quick. Why is it that they're playing a. I think he's saying are not playing a prime team outside of the SEC as compared to the rest. I, I think and then I see him in the comments, he doesn't consider the Big 12 as a, as a legitimate.
[22:03]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah.
[22:03]
Mike Bratton
Conference. Which that's, Hey, I don't either really, to be honest. With you. But that, that is their one where they're, you know, their, their power opponent is Kansas, right?
[22:14]
Stephen Lassen
It is, yeah. I mean, Mike, I guess the, the good thing for Missouri is if, if, if you're a Missouri fan and you're ultra confident, you know, isn't playing a team like Kansas from the Big 12 a good place to start because you're not having to challenge yourself like going on the road to like an Ohio State or Notre Dame. Right. I mean that seems like a pretty. That's like almost getting. And maybe like teams from the Big Ten or Big 12 would have viewed Vanderbilt like you know, a couple years ago, right?
[22:42]
Mike Bratton
I think so, yeah. So I, to me, that's smart scheduling by Missouri. I'd much rather be playing them than, you know, like, yeah, my Arkansas playing at Utah though. I mean, I, for the life of me, I. Arkansas needs all the breaks they can get. What, what the hell are they thinking there? I'll never know.
[23:04]
Stephen Lassen
You know, there's. There's kind of like an interesting split, isn't there? Because you and I, as fans, we want to see the Miami Missouri game. But I think if we're putting, you know, if you're putting yourself in a position of a fan, it's like, yeah, it is great to see those games and it's great that they could come to Columbia, but at the same time it's like it's a, it's a guaranteed W if you're playing Pine Bluff or Troy for the most part. They've had a bit of a track record of knocking off teams from the power conferences before. So kind of interesting back and forth, isn't it?
[23:34]
Mike Bratton
It is. And Kelso, we appreciate you again for the donation. He's a Tennessee fan. Stephen. So where is your panic meter for them Tennessee Vols, Mike?
[23:45]
Stephen Lassen
It is set at a six, so just a little bit above half. You can kind of call me crazy here, but Tennessee's got a quarterback battle that always causes anxiety, right?
[23:58]
Mike Bratton
It.
[23:59]
Stephen Lassen
There's all these question marks on defense. You know, Jim Knowles usually takes two years. How do they overcome the pass rush questions without Chaz Coleman? I actually think Tennessee is going to surprise some people, Mike, because I think their defense is going to be a heck of a lot better. And I trust hypo, whether It's Brandon or McIntyre. Plus I love how the schedule sets up. I think Tennessee could be a real sleeper this year. Maybe this could be a little bit higher, but, but maybe this is also my trust factor in hypo and NS kind of factoring. Into this grade too.
[24:31]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. And again, is there any logic in this statement, Stephen? Maybe not. I've never claimed to be the most logical person, but Tennessee seems to do well when a lot of people are counting them out. Tennessee seems to do poorly when everybody's on the bandwagon. So I've done my part to kind of rally some of that support and, and some people have picked up on it. But I think for the most part, I think most people anticipate a down year for Tennessee simply because they don't know who the quarterback is. But again, and that is a huge factor in a nine game sec, you better have your signal. Signal caller playing well. But I think the schedule with Furman at Georgia Tech and Kennesaw, I believe that allows you time to kind of find that answer before mighty Texas comes to Neyland Stadium. But I, I don't know, Stephen. I just think Tennessee is going to be really good this year. They got a lot of talent around the quarterback and I'm just fascinated to see what this Jim Knowles defense. Not that I think they're going to be one of the best of the best, but I do think they're going to be a lot better than anticipated. And I, I did see. Stephen, I don't even want to mention this guy's name because I don't want you to flip out and, and quit the show and flip your table over and knock down all your helmets. But I did see a preseason magazine not named Athlon because we respect Athlon here, but a noted preseason magazine. They had Tennessee as the 13th best defensive line in the, in the SEC. And I'm sitting here saying, you ever heard of Rodney Gardner?
[26:18]
DSW Announcer
Yeah.
[26:18]
Mike Bratton
Have you looked up and down this roster, which I. There's youth on it to be sure, but they are, they are loaded with talent at the defensive line. Now, ass rush, admittedly was an issue and that's why they went and got Chaz Coleman. Whoops. But I again to. To have Vanderbilt as a better defensive line as this preseason Mag magazine had than Tennessee. I think that's asinine. What, what's your thoughts on that?
[26:43]
Stephen Lassen
I would trust Rodney Garner in Tennessee to figure something out. Maybe. Maybe Josh Hypo and Jim Knowles are scrolling one of these transfer portals saying, who can. If, if this goes through and you can transfer, maybe you could find a pass rusher or two, right, Mike? I, I think, you know, one thing is I like Tennessee. I think they have a pretty good baseline of just raw talent here. I know there's A lot of turnover in the room, but I would trust Gardiner. And also I think you have to put a lot of trust in Jim Knowles. And I think one of the differences between Penn State and Tennessee, it seems like when Knowles went to Penn State, he was kind of almost doing it alone. Now, Tennessee's brought a lot of guys who are familiar with that system. They can go teach those specific areas, speeding up the timetable. Also, I would assume that Jim Knowles probably has to be motivated after last year, because if you polled people in college football, I think they would have said he's probably one of the better defensive coordinators, if not the best outside of like someone was Brent Venable serving as head coach. So I think there's got to be motivation to get this back on track and understanding from Noel's perspective that it can't be two years because they don't have that kind of time. It's got to be right away. Also, Mike, I think you bring up something that's important, like when we talk about these teams in the preseason, it does feel like. And I, I'm probably guilty of this too, anytime it's like a team, it's missing a quarterback, we automatically like knock them down the rankings. Instead of thinking about the trust factor that maybe you have in a Josh hypo and it's case by case basis. But there, there is a pretty strong kind of track record of teams that have new quarterbacks end up doing very well. I mean, look at last year, Ole Miss, Carson Beckett, Miami. I know these are transfers, but there you can find. I think if you look at Tennessee, the bones and foundation of this team are really strong with O line skill, talent. And I think the defensive talent is a lot better than it showed last year. And that's kind of why I think they can rebound just almost by default. And then Knowles, over the course of the season improves this defense.
[28:47]
Mike Bratton
Well, Stephen, I've always said you're a smart man and I like, I like everything you had to say right there. So way to, way to keep it going there.
[28:56]
Stephen Lassen
Does. Is Shane starting to feel like 98 again or is that. Is he holding off to that?
[29:02]
Mike Bratton
Shay's always feeling like 98 around these parts, so I, I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but I do appreciate the enthusiasm. Just like we appreciate you, cousin Glenn. We appreciate you, Glenn Warsaw. Love the show. Looking forward to SEC football. Boomer. Sooner. So let's do Oklahoma next. Stephen, where is the panic meter entering fall camp for the Sooners.
[29:26]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, it's Pretty low. I've got it set at a four. Now, this team, I think the expectation ought to be get to Atlanta, get to the College Football Playoff and win some games. The schedule is challenging early, but I trust Brent Venables on this defense. I also think the offense is going to be better, but if I'm panicked about one side of it, it has to be how far does this offense grow in 2026? So I actually feel pretty good about Oklahoma. Not a ton of preseason questions, but the questions that are there are pretty significant and probably determine how high this team goes, whether they're playing in Atlanta for the SEC championship game or they're just outside the College Football Playoff. So I've got it set pretty low. Mike, it's a four. Am I crazy?
[30:14]
Mike Bratton
I don't think you're crazy, Stephen, but let me ask you. So I've got this graphic up here. According to my Numbers, Oklahoma returns 71% of their offense production from last year, which is number one in the Southeastern Conference. And that typically means that a unit will improve over the previous year because of that continuity. But I, I think you could easily, let's say you're a, you're a Sooner hater and say, well, who cares if they ever bring back a hundred percent of that offense, let, let them come back. Because outside of Satania, you know, I don't know how many good players they had on that side of the football last season. But where, where do you stand right there. If Oklahoma's returning more production than anybody on the offenses, does that give you confidence that the offense will be better or, or are you a little concerned because they didn't have a ton of success on that side of the ball last year?
[31:08]
Stephen Lassen
The age old question, right? Is it good to bring back players off of a bad group? Like, are they getting better and like, or is it like, is it good they're coming back because they're going to get better, or is it not a good sign because there's question marks here, Mike. I, I think the variable in this is that Matier injury, because I think over the course of the season, I think we would have seen Oklahoma be much more productive offensively. And also you just kind of look at some of the positions. I mean, you had Fazuzi, who was a young tackle in the sec. He's going to be a lot better this year. I also think just having Matier healthy, he's seen defenses now in the SEC one time. You've got a better O line, you can run, you've got A better tight end. You got a chance to maybe have a little blocking, little difference in that offensive scheme. So I think it is a case of. There could be still some questions like what exactly is the upside or ceiling of this group? But I think by default, if. If Mattier stays healthy, combined with the growth of some of the younger players, combined with somebody like a Troll Harris, like a Parker Livingston contributing, it feels like they're in a much better position now than they were at the end of 2025. So I'm. I'm buying some stock in this Oklahoma offense.
