Penn State vs. Oregon, Alabama vs. Georgia: Picking a loaded college football slate

Summary

The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: Penn State vs. Oregon, Alabama vs. Georgia: Picking a loaded college football slate
Date: September 26, 2025
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises (A) and Bill Landis (B)

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Episode Overview

In this national picks edition, Bill and Doug break down the biggest college football matchups of the week—including the high-stakes Penn State vs. Oregon Big Ten showdown, the marquee Alabama vs. Georgia battle in the SEC, and several other key games across the nation. With characteristic blend of analysis and banter, they talk narratives, player matchups, and perception, offering unique insight into what these games mean for the conferences, playoff race, and their own reputations as football prognosticators.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Oregon at Penn State (Game of the Week)

• Significance of the Matchup ([00:00]-[01:34])

  • Bill: “I think as long as both teams look like the top 10 teams they are, it’s kind of a can’t lose situation for the Big Ten. But it would be great if they both went out there and just sort of had a juggernaut kind of slugfest.” ([00:37])
  • Conference perception and national respect are on the line, but blowouts could damage the Big Ten's image.
  • Both coaches (Dan Lanning at Oregon, James Franklin at Penn State) face heat about performing in big games.

• Simultaneous Marquee Matchups: SEC and Big Ten ([01:34]-[05:35])

  • Doug notes the oddity and opportunity of Oregon-Penn State and Alabama-Georgia being aired at the same time—framing it as "Round Two" after Texas-Ohio State earlier in the year.
  • “Quality sometimes is in the eye of the beholder… SEC gets credit for both slugfests and shootouts.” ([01:56])
  • Touches on SEC "perception management" after last year’s wild Alabama-Georgia finish.

• On-Field Matchups: Skill Players and Offenses ([05:35]-[10:03])

  • Extensive rundown of offensive weapons: Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Luke Reynolds for Penn State; Decorian Moore, Malik Benson for Oregon, and Kenya Sadiq at TE.
  • Both teams have talent on defense; expectation is for a well-played, competitive game.
  • Focus on Penn State QB Drew Aller’s struggles throwing deep and whether he can unlock the offense this week. “Drew Aller…is 2 of 8 on throws of 20 yards down the field this season, which is by far the least in the Big Ten.” ([08:36])

• Concerns About Penn State's Offense & Drew Aller ([10:03]-[15:44])

  • Bill: “The biggest problem with Drew Aller is his footwork…Maybe the sloppiest footwork of any quarterback who is considered good in college football. And it’s like never improved.” ([13:09])
  • Both question whether Penn State’s offense under Aller can keep pace with Oregon.
  • Discussion of Penn State possibly hiding ("slow-playing") elements of their offense for this game.

• Penn State Run Game & X-Factors ([14:59]-[17:40])

  • Bill: Recalls Penn State’s 300-yard rushing performance vs. Oregon last year. “Potentially, Penn State could just kind of ride its rushing attack to a win if Drew Aller is not great.” ([14:59])
  • Shoutout to Chaz Coleman, true freshman defensive end, as “the most interesting guy in the Big Ten right now.” ([15:44])

• Oregon’s Road Test and Defensive Battle ([17:40]-[20:10])

  • Doug: “Dante Moore…hasn’t faced a defense like Penn State.” ([17:23])
  • Oregon’s offensive line has improved, but playing in Penn State’s Whiteout is a huge challenge.
  • Bill projects a lower scoring, more physical contest due to strong defensive units and pass rushes on both sides.
  • The chess match: Will Stein (Oregon OC) vs. Jim Knowles (Penn State DC; formerly of Ohio State).

• Picks

  • Bill picks Penn State 28-27. “I think the run game is what gets them there” ([20:38])
  • Doug picks Oregon 27-26. “All the offseason momentum Oregon seized…and I went back and checked, and my fears about Penn State are warranted…He’s just missing throws.” ([20:44])

2. Notre Dame at Arkansas (Noon Game) ([25:41]-[29:20])

• Surprisingly Close Spread and Matchup Intrigue

  • Notre Dame favored by only 4.5 despite Arkansas’ two losses, due in part to Arkansas QB Taylor Green’s dual-threat ability.
  • Both express concern about Notre Dame's “messy” defense: “Notre Dame has not really shown an ability to stop anyone other than Purdue.” – Bill ([27:03])
  • Doug ribs: “Congratulations to the Fighting Irish for everything working against them this year.” ([27:57])
  • Coach drama: Bobby Petrino possibly staging a “coup” at Arkansas, said tongue-in-cheek.