[32:21]
Mike Bratton
Hey, shout out to Jadon Brinkley here. He says Morristown west could beat the Sooners. I bet you have no idea what that. Do you have any idea what that reference is, Stevens?
[32:32]
Stephen Lassen
Vaguely. I'm.
[32:34]
Mike Bratton
That's my alma mater.
[32:36]
Stephen Lassen
Yes, that's what Morristown.
[32:38]
Mike Bratton
Shout out the Trojans that they could not beat the Sooners this year. But I do appreciate that's a funny. He said it about about half the SEC and Morristown West. I don't even think they're that good this year.
[32:53]
Stephen Lassen
There's. There's no, there's no Arch Mandy walking through that door. Right? Can you maybe. Could you find a judge to see if you could get eligible this year?
[33:05]
Mike Bratton
I think we would hurt him more than we would help them. I promise you that.
[33:08]
Stephen Lassen
I think I. Yeah, I think me and my injured foot would be a very little help to shout out to Hickory County High School out there.
[33:16]
Mike Bratton
Well, I wonder that there's a. Maybe an outside shot. Doug Beaver, the Vol. He might be a Trojan himself from East Tennessee. So, Doug, welcome to the family. Yeah, we appreciate your buddy. Hey, all right, so we got. We got another generous donation here, Steven, from Brandon Rodart Day says hook up. Appreciate you, Brandon. So how about Mighty Texas, Stephen? You can't go negative. You can't go negative. A million for panic meter for Texas. What? What's your panic meter for the Longhorns?
[33:51]
Stephen Lassen
All right, Mike, you can tell me if I'm crazy. I only set this at a 5. Maybe my personal belief that Texas is going to be pretty good this year is playing into this. But I also thought about bumping this up just because of the similar kind of feeling about LSU in Texas. Like the expectations are high after a disappointing year. That being said, I do feel good about where this Texas team is because Arch Manning was much better late in the season. I like what they did on the offensive line in the portal. Obviously Cam Coleman is going to be a big time weapon. And the additions that they have at running back, too. It just feels like this offense was trending up at the end of the year. They can carry that over with better weapons. The biggest question for me is, like, how does this all come together? Because you get Ohio State early in the season, you got to go on the road to Tennessee and you get Oklahoma. I don't think you can afford to have that kind of slow start they had last season. Arch kind of needs to pick it up from where he was playing against Michigan, not see the Arch Manning we saw in September last year. So maybe five is too low given the expectations. But I also think that this team is in a much better spot this year than they were last preseason.
[35:07]
Mike Bratton
Well, it's so funny you say that, Steven, because I wanted to ask you about Steve Sarkeesian's comments at SEC media days when he was suggesting that, hey, we've upgraded the talent. We had to let. We had to cut guys, essentially. We had to make room for some elite playmakers. And if you look at the transfer ratings and all that, that's exactly what they did. But I mean, he's kind of cutting guys. He signed and he developed. I mean, isn't there. At what point is it. Is that his responsibility to coach these guys up?
[35:45]
Stephen Lassen
It's definitely his responsibility to develop some of those guys. I, I think the other, I guess when I saw that comment, my mind immediately went to like, this is College football in 2026 to some extent. And that, you know, we've, you've always heard and kind of seen that. Oh so. And so was kind of run off the team. Well, it's even more true now trying to clear cap space for whatever there is, a hard cap right now and also roster space to, to bring those upgrades. Because, Mike, I think, you know, I, I know the, the Sarkeesian hot seat thing has been kind of a talking point throughout, you know, media days here and there. But at the same time, I mean, he's. Last year you were underachieving. And so if you can't develop those guys or those guys didn't hit, you've got to go out and bring the upgrades in. So I know it's kind of cutthroat, but at the same time, I think this is college football in 2026 and you have to do it if you want to try and compete for a national championship and not finish outside of it, right?
[36:42]
Mike Bratton
Well, certainly, and I understand that logic, but I guess where I'm lost in the translation is you pick these guys. You're not a first year Coach, you're not a second year coach, you're not a third year coach, you're not a fourth year coach. I mean, you've seen these guys through it all. Why'd you pick them to begin with? It, to me, it strikes as a coach saying, it wasn't my fault. It was these guys that I picked and coached and developed and I've just upgraded thanks to somebody else's coaching these guys and making them into players. Does that make sense?
[37:17]
Stephen Lassen
It does. You know, now that you say that, I really would. I wish somebody would have asked Kirk Signetti that at Big Ten media days. I don't think they did because, you know, as, as he was taking shots at the SEC saying, we don't whine, we just, you know, so I, I would have loved to appear, you know, heard his comments as somebody who's been at JMU in Indiana and brought players and developed them. So I, I think, you know, as boring of an answer as it is, Mike, it's like, yes, it is on Sark and it is on every coach to, you know, recruit, retain, develop. But also rosters are just so fluid, more than ever. And if you want to win a championship and you're Steve Sarkeesian and you're kind of feeling some pressure, I think you have to do kind of, you know, kind of bold, cutthroat, things like this. Unfortunately, no, that makes sense.
[38:04]
Mike Bratton
That makes sense. But you know what I would suggest, Stephen, is bold, but it's not cutthroat. It's quite actually the opposite of cutthroat. That's our friends over at Cash app. Go check them out. Cash app. Download the Cash app and put in that promo code family10. Welcome to the family. The Cash app Family. Go check them out. You know, Steve, have you ever been in a situation where you got to pay someone real quick for maybe some, some work they did on your house or maybe they bought you a cup of coffee or something like that. You could just send them and you don't have any cash on hand. Well, one of the best ways to send, transfer that money in a safe manner is the cash app. So go check them out. New Cash app users can earn up to 10 bucks if they use that promo code Family10 in their profile. At signup, send 5 bucks to a friend within 14 days. So check them out. The terms apply there. Over at Cash App we use Cash Cash app. That's how we pay people around here. That's how I get Shane. All his beer money is the Cash app. So we love the cash app. Go check them out. We also love Stephen work wear back for another season. They sent Shane and I some clothes. I couldn't believe they fit Shane. But he loves them. He loves the brentwerk wear clothes. I love mine. And I especially love the boots over there, Stephen. They got like steel toed worker boots that you could get over@brentworkwear.com I'll put a link in the show notes. Go check them out. Put in that promo code SEC over@bruntworkwear.com and they'll get you 10 bucks off your order. So we're just trying to save you money, trying to help you get some work clothes that look good and will last you a long time.
[39:52]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, you can't beat those deals, right? Trying to save you some cash before the season starts to maybe use to fund a tailgate out at Missouri or South Carolina or Texas or wherever you are. And hey, as Mike, as you know, you got to have those work boots outside, man. It's I was outside cutting the grass on Saturday and working out there so I could use a good pair of work boots. So shout out to our friends that
[40:18]
Mike Bratton
are brunt and you got to get all your home projects done, Stephen, before football gets here because you know you nobody's ass in here is doing yard work or work around the house when there's football on 100.
[40:29]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, any you know last night I made a list of stuff and I said this has to be done on August 28th because if it's not done then it's got to wait till January after the national championship game. So stuff around the house will have to wait till then.
[40:44]
DSW Announcer
Right.
[40:44]
Stephen Lassen
Because we got to concentrate on important things like football.
[40:47]
Mike Bratton
Absolutely.
[40:49]
Angie Hicks
The GLP1 pill you've been waiting for is now on Roe. Yep, it's finally here with the same clinically proven ingredient now in a pill and now on Roe. It's the first FDA approved GLP1 pill for weight loss at the lowest price available. That's one daily GLP1 pill. For big results now on RO go to ROE CO. Listen to see if you qualify RX only go to RO CO safety for
[41:16]
Stephen Lassen
serious side effects and boxed warning associated with GLP1s a Beautyrest mattress gives you unparalleled motion separation isolating movement with our pocketed coil technology while providing individualized support for every sleeping position. People at their best get their Beautyrest for 100 years.
[41:35]
Angie Hicks
Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of Angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair done well. Kitchen sink install done well. Deck upgrades done well. Electrical upgrade done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years. So we know the difference between done and done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project@angie.com
[42:06]
DSW Announcer
at DSW, we ask the important questions like what shoes are you going to wear? Whether you're prepping for wedding season, festival season, or just planning the ultimate vacay, the right shoes can make or break an rsvp. So own the moment. You've got big plans and we've got just the shoes at the perfect price, of course. Get ready to get ready with Designer Shoe Warehouse. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today and let us surprise you.
[42:35]
Mike Bratton
All right now we gotta concentrate, Stephen, on our friend Steven. Appreciate you, Steven up for the kind donation. Despite Sec Mike's trash talking Bama, there's no panic for me. What say you, Lassen? We're still the Crimson Tide, so let me play his little jingle for him. We showing up for them boys in Tuscaloosa. It's Stephen up. Roll Tide. Thank you. Steve it up.
[43:05]
Stephen Lassen
Shout out to you Stephen up. Thanks as always for showing up and hanging out with us.
[43:09]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. So what you got, Stephen for the panic meter for Stephen ups Crimson Tag.
[43:16]
Stephen Lassen
All right, Stephen up. Hang with me here because I'm gonna set it as a six. But here's my thinking on this. This team has expectations of going to the playoff this year and I think they can't because I think the schedule combined with really, really high upside quarterback play, I think this Alabama team can get there. But I'm setting it a little bit high right now because I want to see how this offensive line and run game and defensive line develop in the fall. Those are probably some of the hardest groups O line D line to see how they develop in fall practice. So we probably won't necessarily have a great idea until we get into the season with the Florida State Kentucky games for Alabama. But I think this can be a playoff team. So for that reason I'm setting the bar a little bit higher maybe than I would if this was a a little bit different situation coming into the season. So I like the pieces. I just want to see how it fits together. And I and if they want to get back to the playoff, my panic meter is a little bit high. That's why it's at 6.
[44:17]
Mike Bratton
Okay, did you see we posted an interview with Dari Noka from ESPN and I shared it on Twitter. But he, he had a bold take that Keelan Russell will be a top three quarterback in the Southeastern Conference by the end of the season. Do you think that is conceivable?
[44:38]
Stephen Lassen
I was actually going to give you a bold take on Alabama and say that Keelan Russell was going to be a top five quarterback by the end of the year in the sec. So that's pretty bold. That that's not too far off of where I would be. I mean, I think when you kind of think about the SEC's quarterback tiers, Mike, I think everybody's going to have Arch, Jambliss, Stockton and kind of your top three and then four through wherever feels very wide open. Like, do you like Marcel Reed? Do you like John Mateer? Do you like Lenor Sellers? Do you like Byron Brown? That's kind of where I think Keelan Russell could fit in. If he starts from game one to game 12. With the track record of Kaylin DeBoer and Ryan Grubb at quarterback and if they can get some balance, I think he could be a top five quarterback in the league.
[45:26]
Mike Bratton
But does it surprise you that all the hype around him and then we get to media days and there seems to be some buzz that it's going to be Austin Mack?
[45:36]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, that's a really. It feels like Alabama's got two capable quarterbacks, doesn't it? I mean, I feel like they could win with either one. I feel like if you're going like, upside, I think it's got to be Russell. And I think that's kind of why it wouldn't stun me if both quarterbacks play in that first game. And then over the course of the season, Russell becomes the guy. It's a good problem to have because it feels like no matter which one starts, they're going to be in good shape. But despite having that quarterback battle, Mike, it feels like it's not the biggest, even the biggest question mark on this team this year.
[46:09]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. But sometimes, Stephen, I mean, you know, well, following this sport as long as, as we have, sometimes these coaches, they don't, they don't look at it as, you know, who's got more upside and talent. They look at, you know, the loyalty. And Max been with Deboring for so long, go back to his days at Washington. I, I don't know. There. There's a, there's a loyalty factor there. And, and, you know, not that he's going to sit here and play favorites because his, of course, he did just get an Extension. So people would debate me and say he's not coaching for his job, but, you know, he's got to play the guy he thinks gives him the best chance to win. But what if. What if in his heart he believes that's Austin Mack because he knows the system inside and out. And. And if we have offensive line issues, a lot of people say, well, you want the guy that can run, right? I don't know. I think a lot of these coaches want someone that can identify. That can. Can identify the reads, can identify the. The hot routes because they're going to need to get the ball out of their hands very quickly, potentially if they have issues on the offensive line.
[47:16]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I think you should. It's worth mentioning that most contracts probably aren't worth the paper that they're printed on in college football rights. We've seen that. Right. So despite extension, yes. If things went south anywhere, I think any team would be. They'd be open to making a change, regardless of whether it's Alabama or some of these other teams. I. I think. I always think about the idea in a quarterback battle where if it's close, you give a tie to the younger player with more upside because of where you think they could grow throughout the season. And I just think about, like, if Russell ends up. If Mac ends up being really, really good, then that tells me that Keelan Russell might just be like elite by this time next year. And so if he transfers and he's out performing Mac, it's not going to reflect all that great on Galen DeBoer in this staff. So I think they can win with both Mike. But I think if. If it's me calling the shots, I want the guy with more upside. The more longer term, he's going to be a redshirt freshman this year. You've got him at least for 2027. If he's your starter, maybe even 2028. I think the. The tie and if it's close should go to someone like Keelan Russell. And maybe that's kind of the approach of early in the season is Austin Mack starts and Keelan Russell is kind of getting his feet wet, especially on the road in SEC play.
[48:39]
Mike Bratton
Hey, shout out, Mizzou fan. Bold take Missouri versus Bama in the SEC championship. Mizzou takes it 2410. He's. I love.
[48:47]
Stephen Lassen
He's even given us a score.
[48:50]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, you keep donate Mizu Fed.
[48:52]
Stephen Lassen
I've.
[48:52]
Mike Bratton
I've all in. I'll. I'll buy it. But how do you rate that? Hot take or bold take? How is that too bold for you, Stephen?
[49:00]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, on the, on the bold meter, that's like a 10 out of 10, right? Hey, I will say, how about that game between Missouri and Alabama last year, right? If we could get a couple of those between these two teams every year, we'd be set, right? That was a great game.
[49:16]
Mike Bratton
It was. Came right down to the wire. And if I'm mistaken, you know, Ty Simpson made a couple throws, Bo Prabila could not. And that's, I mean that kind of sums up those two guys season last year, doesn't it?
[49:28]
Stephen Lassen
It really does. Yeah. Simpson was so like some of the throws that he made that were clutch and like they were just placed in the most perfect spot to, for the passing game to click. That was like you said, Mike. I mean that was the difference. Like Missouri had that great run game, but the passing game fellow came up short. Alabama struggled to run the ball, but Simpson was kind of the difference maker there. Kind of showing the. The difference between having like a elite SEC quarterback versus one kind of in the middle of the conference, right?
[49:57]
Mike Bratton
I think so. All right. Hey, shout out. I love this. We got a nice generous donation and a comment here from the Cody Taylor show. Go Gators. Start of the John Sumrall dynasty. Stephen, already they're already using the D word down in Gainesville. What's the panic meter for the Gators entering the debut season of John Sumrall?
[50:19]
Stephen Lassen
It's about time to get that John Sumrall statue next to Tebow, right? Go ahead and start. Clear. Clear some space out there, Mike. I'm setting it pretty low. It's only a four. The vibes, they're pretty good, right? Summer all. He's pushed all the right buttons. He had a great SEC media days. You know, I, I think quarterback, offensive line, yes, there are questions, but I trust John Sumrall and this staff to figure it out, especially with the coordinators that they hired. And I also anticipate that they are going to take a massive step forward on defense. I think Summer and Brad White will maximize the heck out of that talent way better than Billy Napier and his defensive staff did. So I think the goal for most people in Florida is just to get to a bowl game. I actually think this team could surprise. I think they could easily finish in the top 25. So Mike, that's why it's a four. Vibes are high. Yes, there are some concerns, but I actually think a better coaching staff fixes just some of this stuff from day one.
[51:20]
Mike Bratton
Oh, well, that's got to be music to Gator fans ears. Stephen, where, man, a lot of people are jumping on the hype train of old John Sumrall. They're liking what they're seeing. They're believing in the Gators. Does that give you any cause concern? You know, the fact it seems like there's always a team where like we all jump on the bandwagon and then we're all wrong. Or. Or is that just is. Have I just been bitten one too many times?
[51:50]
Stephen Lassen
It does concern me and especially it concerns me because it's Florida. Because you and I have been high on Florida. We've been burned a couple off seasons now. So yeah, it's, it's hard to figure out like, where does the line of like talent development and new coaching, how fast is that turnaround? And we've also, we've talked about Indiana with Kirk Signetti. They've turned things around quickly. Like there's case studies of programs doing this. There's case studies of it being just a small jump then big jump in year two. It's really hard to kind of figure that out because it does feel like this Florida roster has way more talent than it certainly showed in the win total last year. But also just when you watch them, like if you can tap into making Jaden woods and elite edge rusher Dallas Wilson, if he becomes an all SEC guy, I mean, the upside in this roster in a couple spots is pretty significant. So that's kind of why I'm buying into this team, is seeing some Rawls work at Troy and Tulane, maximizing that roster. And now he's working with a heck of a lot more talent down in Gainesville.