• Picks

  • Doug: Notre Dame 30-24 ([29:15])
  • Bill: Notre Dame 38-31 ([29:15])

3. USC at Illinois ([29:20]-[34:54])

• Illinois’ Bad Loss and Road to Redemption
  • Illinois blown out by Indiana last week but getting healthier in the secondary.
  • Discussion about whether “the blitz” was situational or indicative of deeper issues.
  • Bill highlights the challenge for USC with a noon kickoff (9 AM Pacific): “That’s what the money’s for, but…it could matter.” ([31:52])
• Picks
  • Doug: Illinois 26-24 ([33:56])
  • Bill: Illinois 24-20 ([34:00])

4. Rutgers at Minnesota ([35:00]-[37:46])

• Rutgers’ Offensive Revolution
  • Rutgers flipped identity: “Second worst defense in the Big Ten by yards per play and the third best passing offense at 304 yards per game.” ([35:55])
  • Bill picks an upset: Rutgers 35-31 ([36:58])
  • Doug: Minnesota 31-24 ([37:00])
  • Rutgers’ receivers dominate Big Ten target rankings—they’re “like a 2008 Big 12 team.” ([37:32])

5. Indiana at Iowa ([37:46]-[41:30])

• Belief in Phil Parker’s Iowa Defense Splits the Room
  • Doug trusts Phil Parker, Bill does not: “Phil Parker needs dudes and Phil Parker don't got dudes this year. I think that this is a bad, bad Iowa defense.” ([38:36])
  • Shadows of Iowa’s struggles against ranked teams, lingering belief in Indiana’s new offense.
• Picks
  • Bill: Indiana 30-14 ([40:24])
  • Doug: Indiana 27-20, but Iowa covers ([40:25])
  • “I don’t think Indiana is a team that gets overconfident to its own detriment…just the right amount of confident.” – Bill, on Indiana’s psyche ([40:54])

6. Alabama at Georgia (Marquee SEC Tilt) ([44:49]-[51:14])

• What to Make of These Teams and Their Coaches

  • Both question whether either team is truly “elite” this year. “Who’s good? I actually think they’re both good. Who’s better? I’m not entirely sure.” – Bill ([45:57])
  • Discussion of Kirby Smart’s 1-6 record vs. Bama, and the “Kirby Centric” talking points if he loses again ([46:16])
  • Debate on whether Bama is “fixed”—some faith in their health and Ty Simpson at QB. “Perhaps we were a little too spicy with what we were saying about Alabama after week one.” – Bill ([47:11])
  • Doug: Georgia should have lost to Tennessee; doesn’t trust either team entirely.

• Picks

  • Bill: Bama 42-41 (“in a shootout,” referencing their famous “magic score” from a previous OSU-UGA playoff) ([49:21])
  • Doug: Georgia 35-31 (“There’s not one part of either of these teams that I believe in.”) ([51:07])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Perception and Bias:
  • “Sometimes when the SEC is playing 4-2 slug fests, they can make everybody think that defense is what makes great teams, and then when nobody can play defense, they’re making a ton of mistakes and…somehow persuade everybody that scoring and big-time offense is the way to go.” – Doug ([01:46])
• On Social Media Reactions:
  • “We’ll just take Ari’s phone away from him and then he won’t be able to tweet about it.” – Bill, on wild national takes ([07:15])
• On Quarterback Play:
  • “Drew Aller…has maybe the sloppiest footwork of any quarterback who is considered good in college football. And it’s like never improved.” – Bill ([13:09])
• On Coaching Tendencies:
  • “Kurt Signetti is like the Terminator of Big Ten football. He’s just like, ‘Go beat the opponent. I don’t care about anything.’” – Doug ([40:54])
• Doug’s Self-awareness:
  • “If I’m making my own picks and betting my own $2, I will strap myself to my prior and throw it in the deepest part of the ocean and go down with my prior.” ([43:03])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Oregon at Penn State: stakes and narrative
• 05:35 – Comparing Oregon-Penn State and Alabama-Georgia as simultaneous primetime games
• 10:03 – Drew Aller’s struggles and Penn State offense's readiness
• 15:44 – Chaz Coleman’s emergence on Penn State’s defense
• 17:40 – Dante Moore’s first elite road test for Oregon
• 20:10 – Picks for Oregon vs. Penn State
• 25:41 – Notre Dame at Arkansas preview and pick
• 29:20 – USC at Illinois: health, perception, body clock, and pick
• 35:00 – Rutgers at Minnesota: Rutgers’ new identity and picks
• 37:46 – Indiana at Iowa: divergent opinions on defenses and picks
• 44:49 – Alabama at Georgia analysis, coaching legacies, and picks