[52:57]
Mike Bratton
Hey, appreciate you. The Bengal, he gave us a donation here, Stephen. And maybe you can fact check me here or fact check him. I just, I just repeat what they say. I don't even fact check it, but Eli Drink was currently has a 24 game winning streak against unranked opponents. Remember that? And again, I think that's pretty impressive, Stephen, where. I think that's one thing we, you know, we all recognize Nick Saban, elite. Most people have him as the greatest college coach of all time. That's, that's certainly where I'm at. But what one of the accolades that he had, aside from the championships obviously and getting all these guys to the NFL and, and you know, so many outstanding records. But one of the more impressive things I thought from Nick Saban was he had that like 100 plus win streak over unranked teams. And yeah, you could sit here and Say, well, they're supposed to beat those teams. That's good and well, but there's a reason, particularly in college, that you lose to teams like that because you, you just. It's because of coaching. It's not because of the talent. It's because you don't get your team up for Saturdays. That's something Nick Saban has done, obviously. And now Drake, he's a long way from Saban, but If that's accurate, 24 games wins in a row against unranked opponents, I think that's pretty, pretty dang impressive.
[54:16]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, Mike, I think it, I'll share your, your kind of accolades for Nick Saban about just kind of like taking care of business, you know, like it is something to be said about just taking care of the automatic W's. Don't get upset and then you kind of get up for the bigger games and there's your path to the national championship, like take care of the layups and dominate them. And I think that was always one of the things about that Alabama team was just start to finish. They were just a machine. I mean they had some close calls here and there. Maybe like after they play lsu, you go on the road to play in Mississippi State and maybe you struggle for a half. And I think in Missouri's case, that streak kind of shows like another thing like just taking care of business, taking care of the automatic W's and the games that you can. Now the question is, can you take it to the next level? And I think that's kind of what I think I'm interested in this season, Mike, is you have this five star quarterback in Austin, Simmons with potential. You've got all these new faces on defense. It's kind of a good kind of barometer of like where this program is. Because I think if you're a Missouri fan and you look at the last three years of the win total, they've been at one of the best programs in the SEC by that. But I think you want to try and close the gap and that's your path to the playoff, is take care of business in the automatic games. You should. And then punch above your weight and try to go 10 and 2 and get to the playoff. And so that's kind of the next step for this Missouri program here.
[55:41]
Mike Bratton
Well, I'll tell you who's taking care of business for us, Stephen. That's cousin Rick. Been a long time no see, Buddy. It's Texas A and M's biggest fan. Cousin Rick Gigam. Aggies Shout out Cousin Rick. Still Love the show. Ready for college football. Pray every team stays healthy. Bold take Aggies in Oklahoma undefeated when they meet in Norman. Giggle Baggies. Thoughts on that one, Stephen? How bold is that? Cause that'll be late in the season, I believe. Let me get the schedules up here. A and M, Oklahoma. So that'll be the 11th game. So each 10 0, man, that'd be something. How would you rate that bold take.
[56:27]
Stephen Lassen
Man, it's good to see cousin Rick and first of all Mike, but if he's, he's calling his shot there to say that Oklahoma walks into Athens and wins on September 26th that Texas A M goes into to LSU. They won last year of course, man, I, that's probably a little too bold for my taking. But Mike, I do like these two teams as playoff teams again this year. It's dangerous to pick, you know, the same teams to make the playoff, but I think they got the right ingredients. Either way, Mike, that game being that late in the season is probably going to mean a lot for the SEC championship positioning and also for the College Football Playoff because these two teams, if you believe the preseason predictions, are probably fighting over the same territory somewhere after Texas and Georgia. And if that's the case, it might mean a lot for seeding or which one of these two teams gets to the playoff, right?
[57:21]
Mike Bratton
I think so. And let me ask you this, Stephen, again, there's. There's no way to know this, right. But there's complete hypothetical if, if Oklahoma and Texas A and M are meeting mid to late November each 10 and oh, do you like their odds to meet in Atlanta a couple weeks later? I mean. Yeah, you'd almost have to, wouldn't you?
[57:41]
Stephen Lassen
I think you would at that point. Yeah. I mean if, if nothing else, Mike, there's probably a good chance they play again in the College Football Playoff. I mean, just as you know, in the the ERA of 16 teams, nine conference games may help a little bit break some of those ties because may have more head to head if both those teams are undefeated on November 21st. I'm guessing we're probably the odds are pretty high of a rematch in Atlanta.
[58:07]
Mike Bratton
So where would you for cousin Rick, where's your panic meter for the Aggies?
[58:13]
Stephen Lassen
It's a little high, Mike. So this is because I think this team can be a playoff contender, go maybe win a couple games in the playoff. I'm going to set it at a six. And it's largely because of the question marks on offense, new offensive coordinator, four new starters on the offensive line. How does this look like in fall camp? Does Marcel Reed kind of take to this offense and take that step forward? So I think that this team, like I said, Mike, I think they can get back to the playoff. I think they got a pretty good shot to get to Atlanta. I'm just setting the panic meter high because there are big questions on offense when they're a playoff contender and they have hopes of beyond that. And so I think with those expectations, I think you got to heighten your panic meter a little bit about where this offense is and we'll see what happens in this fall practice for the Aggies.
[59:05]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, you know, it. Could it at all be similar? It's hard to compare all these, you know, different teams, different years. But remember Texas this time last year, Stephen? They were kind of preseason, preseason number one. So clearly they were getting their hype. But one thing that most people overlooked was the fact that they sent, I think it was like 10 or 11 or maybe even 12 guys of the NFL and it was just hard to, it was hard to replace those for Texas and they. And they fell just short. Now you got A and M in that situation where they just sent, I believe, 10 to the NFL draft and a couple more undrafted to the NFL. It's not to be down on A and M, but it's just, you know, it's just so difficult to replace that much high end talent in one year to now. You, you can do it via the Portal, so you can be aided there. And that's something coach Elko has said. We, we believe we can, we can duplicate that success and have 10 more guys drafted. But a lot of that's via the transfer guys and we got to see that play out here in College Station. But that's just such a difficult thing to navigate, don't you think?
[60:21]
Stephen Lassen
It is. And, and Mike, there are some similarities with the offensive line. I mean, last year was, well, it's going to be okay because of Kyle Flood and you know, maybe they have a Portal guy here or there and the internal development, but it does take some time for offensive lines to develop. And I think, if anything, I think it's. It's hard now to manufacture like great offensive line play because you almost need guys to stick together for like three or four years to kind of develop and get on the same page. And in the Portal era, you've got people moving around so much. And so I do think it is hard to like build continuity now kind of on a homegrown level and especially with A and M trying to break in four New starters, you got new oc. What kind of tweaks does he put on the offense? First time play caller, big shoes to fill. I. I know you can nitpick Colin Klein for some things, but man, I mean, the production on the stat sheet was there. And so you're. You're going to nine games in the SEC with a first time play caller, four new starters in the offensive line. How does this rushing attack develop? I. I think that's a lot of. I mean, that's a lot of questions and I think it's kind of how you could draw the similarity to Texas is we didn't put enough stock on how shaky the offensive line was and the depth was an issue and that resulted in too much pressure on Arch, not a good run game, and that resulted in them missing the playoff last year.
[61:39]
Mike Bratton
Right. So again, I'm seeing some similarities there. Again, it's not a perfect comparison, but I do see it there. So that's going to be tough for the Aggies to navigate, but I got a lot of confidence in Mike Elko. He's kind of proven people wrong year after year, and I think he could do it again this year.
[61:57]
Stephen Lassen
I think that's my. If I'm going to counter my argument that here's the similarity or that I think it has to be that you trust Elko based upon the last two years, and depending on how you feel, maybe you have more trust in him than Sark after underachieving last season. I do think the baseline of having those guys who already played in the SEC in the offensive line gives them a pretty solid starting point this year.
[62:24]
Mike Bratton
All right, Stephen, let's move on. I'm not seeing any donations, so we'll just go random order here. How about Arkansas? What do you got the panic meter for the Razorbacks?
[62:35]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I'm gonna go ahead and apologize. I do not want to be Mr. Negative here, but it's got to be pretty high. I'm gonna set it at 9. Oh. I mean, this team was 2 and 10 last year. They lost a lot and they went through a coaching change. They've got a quarterback question mark battle ongoing and wondering how far this defense is going to progress. It feels like everything needs to break right for this Arkansas team to just find a win or two in SEC play. So I know there's some optimism. Obviously, I think Ryan Silverfield's had a good off season so far, but I think the reality is going to set in week two, week three, when this team starts to go to Utah. They go into the heart of SEC play. I think it's going to be a really heavy lift to get out of the cellar of the SEC this year.
[63:32]
Mike Bratton
Could it be though, Stephen, that, you know, again, what do they have, 60, 70 some odd new players? I think it's like 68, something like that. But you know, is it a case where it's just incredibly difficult to peg this team because of all the. The new pieces? Like, couldn't that conceivably be a good thing coming off a 2 and 10? And it's almost like, well, we, we cleared ourselves of a lot of guys that. That couldn't compete or didn't want to. And I know they got some quality guys back, like certainly Quincy Rhodes fits in that category. But is it that they're going to be bad or is it just that it's kind of hard to project what they are?
[64:11]
Stephen Lassen
I think that's fair. You know, I also think, like, it's fair to wonder, like, what is the expectation here? Like, I think most reasonable fans would look at this and say you want to see progress and maybe you're not aiming for a bowl game, but I mean the schedule is just so unforgiving at Utah and maybe, maybe number one team in the country, Georgia. Then you get Texas A M, Tennessee and at Vanderbilt. It's just a very, very hard schedule. And I think given the question marks that Ryan Silverfield faced when he was hired, the amount of time that he's going to have to answer them before these losses could start stacking up, he's not going to have time, I don't think, to build much optimism. Like, I think the schedule was easier. Maybe if you played a Vanderbilt, you played in Auburn. Utah was later, Georgia was later. You get a little bit better idea of what this team is. So I. The element of surprise could absolutely work in their favor. And I think a fresh start is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just when you look up and down this roster, you kind of wonder like where the difference makers are going to be on defense. And is the quarterback. Taylor Green was very, very good. And now they're taking a big step
[65:17]
Mike Bratton
back there this year, right? Well, we've got a difference maker in car. Doc Shade or Shane. Steven. Apologies, Steven. This is for both of us. How doable is a nine or ten win season for Auburn? Losses, Georgia, Ole Miss and toss up. Bam. Oh. What do you think, Stephen? Nine or ten win season for Auburn. I love the optimism and this could be a team right where they're going to look completely different on the offensive side of the football. And it's, it's fascinating because they're retaining DJ Durkin of course on defensive side of the football. So you want that cut. And they were very good on the defensive side last year. So you know, makes sense to, to buy into the Tigers and say, hey, if we just get a competent offense, the sky's the limit for this team. What's your thoughts here? 9 to 10 wins conceivable this year. Mike?
[66:18]
Stephen Lassen
I think the one thing, if you want to make like the best case scenario for this team, I think you have to like the idea that Florida and LSU throw Arkansas in there too. And Baylor is in Atlanta, it's not in Waco. Some of your harder games, Florida and Vanderbilt toss up games too. They come at home this year. So the path is there at home. Also I think if you want to kind of compare Arkansas versus Auburn, I think if you in this era of the portal and guys are moving around, it's you know, like that, that stat you said about how many new players. I mean Auburn's got a ton of new players so it's not necessarily well they did this year, they can replicate it. I think it has to start with like you trust DJ Durkin, he did a great job with this defense last year. Xavier Atkins is back. They'll find out who they are through the course of the season. But also I think the difference here between in Arkansas and Auburn is that day one kind of ready made offense that's coming over from South Florida, you got the same head coach scheme, quarterback, running backs, receivers, offensive line and you can kind of get going not at the level they were in the American, but that gives you a chance to kind of hit the ground, ground running. So I, I mean I don't think Auburn wins nine games, Mike, but I think it's doable if you want to play. The optimistic route of the offense takes off. Durkin finds the right answers and the schedule. The fact that you get those games at home kind of gives you a path to like 9 and 3 or 10 and 2. I think they're closer to like 7 and 5 this year. 6 and 6, 7 and 5. But I, if you want to take that optimism in say home games upsets, I could, I could talk myself into that most optimistic route.
[68:00]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, and I've been saying, Stephen, I think most like a optimistic outlook for the, for the tigers. I think 8 and 4 is kind of where I'm at with an optimistic, you know, you'd have to win, I guess you wouldn't have to, but you just have to sweep everything else outside of October. But I think they can win one of those October games and you know, conceivably not if you knock off Alabama, I'll get you to nine. That's kind of where I'm at best case scenario. So I think 10 is, is being a little greedy. But I don't. We live in a world, Steve, where Indiana just won the national championship. So yeah, what's more you can see, boy, Indiana wins the national championship or Auburn wins 10 games. I think more inconceivable is Indiana wins the championship and they did it. So yeah, there you go auburn. Count your 10 wins right there.
[68:55]
Stephen Lassen
You know what Mike? I see, Yeah, I see, I see a lot of toss ups on the schedule to your point. Don't. Don't you? I mean I guess let's just say like toss up wild card type games. Yeah, we talked about like the Florida, Vanderbilt. I mean we think Tennessee could be good but what if the defense isn't very good If Byron Brown goes in to Knoxville and just shreds Tennessee's defense later in the year? We think Keelan Russell and this Alabama offense is going to be good. But what if they're, what if they're still sputtering on the ground game? Maybe the both quarterbacks don't work out. Alabama's just obviously it's a rivalry game so it's going to be hard. But I mean there's no Oklahoma, there's no Texas, there's no Texas A M on the schedule and you know some of the next tier of the SEC like a Tennessee's early, I think you want to catch Tennessee early. The next range of teams like a Florida, those, those games coming home. So I think Auburn schedule, even though there's a lot of toss ups on there, actually sets up well for Alex Golish in his first year.
[69:59]
Mike Bratton
Well, Lisa's setting us us up for a nice good season here. Steve, we appreciate you Lisa. Cousin Lisa appreciate all the great content from SEC media day. He's been enjoying all the interviews. Thanks Mike and Shane and thanks you Stephen for helping us prep with some of those outstanding questions. So even Stephen had a hand in all that. But we do appreciate you Lisa. Let's do the dogs for old Lisa. Stephen, where we at with Georgia panic meter?
[70:31]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, tip of the cap to you and cousin Shane as well for all those great interviews. Man, that's a ton of great content. It's getting me even more fired up for the season. I didn't know that was possible, but. But it is. I am going to set this panic meter up a notch or two and I'm going to set it kind of halfway because the goal is to win a national title if you're Georgia. So I'm going to set it at 5 because I need to see receivers step up this fall. I need to see Gunner Stockton take a step forward. I want to hear some more optimism about the passing game because I know Georgia is going to have a good defense. I'm not worried about that. I'm not worried about the run game offensive line, but I'm comparing Georgia to these teams that are going to be in the mix to win it all. Notre Dame's got C.J. carr. Oregon's got Dante Moore. Texas has Arch. Ohio State's got Julian saying, Miami's got Darian Mensah. Indiana's got Josh Hoover. All those passing games have way more upside right now than Georgia does. So I, that's my concern is did Georgia do enough to raise the floor of this passing game to fill the, the voids of players that they lost? And also when they get into the playoff, do they have the firepower in these games to keep pace with like an Ohio State or Georgia if they need to make a big player to in the passing game? So it's a little high. But Mike, they got one concern and that's what I want to see this fall. See if they answer it.
[71:58]
Mike Bratton
Well, Georgia's just going to roll out four tight end sets. Stevens could be unstoppable. They're. They're run blockers, they pass catchers. You know, that could be the path, you know, go to go Bully Ball. I, I don't think that's a, a bad strategy perhaps. I know everybody's enamored with receivers and all this, that and the other. But heck, when you were rattling off the list there of, of great passing attacks. No, no disrespect to Dante Moore and Arch Manning and all these others, but last I checked, Gunner Stocks is pretty good too. Stephen, now I know maybe you like the weapons better around some of those other quarterbacks, but give me Gunner. I've seen him go head to head against Arch. Stephen, and guess what? Gunners won every time.
[72:43]
DSW Announcer
Yeah.
[72:44]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah. I think, I think my question is and I think back to that Sugar bowl and I think about, okay, what would happen if they got even deeper into the playoff and you're in a fourth quarter and it's third and 11, they're Georgia's down by a field goal. You need a touchdown. To win the national championship. Can you get somebody open when it matters in, in one of these games? So I Mike, I think you are spot on and like the creativity and like the whole parts of Georgia make me think that this team can finish number one. But I mean they lost Zachariah Branch who was so valuable they lost some other guys. I just need to see some guys step up this fall for my predicted SEC champion. A team that I think could be played for the national championship. It's just setting the bar so high because that's where the expectation is.
[73:29]
Mike Bratton
No, I got you. Because again, win back to back SEC championships and people are like what's wrong with Georgia? Well, sorry, sorry they can't win the national championship every friggin year. You know, but maybe they can end the horrible three year skid of not winning a national championship.
[73:48]
Stephen Lassen
You know what, and Mike, there's also a little bit of context in this too is like once you start going to a 12 team playoff, you add more matchups, you add more variables is if Georgia is just the top, we're just still in the era of the top four. I mean it's a much easier path to win two games. Instead you got to win multiple games now. So I think it's going to be harder for Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, whoever it is to repeat and win multiple national championships in a row. I'm Hannah. I've lost 75 pounds in 20 months with GLP1s diet and exercise on row. I've gone from struggling to run a
[74:23]
DSW Announcer
mile to running farther every day.