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Episode Takeaways

• Big Ten and SEC perceptions are at stake with the dueling primetime showdowns.
• Penn State-Oregon is seen as perhaps the more “well-played” game than Alabama-Georgia, provided both teams avoid mistakes and showcase their defenses.
• Many top teams have key questions at quarterback (Drew Aller, Ty Simpson, Gunner Stockton)—upper-tier success may depend on one finally breaking through under pressure.
• The hosts stress not to use their picks for gambling purposes—their record is “decidedly average,” and analysis is more about “talking ball” than batting averages.
• The tone is thoughtful, honest, and playful, with jabs at coaching foibles, schematic trends, and even themselves as analysts.

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For Fans Who Missed It

This episode is an essential listen for college football fans invested in the playoff race, conference reputation, and the continuing evolution of both Big Ten and SEC football. You’ll find sharp analysis, keen perspective on national narratives, and enough humor to remind you: no matter how the games turn out, it’s all for the love of the sport.

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Transcript

[A]

Foreign welcome back to the Bill and Doug show is our national picks on Friday. Bill landis, we have not been good. We'll cover that later. Let's dive into the game of the week. It's Oregon at Penn State. We're going to make six picks on this show, but let's get to the game that matters the most. I think for obviously the lead in the Big Ten, the, the perception of the Big Ten nationally. How important do you think this prime time Oregon at a Penn State game is on Saturday night?

[B]

Yeah, it's, it's pretty important. I don't, I don't, I do feel like Oregon and Penn State are getting a decent amount of respect. Right. So I don't know, I don't know what the conference like has to prove on Saturday, provided it's just like a good game. Like if somebody gets run off the field then, then maybe that, that would be an issue for the perception of the Big Ten, but I'm not envisioning that happening. So, you know, there's the narrative involved with it. Right. Honestly, I think on both sides because Dan Lanning's record in big games like is is good, it's not great. And we know what James Franklin's narrative is in big games. So, so there's like that on the line. Someone has to lose. But I think as long as both teams sort of look like the top 10 teams that they are, then it's kind of a can't lose situation for the Big Ten. But it would be great if they both went out there and just sort of had like a juggernaut kind of slugfest. I think that would, that would also go a long way in helping solidify some perception for the Big Ten.

[A]

So we certainly, you and I are going to be watching this game together. We're going to be doing a live watch along for Ohio State and Washington at 3:30 Eastern on this YouTube channel and we'll, we'll be live during that whole game. Then we're going to take a little break and then we're going to watch the primetime games. Then we're going to come back at 11pm roughly live on YouTube. That'll also wind up in your podcast feeds to talk about all the big games today. We'll double back a little bit on Ohio State, Washington, but we'll dig into Oregon, Penn State, we'll dig into Georgia, Alabama, which we also will be picking later in this show. But you and I, I think like a lot of the rest of the country, I think are going to be Split screening. Alabama, Georgia and Oregon, Penn State. And I am very interested in the quality of those two games. Now quality sometimes is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes when the SEC is playing 4, 2 slug fest, they can make everybody think that defense is what makes great teams. And then when nobody can play defense, they're making a ton of mistakes and they're playing 45, 41 games. They somehow persuade everybody that scoring and, and big time offense is the way to go. I, I think, because I think this even happened, wasn't it? The, wasn't. What was the game last year for the SEC that was like high scoring and exciting, but I didn't think was well played.