[74:25]
Stephen Lassen
You can access FDA approved GLP1s online, get the support you need to reach your weight loss goals. Go to Ro Co Weight to see if you qualify.
[74:34]
DSW Announcer
I'm a paid row partner.
[74:35]
Stephen Lassen
20% average weight loss loss in one year and non diabetics with obesity or
[74:38]
DSW Announcer
overweight with a weight related medical condition
[74:40]
Stephen Lassen
versus 3.1% in placebo arm Rx only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to RO Co Safety. And now the next chapter of the SERTA Counting sheep.
[74:49]
Mike Bratton
Hey uncle number one, why aren't we counting anymore?
[74:52]
Stephen Lassen
Let me tell you a story.
[74:54]
Mike Bratton
Long ago Certa invented the Perfect Sleeper mattress.
[74:57]
Stephen Lassen
Oh no. Oh yes.
[74:59]
Mike Bratton
It says the all new Serta Perfect sleeper with the Q4 support support system
[75:02]
Stephen Lassen
has four in one perfectly interlinked coils
[75:05]
Mike Bratton
that help relieve aches and back pain for perfect sleep night after night.
[75:10]
Stephen Lassen
We'll never get counted again.
[75:12]
Mike Bratton
Nope. Serta. We make the world's best mattress
[75:18]
DSW Announcer
at dsw. We ask the important questions like what shoes are you going to wear? Whether you're prepping for wedding season, festival season, or just planning the ultimate vacay, the right shoes can make or break an rsvp. So own the moment. You've got big plans and we've got just the shoes at the perfect price, of course. Get ready to get ready with Designer Shoe Warehouse. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today and let us surprise you.
[75:46]
Angie Hicks
Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of angie. From Roof Repair to Emergency Plumbing and more. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Angie the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project@angie.com
[76:03]
Mike Bratton
yeah, I. I think that's fair. I think that's fair, Stephen. I also think it's fair that cousin Rick is the bad Shout out Cousin Rick with another one. Texas A and M's biggest fan, Cousin Rick Gigam, Aggies. Now he's battling a Texas fan, a Texas coward. I see. Because. Because he's not, he's not giving any donations just because of Rick. His name's one deep. If it's not undefeated Oklahoma when they play the Aggies, I pray it's the Longhorns, my second favorite team. Don't tell my Baton Rouge family gig. Man, imagine that. Imagine because of Rick's odd one here. But what if, what if A and M and Texas are undefeated going into the final game of the season?
[76:47]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, you got Billy Lucci's number, right? You better text and he'll be more server spaced. The college stat might incinerate there.
[76:55]
Mike Bratton
Man.
[76:56]
Stephen Lassen
Man, what a great thing that would be. I mean, into the season to have these two teams with the rivalry back in the SEC to be playing with, with undefeated. But also, Mike, I mean, same thing applies if Oklahoma and Texas A and M are undefeated. If Texas A and M and Texas are undefeated at the end of the year, they're probably playing again in Atlanta, right?
[77:19]
Mike Bratton
Yeah. I mean, how silly would that be? But you're pro. You're probably right. I mean they, they'd be in that position. Now we've seen it the last couple years, right, where A and M has been playing for the right to go to Atlanta and they've not been able to get it done. So man, for a third year, that, that'd be something, wouldn't it?
[77:40]
Stephen Lassen
I just had the vision of Sark sitting out arched to let him play in the SEC championship game against the Aggies. And then the Internet would not be able to handle Any of this, right?
[77:50]
Mike Bratton
No, I don't think so at all. You're right. They're going to need new server space here at Texas.
[77:54]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, for sure, Mike. I mean, that. That's the. That's the great part about this is, is that, you know, the first two matchups since they've been in the SEC have been awesome. The atmosphere in College Station for that finale is going to be unbelievable. And Texas A M ought to be motivated to try to end this losing streak and potentially end up playing for more than just a rivalry win.
[78:16]
Mike Bratton
Hey, appreciate you, Marty Focuser for the donation. Order of finish, Stephen. LSU, Bama, A& M. I've got it as A and M, LSU and Bama third. What would you say that lsu, Bama, A and M. What. What order of finish do you have them in?
[78:35]
Stephen Lassen
I hate to be boring, but I would match your order. I would have A&M, LSU and then Alabama. All pretty close. Like national power rankings, I think, like, scattered, like 9 through 15 or so.
[78:50]
Mike Bratton
And if I'm not mistaken, you got A M and LSU as playoff teams again, right?
[78:54]
Stephen Lassen
Yes, both of those are in my playoff. Alabama would be like one of the first teams out of the playoff in my projections right now.
[79:01]
Mike Bratton
Okay. All right. How about for a cousin Pamela over there? Steve? We do South Carolina. Where. Where's the panic meter for the Gamecocks, Mike?
[79:14]
Stephen Lassen
I think this one's got to be pretty high. Now, you can talk me off the ledge on this one, but Shane Beamer starting to feel the pressure after last year's season. I love the changes that they made with Kendall Briles trying to get Lenora Sellers back on track, the offensive line upgrades. Assuming Jacarius Peak is out there for the bulk of the season, I think you're going to see a much improved group. But I've got to set it at 7, Mike, because last year was disappointing. You've got too many good pieces this year to have a 5 and 7, 4 and 8 type of season. They've got to get this going quickly, and that's kind of underscoring the urgency of why this is a seven.
[79:55]
Mike Bratton
Wow. You know, again, that's pretty bold, Stephen, but I get it. I think you're right. I mean, we're. We're sitting on a hot seat. Of course, Shane Beamer has acknowledged it, and we did the episode with Wild Man Marlowe this afternoon, and he said, hey, this is the most talent he's ever had to work with. Shane Beamer, that is so, again, Even like a 6 and 6, I don't know that that's good enough and nor should it be if the talent is to that level. I think the higher offensive coordinator, Kendall Browse, has been universally praised. So there's, there's belief the offense will not be holding us back this year. So we need to see some results. And I think they're coming. I think Carolina wins around maybe eight games this year, hopefully nine. I mean, hopefully they're even better than that, but I think they're coming. But I think you, I understand why you got it pretty high. It's, it's, it's now or never for Shane Beamer. Given Lenore Sellers year three. We've got to see something here that.
[80:57]
Stephen Lassen
That's exactly it, Mike. You know, you expect, you know, Lenora Sellers to coming back, going to be in the NFL. Dylan Stewart also, you know, starting to think about the NFL draft coming up too. I mean, your high caliber, like difference makers are kind of close to the end of their tenure in Columbia. You've made all these changes. Like most coaches don't get four or five offensive coordinator changes and hires when they haven't worked out. So, you know, there's got to be some urgency here. I mean, certainly I think recruiting is going well. You've got the right pieces this year to turn this around. I also think the schedule with Tennessee, Texas A and M coming into Columbia, South Carolina pulls off upsets and Williams Bryce. It wouldn't stun me if they did it again this year, but I'm just setting it high. Mike, because of last year was so disappointing and it feels like they've got to get this right if Shane Beamer wants to be the head coach in 20, 27, 2028 and beyond that.
[81:54]
Mike Bratton
All right, I see cousin Tim in the comments here. Stephen, how about we do oh Miss. What's the panic meter for the Rebels?
[82:03]
Stephen Lassen
Mike? This is similar to Georgia. I'm gonna set it at 5. Am I crazy?
[82:11]
Mike Bratton
Oh, interesting. All the way up at 5. I think of a Rebel fan would have it pretty low, but it's, it's interesting because to me the people that are not Ole Miss fans, they seem to have it pretty high. So you, you might have nailed it here, Stephen, because if we just kind of average low to high, we, we'll get a mid panic meter. There's a lot to like about Ole Miss. I, I was kind of stunned how many people are picking them to go to the playoff. And, and we had several people pick them to win the national championship at SEC media days. Again, that stunned me. Because I kind of anticipate a slight step back again. It's almost, it's hard not to step back from 11 and 1. Right. But can they go back to the playoff? I, I, I fully believe they can. I just have them just on the outside looking in, if that makes sense.
[83:04]
Stephen Lassen
That that's kind of where I am. And the reason why I said it at kind of a five, Mike, is just that, you know, they came within a player two of going to the national championship game. And now you've paid big bucks for Trinidad Chambliss to come back. You've kept key one, Lacey, you've hired John David Baker, which should ensure continuity. I think they've upgraded on defense, too. I think their defense might end up being one of the most underrated groups this preseason. When we look back in December at the final stats, it just feels like there's no room for like a slit, like a, the slippage here. Like they should be back in the playoff based upon what they bring back. So just because of the expectation, you've got those offensive line concerns, they've got to get it right to protect Chambliss. Now. Chambless can probably get rid of the ball so quick, and his mobility, they can overcome some of those things. But I'm just setting it high, Mike, because they are under the microscope with retention. Coaching change there. There's no reason why this team should be like a 7 and 5 or 8 and 4 team. Barring some kind of injury, they should either be right in the playoff or just missing it because of maybe they had three losses and missed it this year. So just trying to maintain the high level of expectation is kind of why it's a, it's high in the panic meter and those offensive line concerns too.
[84:21]
Mike Bratton
And they got to hit the ground running right with Louisville in Nashville is the opener. Lsu, of course, at Florida. This is the first time, I can remember, Stephen, where Ole Miss did not have a. I don't know if easy is the right word, but just kind of like they kind of load up with, with non conference they last year, like they played Georgia State, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tulane. Of course Tulane ended up being a playoff team, but I mean, would they have been if they played in the sec? We all know the answer there, but basically the point being it's like they usually have a little Runway before they, before it gets going. They don't have that this year. It's, it's game one, it's game three, it's game four. They could conceivably lose all of those. And I'm. I'm not sitting here saying they will. I think they'll probably win most of them. But if they are not ready to play right out the gate, this could be a very disappointing season.
[85:17]
Stephen Lassen
Right. A very good Louisville team in week one that will test that Ole Miss defense. And then, Mike, you said it. I mean, Charlotte's picked at the bottom of the American Conference, rightfully so. But that LSU game is just going to take up like so much oxygen. And I think I worry about this for teams. I mean, you've seen it throughout, you know, past couple years, even history. It's like you don't want to put too much stock in one game because you put all your eggs into trying to beat Lane Kiff and improve a point. Then you got to turn around and go to Florida. You lose or, you know, it's easy to put too much stock in that game. Maybe you lose to LSU and the season could quickly kind of go to that 8, 4 direction that we talked about. But I think they have. You're absolutely right about the schedule. It is sets up for a much harder start by playing one of the. The favorites to make the ACC championship. Potentially a playoff team in LSU and one of the toughest places to play in the SEC in Gainesville.
[86:13]
Mike Bratton
Hey, shout out Cousin Lou A and M as a new offense coordinator. Doesn't matter taxes. Fight for Cousin Lou. Steve, just profess your love for something Texas. I mean, I know you could go endless options here.
[86:30]
Stephen Lassen
Man, Arch Manning was great at the end of the last season, wasn't he? Think about those touchdown passes that Cam Coleman is going to catch this year from Arch Manning. It's going to be like majestic. I want NFL Films to put that music behind it. You know, you watched it as Mike. Those, those long touchdown passes, they got the music behind and the balls just fluttering through the air. Imagine how beautiful that's going to be, right?
[86:52]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, no doubt. I saw someone. We posted today one of our media day interviews. We've been posting them, you know, obviously as quickly as we can. But Brad Logan, who covers Ole Miss, he said Cam Coleman, in his opinion, was the best receiver in the country. And he's getting ripped apart because everybody's pointing to the Ohio State receiver. And I get it. Jeremiah Smith is amazing, right? But is there a world, Stephen, where by the end of the year Coleman is viewed as in a similar class, as a Jeremiah Smith? Because again, we don't. There's so many things you could say about Auburn the last couple years, but I Think even the most anti Auburn person would say they had a head coach that didn't know what he was doing and they had no quarterbacks of any worth. You know, how can you evaluate Cam Coleman? So playing for Steve Sarkeesian and that offense, playing with Arch Manning, if everything goes the way you want it to in Austin, could you see by the end of the year people debating Cam Coleman, Jeremiah Smith, you know, who are they in the same class? Could you see that debate?
[88:07]
Stephen Lassen
This is an interesting, you know, kind of question, Mike. It's going to be tough to pass Jeremiah Smith. He's just so good at so many things. Is it possible maybe that Cam Coleman has a better season? Like statistically maybe the Ohio State's going through so they have some receiver changes and you may remember Chris Henry Jr. The five star freshman's probably going to play a pretty big role in that receiving core. I, I think maybe the, the. I think it's going to be tough to, like I said, tough to pass Jeremiah. I think he's going to be wide receiver one. I think maybe the question is, is like, does Cam Coleman go onto the radar of. Oh, like that's how good he is. Like people like you and I and all the Cousins know from watching him at Auburn the talent that he has, but maybe he jumps onto that national radar and people view him as like clear wide receiver two behind Jeremiah Smith. So that's going to be fun to, to track Mike because he is so talented and now he's got a head coach and quarterback that know what they're doing this year.
[89:10]
Mike Bratton
All right, well, speaking of what should be fun, Stephen, it should be fun to watch Kamario Taylor play football this year. But where do you have the panic meter for Mississippi State entering camp?
[89:22]
DSW Announcer
Mike?
[89:23]
Stephen Lassen
I got to set it pretty high. I got to set it at a seven because it's kind of an important year for Jeff Levy. I mean, they took a step forward last season, but there was the finish of some games. How far does this defense progress? How does this offensive line take a step forward? All of those questions. With a nine game SEC schedule and a tough road trip to Minnesota, there's not a ton of room to maneuver or frankly there's, there's not a whole lot of time for this team to come together just based upon going to Minnesota, going to Columbia and then Missouri all in September. So it feels like this team has to come together quickly because another losing season may not spell good things for Jeff Levy. So I think they've got to come together quickly and that's why it said high at a seven.
[90:15]
Mike Bratton
I think that's fair, Stephen, because we, we've got to see some results. I don't think we're out of excuses and getting tripped to Minnesota early in the season is not going to be easy by any means. But I think Mississippi State fans demand you win that one and they demand you win some conference games. You vote. You've only won one up to this point. Close ain't gonna cut it. Year three in Starkville.
[90:40]
Stephen Lassen
Yes, especially I think year three is kind of like things could really kind of go in the opposite direction if you have another like 4 and 8, 5 and 7 type season. Like you have a little bit of momentum here. You got a potential star on Camario Taylor. It's kind of time almost now entering year three to capitalize like comments like the best roster, best coaching setup of Flubby's tenure, right?
[91:01]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I think so. And speaking of them boys up north, Steven shout out cousin Lou. He's back again with another generous donation. We're going to stomp at other conference. Can't even acknowledge them. Sec, baby. Texas fight. I love that again. If they're, they're being honest, Steven, I can only imagine how much Texas and Oklahoma fans hated to hear about the damn SEC and carrying water for the conference and waving that flag. And now they do it just like the rest of us. I absolutely love it.
[91:40]
Stephen Lassen
Also, Mike, isn't it. I mean, there is a, there's a legitimate argument and, and I promise I'm going to say this one time and you don't have to close out the show. There is an argument that you can make that the Big Ten was the better conference last year. But it is funny to me that, you know, it's always about, well, the championship, championship. If Miami had won the national championship. Nobody is saying that the ACC was the best conference. Right, Right. Right. So like, I think you have to take the totality of the entire conference and weigh the Purdue's, the Marylands, the, the Michigan States and Rutgers as well. Right. If you take the top, you have to take everything with it too.
[92:18]
Mike Bratton
Not if you ask old Signetti, if you, if you tell me. But if you, if you were to ask me, but no, that's an excellent point, Stephen. And, and one that, you know, just flies over all these damn arguments.
[92:30]
Stephen Lassen
You know what, it, it, it is funny, Mike, how you know, this, this off season, like it's been spent on the, you know, this legislative stuff or this Big Ten SEC thing that's not going to go away Anytime soon. It's good, it's good to debate. It's a fun debate. But you know, maybe the Ohio State, Texas game, Oklahoma, Michigan and Mississippi State, Minnesota games will have something to say about that early year, right?
[92:54]
Mike Bratton
I think so, Steven. All right, let us know. Final two teams here, Kentucky. Where's the panic meter for Will Stein and company entering the debut season of their new coach?
[93:06]
Stephen Lassen
Mike? I think it's got to be pretty low. I'm setting it at 3. Optimism is pretty high. Think Will Stein's hit the right notes some optimism about Kenny Minchi. Yes, there are a ton of questions, but also, and maybe this is a little bit unfair to Arkansas too, to put it at a three, because I think the expectation is, hey, if Kentucky can get to a bowl game, it's a good season. So I'm setting it at a three just given expectations, off season optimism. Is that fair, Mike?