[B]

It was, it was, it was Alabama, Georgia.

[A]

It was Alabama Georgia. Right. And we came away. Weren't there some people who came away from that game saying like that was the national championship game or whatever and it was like, you people are drunk.

[B]

Because it got crazy in the fourth quarter. Yeah. Like Alabama ran up on them and then Georgia stormed back in the fourth quarter, was nuts and sloppy, but high scoring. Yeah.

[A]

Right. And remember how they rematched the national title game?

[B]

Yeah, we were there. We were there. I do remember. You're there. Yeah.

[A]

So. But like there were blown coverages all over the place in that game. And again like we have to remind people like what good foot. Now good football can take many shapes, but I think it. When you think about the skill players in Oregon, Penn State, when you think about Nick Singleton and Catron Allen in the backfield for Penn State, Luke Reynolds I think has been a very interesting young tight end for them. A five star guy who nobody's Ty Warren, but he is a very reliable target for Drew Aller. You know, they're transfer receivers. They are throwing the ball to them a little bit. They're getting the ball to Trevor Pena in the run game. Right. And then you think about what Oregon's doing to Corian Moore as a true freshman at receiver. Malik Benson, the Florida State transfer, they're really not playing Makai Hughes much yet, which is kind of weird. But they're still okay in the backfield. And I think a lot of people agree that Kenyan Sadiq is as good as any tight end in the country. Country. So I think there's a chance for the skill players to be good. I do think these are good solid defenses. Right. That I think they both have some guys who can get after the passer, they have some linebackers who can tackle, they have guys who can make play in the secondary. I believe in the ability of the Penn State Oregon game to look like the better played game with the two better teams. And to me, that is the real battle here, almost beyond who wins Oregon, Penn State. I'll tell James Franklin. Hey, you know, James, do you feel like it doesn't matter who wins as long as this game looks better than Bama Georgia? That's a ridiculous thing to say, but it's just odd. And I know Kirk Herbstrut is kind of complaining about it this week that these two giant games are going head to head in the same time slot. He admitted he was on the SI media podcast. I think he said, like, I'm calling Alabama Georgia, but I'm gonna be half watching Oregon, Penn State because we know where your heart is, Herbie. We know where your heart is, but it is kind of weird. But it presents a rare opportunity because we had round one of this in Texas. Ohio State, the two preseason favorites in the SEC and Big Ten, settled it on the field. Now this is round two with these two games going head to head. I'm intrigued about that. I'm going to be leaning. We're going to be sitting on my couch and that's. You're going to be like, oh, look at the offensive line play there. I'm going to be like, which game do you think looks better? Which game do you think looks better?

[B]

Yeah, I don't know. I don't want to make you angry. Like, I don't. I almost don't care. Like, I don't like, it's. You're. You're right. Like the last year, the Alabama Georgia game was not like the best played football game anyone's ever seen. But like, I like people are allowed to be entertained. Right. Like I, I get a little mad. I get a little upset sometimes. Like, like the way that the media talks about stuff because I, I think we sort of have an onus to be like slightly more analytical than, than just a fan who's sitting down having a beer watching a ball game. But I'm not going to be mad at anybody who thought Alabama Georgia was entertaining last year. I thought it was entertaining. I just thought it was kind of sloppy. Yeah. And certainly was not a, you know, whatever. It did not solidify for me that the SEC or neither of those two teams were the class of college football. So, you know, the, the optics of Saturday night I think matter a little bit. But I. What do you think the like, national perception of those four teams is right now? Because if you said, if you asked, I guess, I suppose ask media people if you picked like 10 national college football media people and said rank these four teams, wouldn't Penn State and Oregon both be ranked ahead of Alabama and Georgia?

[A]

They would. I think they would.

[B]

I mean, they are, but. But like, like. So I don't think, like there's. I don't think the Big Ten's fighting like, or those two teams are fighting any kind of, like, uphill battle. They just sort of have to, like, go out there and be the teams that they are and they'll be fine.