[93:40]
Mike Bratton
Yeah, I mean, I, I, I see what you're saying now. They're getting hyped up for this Alabama game week too. Like they're, I don't think fans are demanding you win it, but they're getting pretty hyped up. We got Nick Roush, that wild son of a gun out here picking Kentucky to win that game. So what happens if we don't win it? Is there going to be some letdown? Probably within the fan base, but I'm sure they'll get right back on the next week with, with a big game against A and M. But would you agree with this, Stephen? I think if right now, if I'm a Kentucky fan, after living through the Mark Stoops era, the C coach, I called him because I was his grade. They used to get so mad, but now they would, they would call him an F coach, which I got no problem if you want to call them that. But basically playing boring ball to go to Will Stein football. I think if there's one fan base I'm kind of envious of right now, it's Kentucky fans because they are going to go to a completely different experience this fall. Getting exciting basketball on grass, if you will type after. You know, Mark Stoops, Kentucky fan, recently told me his strategy was just to keep it close and not lose by too many. I mean, we're going complete opposite end of the spectrum with old Will Stein.
[95:02]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, I think that's a great point. I mean, and also if you are going to struggle early in your tenure, at least be exciting, right? Like score some points, have some fun offensively, you know, throw 50 yard passes and maybe it scores a touchdown, you draw pass interference. I mean, there's, there's something to be said of playing an exciting brand of ball that builds the optimism, that keeps the good vibes going until you get better players in the program. Because, Mike, I mean, there's nothing wrong with playing good defense in a run game. I like watching teams that are built that way. But the style shift that Kentucky is going through is going to be pretty significant. Just with the, the way that Will Stein has been a coordinator at UTSA and at Oregon, he's going to want to score some points. There's not going to be, I don't think he's going to play it as close to the vest as Mark Stoops has done the last couple of years.
[95:52]
Mike Bratton
Right. And again, when you're at a place like Kentucky, no disrespect, because I do think there's commitment now and they've done really well via the Portal. But when you're playing an upper echelon type team, you're behind the eight ball when it comes to overall talent. And I, I truly believe, you know, Mark Stoop style defense, running the football, I mean, there's a reason they can never beat Georgia, right? I mean, you just, I don't think you could beat teams that way. I don't think you could beat Alabama under Nick Saban that way. And yeah, most people couldn't beat those teams to begin with, but I think you give yourself a puncher's chance if you have a fun offense that, that is flying high. You know, there's a reason that South Carolina, Steven Garcia, you know, knocked off Alabama because Stephen Garcia had himself one of those days, right, where your quarterback gets hot, you're making some big plays, you're just not going to, you're not going to beat teams that are better than you trying to play their style. You get, you have to play an explosive type style. I think that's the only path to kind of closing that talent gap, if you will.
[97:02]
Stephen Lassen
It feels like it gives you a greater margin for error. I think that's kind of like if you're hoping to keep it close in the fourth quarter, maybe you bank on a turnover, maybe you bank on your defense. Like, I think it's possible. But I also think that having a quarterback like Kenny Minchi or Will Stein's offense, like if it does raise the bar, it just gives you kind of another, it just gives you some potential because you could put the ball in. Like if Minchi ends up being good in the fourth quarter and it's a tie game. Put the ball in his hands instead of trying to say, well, we're gonna punt and try to make the other team, like turn the ball over where you could go win it with your offense. Mike, I will say, if you're an Alabama fan, should you be more concerned about that trip to Kentucky given the fact that they've lost at Florida State and they lost at Vanderbilt in games they should have won the last two years?
[97:52]
Mike Bratton
Now, I think that's an excellent point, Stephen. And yeah, I think if I have a, if I'm a Bama fan, that's what I'm concerned of. Because we, we go, let's swing it back to that drink stat. You know, where he's allegedly beaten 24 unranked teams in a row. You know who can't say that? Oh, Caleb, the boring.
[98:11]
Stephen Lassen
Yeah, Mike, I mean that, that is the, the good and the bad is that it's good to beat teams like Georgia, but you also have to take care of business against the Florida states in the Vanderbilt.
[98:20]
DSW Announcer
Right?
[98:20]
Stephen Lassen
There's 12 of them. He is exactly what we talked about with Nick Saban, right? I mean, if he would just go up to Lexington and it might be the most like, boring 24 to 3 victory ever, but there you wouldn't have to sweat it. Whereas it feels like this one. Just given the track record of Alabama, they may have to sweat this one out, especially if Kenny Minchi is as, as good as advertised. I, I think as the off season has gone on, Mike, I think that game has gotten more and more interesting and certainly seeing Nick's prediction only kind of magnified it.
[98:53]
Mike Bratton
Well, speaking of those nerds from Nashville, Steven, that's the final team we got here, Vanderbilt. Where's the panic meter for the camera, Mike?
[99:03]
Stephen Lassen
I'm setting it at 6 because you got to replace Diego Pavia. Defense has got to get better. Offensive line also replacing quite a bit from last year. So was it all Diego Pavia? How much of, how much of a good foundation is Clark Lee built? I think he's built a pretty solid foundation, but you also have a true freshman quarterback starting in the sec. So I, I think it's going to be very difficult to match last year's run to the playoff. But I think if you're Clark Lee just keeping the momentum going, got to be a lot of pressure to do so, even with Jared Curtis under center. I think just getting back to a bowl game, six or seven victories would be a good place for this team to kind of rebound given the personnel losses. So I think it's high because of all the change and plus you're losing, I think one of the most impactful players in Vanderbilt history in Diego Pavia.
[99:56]
Mike Bratton
Right. And you just got to believe that Clark Lee and company bought themselves so much goodwill that regardless of any kind of step back, you know, the support is not going to diminish for Vanderbilt given what they've accomplished the last couple years.
[100:12]
Stephen Lassen
And there could be a world, Mike, where they only go 5 and 7 or 6 and 6, but Jared Curtis gets better and better throughout the year and then you can go sell that in the transfer portal next off season. You could say, hey look, we need a, we need our version of Cam Coleman. We need some offensive linemen come play at Vanderbilt where Diego Pavia was a Heisman finalist. We got Jared Curtis, who's a five star. We can produce high powered offenses. So I think there's a, there's the final record matters, obviously, but there's also a world where like progress and what you see from week to week could also matter a lot for perception for Clark Lee. I don't think Vanderbilt's necessarily going anywhere, but I think it's very easy to see a fairly kind of significant step back given who they lose.
[101:00]
Mike Bratton
Right. Well, I'll tell you, we're not taking a step back, Stephen. We're just gearing up with football season right around the corner and we want to thank Mizu fan for the 20 gifted memberships. My goodness, we don't deserve you, Mizzou fan. So I want to give a shout out to all the cousins Stephen that he gifted here. We got a bunch of them again. 20 Gatorman, ATX, B Shed, Zaba, Zabba, Shooting Star Steve, Texas Jill man, Jalen. I'm sure I butchered that Diesel Sprouts, Mountain Dog, J Dalton, Cypress Papas, Steve J, Bloody Guns, Aussie Maverick, Radio Starling and David Blackman. Welcome to the family. Dirty Bazou fan number seven. We appreciate you buddy. Appreciate any closing thoughts even before we wrap this bad boy up.
[101:59]
Stephen Lassen
Mike, I, I know we touched on it at the beginning, but man, it's so good to see the videos and pictures and intel coming out of fall practice. Football season's almost here. We got some preseason games for the NFL. So I'm just fired up to to get to week zero and week one and can't wait to talk. We talked so long this offseason about all these teams. I can't wait to see they actually hit the field and see what they look like.
[102:22]
Mike Bratton
Absolutely. So we'll be here to get you there all the way to kick off. We appreciate each and every one of you for hanging out. We'll be back tomorrow with the old Tennessee Homer. Same time as always, 7:00 Eastern, 6 Central. And then I'm trying to get out these interviews so we'll be pumping them out. We got about 20 more to go, but doing my best. And until then, we will see you on the next one. Bye bye. Hey buddy, this beer's for you, Mike and cousin Shane. That SEC podcast loves the pirate and the Pirate loves that SEC podcast.
[103:01]
Stephen Lassen
Hail State.
[103:09]
DSW Announcer
I'm Serena Williams and I'm healthier on row. I've lost 34 pounds in a year. With GLP1's diet and exercise on row you can access GLP1 options including the first FDA approved GLP1 pill for weight loss. Go to roe.co journey to see if you qualify. 14 to 20% average weight loss in one year in non diabetics with obesity or overweight with a weight related medical condition versus 2.2% to 3.1% in placebo arm Rx only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to RO Co Safety.
[103:39]
Stephen Lassen
Let's check in on the SERTA Counting Sheep why aren't we counting anymore? Well, the all new Serta Perfect sleeper has the Q4 support system that helps
[103:47]
Mike Bratton
relieve aches and back pain.
[103:48]
Stephen Lassen
Will never get counted again?
[103:50]
Mike Bratton
Nope. Serta we make the world's best mattress.
[103:55]
DSW Announcer
You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it?
[104:01]
Angie Hicks
Yeah.
[104:01]
DSW Announcer
So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Buying shoes that get you and prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you.
[104:24]
Angie Hicks
Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co founder of angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair done well. Kitchen sink install done well. Deck upgrades done well. Electrical Upgrade done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years. So we know the difference between done and done well. Angie the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project@angie.com.