[A]

No, I think I am preemptively reacting to the possible reaction. Again, the thing that there was some media reaction to like Bama, Georgia, that sloppy high scoring game is as good as it gets.

[B]

We'll just take Ari's phone away from him and then he won't be able. He won't be able to tweet about it.

[A]

I cannot live in a world where Saturday night, Sunday morning, we are dealing with Ty Simpson versus Gunner Stockton. What else do you want? It's like, I want a lot. I want a lot more than that. So I believe. And, and it's, you know, we, we had a pretty good Oregon, Penn State game not that long ago in the Big Ten championship game, right?

[B]

So, like, it was awesome.

[A]

Like, I believe in the ability of Oregon and Penn State to rise up and play a very competitive game.

[B]

And Ohio State, Oregon played a great game last year too, in the regular season. The first bowl was a blowout, but the regular season game was great.

[A]

Yeah, I, I think the, the Big Ten continues to rise to the challenge. I do think the best teams in the Big Ten continue to rise to. My primary wish for this game is that both Oregon and Penn State do that. Right? You just can't have, you can't have Drew Aller just hitting linebackers in the chest with passes, right? You can't have Dante Moore, you know, trying to make a play and just like dropping the ball in the pocket, right? Like that kind of thing. You can't have guys in the secondary falling down and leading to gigantic. You can't have huge blown coverages. You want guys making plays? Do you? Drew Aller. Drew Aller, Penn state quarterback, is 2 of 8 on throws of 20 yards down the field this season, which is by far the least in the Big Ten. It's. I don't, I don't know exactly what to make of it. He's thrown the ball. He's only played three games, but he's 2 of 8 on passes of 20 yards or more, according to PFF. Mark Gronowski of Iowa in four games is 3 of 8. Julian sand from Ohio State has only thrown nine, but he's 9 of 9. Dante Moore of Oregon is 9 of 16 down the field, 20 yards or more. Ethan Kaliak Manis of Rutgers is 11 of 23. Malik Washington, the freshman from Maryland is 10 of 19. Jade Ma from USC is 11 of 17, 2 of 8 down the field. And one of them was kind of like a, almost like a, like a jump ball into the end zone that Devonte Ross made like a one handed, pretty amazing catch on that wasn't exactly deep ball perfection. Do you think Penn State is slow playing anything? Do you think this offense is still sputtering? I have real questions based on the first three games of the ability of Penn State offensively to keep up with Dante Moore and Decori and more and everything. Kenyan Sadiq, everything Oregon's doing.

[B]

Yeah, I, I don't know. James Franklin was asked a little bit about that idea I think twice like in the last week or so and kind of said like teams don't really do that, which I don't, I don't think is true. Like of course you, you keep a little something in your back pocket when you know a game like this is coming, especially when you have the kind of ramp up to it that Penn State has had with its non conference schedule. So are there things offensively that I think Penn State would like to do that it hasn't done yet that it will do against Oregon? Yeah, I believe that. The other question is Drew Aller's ability to execute it because like he's just not, he's just not, he's not playing awful, but he's not playing well. I was listening to Split Zone Duo, right? They were doing their, their preview show and they had our friend Audrey Snyder on at the end to talk about this game and she said, which like, you know, she's, she analyzes Penn State football as well as anybody, so I trust her opinion. Penn State like finally has the pass catchers it's been yearning for for years and the quarterback's not playing well like that. Yes, that's a, that's a heck of a spot for Penn State to find itself in, in a season where it's trying to compete for a national championship. So you know, Drew Aller, I thought probably played while not perfect, probably played the best game I've seen him play against a good opponent the last time Penn State played Oregon. So maybe that's something to rely on if you're, if you're a Penn State fan wanting to see him take a step forward. But that is my biggest concern. I think going into this game is just what are you going to get out of Drew Aller? And if he's not, if he just plays sort of in line with how he's played this year, can Penn State still win?

[A]

Maybe.

[B]

But I'm. I would not feel great about that proposition.

[A]

Yeah, it's odd. I feel I. I've been asked on shows about Bo Peola quarterbacking at Missouri and what that means for Penn State. I actually think one of the were maybe a worse sign for Penn State and the transfer portal is that Trey Wallace is at Ole Miss and is third in the SEC in receiving yards and in four games at Ole Miss has half as many yards as he had in a whole season at Penn State last year when he was PE leading receiver, not pass catcher. Ty Warren was first but like it was sort of this thing of oh like Penn State doesn't have the receivers to compete. And now he's gone to the, he's gone into Ole Miss and he's tearing it up. And then so it makes me think like is it just because I do think right. Hudson, Ross and Pena as the three transfers who have come in, they haven't used Ross quite as much but they're throwing the ball to Hudson and Pena. They're throwing the ball to Luke Reynolds. Drew Aller still looks the most comfortable for me throwing the tight ends like he just wants to throw an eight yard pass to a tight end is what he is most comfortable doing. I can't remember, I watched, I didn't watch the opener again this week but I watched their week two and week three games in their entirety and like he had a, he had a deep shot that he took down the sideline that he flew. He threw completely flat footed and then under threw it by like 5 yards. And it just was like what? Like what what was.

[B]

I mean that's the, that's the biggest problem with Drew Aller is his footwork. Like if you want to get technical about it, he has, he has maybe the sloppiest footwork of any quarterback who is considered good in college football. And it's like never improved.

[A]

And then he got in a two minute drill at the end of the half in one of those games and was on point. When he is, you almost have to shut his brain off and just say you gotta go, you gotta go, you gotta go, you gotta go. And he'll. Because his ability to rip, rip, rip feather, feather Rip Feather is there, sure, but he does not look. And, and, and again, the conversation. And this is my conversation. And, and you were smart enough to not have it, but I was just like, oh, man. Veteran quarterbacks Kate Clubnik at Clemson and Drew Aller at Penn State and Luke Altmire at Illinois, third year starting quarterback. That's where I start my playoff conversation. And it's like, why? Why? And you came into this season, you know, like, sort of by default with so many young guys, hey, who's the best quarterback in the Big Ten? It's, it's, it's. It's Drew Aller. And right now, I don't know if he's in the top eight of who you would. Because he hasn't seemingly taken that next step. And I feel a little bit. I came into this season knowing that Illinois had a lot of people back at key spots, but they, they couldn't just be who they were. They had veterans, but they needed to take a step. And I was basing a lot of my Illinois on taking a step, mostly on the offensive line. And I feel like Drew Aller is like the quarterback version of that. He's been around, he's been solid, but he's got to take a step for them to get where they want to go. And it feels like three games in, you're still waiting for the step. And is it going to happen against Oregon is like this. What's going to be the thing that unlocks it? Because to your point, if he's not really good, I don't know if they can win.

[B]

See, I kind of think they still might. And I go, I go back to, like, how Penn State ran the ball in Oregon last year. Okay, almost 300 yards in that Big Ten championship game. I think it was like eight yards of carry. And the Penn State rushing game, like, the last two games has looked. Ktron Allen's playing very well. Nick Singleton's still got to kind of get it going. But the offensive line and the whole rushing operation did look a little better the last two weeks. Again, they've not played anybody. FIU and Villanova. Right. So, yeah, take that for what it's worth. But I, I think this is a game potentially where Penn State could just kind of ride its rushing attack to a win. If Drew Raller is not great.

[A]

I do think, and I've gone back and forth on what this means, is Chaz Coleman the most interesting guy in the Big Ten right now? He is a true freshman edge guy for Penn State. He's an Ohio kid who played some quarterback in high school, and they are putting him opposite deny Dennis Sutton. He actually has more pressures, according to pff, than denied Dennis Sutton. So far this year, he leads Penn State with 10. Denied. Dennis Sutton has nine.

[B]

He's the highest graded pass rusher in the Big Ten.

[A]

I think it's. It's remarkable. And like he's. You can see it. It's like, oh, yeah, that guy looks the part, but also he's dropping spin moves on people. He is a. He is a true freshman who was not only a defensive player in high school, and it is quite a discovery. And then on. On one hand, I was like, man, I don't know what that. Here's this great Penn State defense, but you could argue that a true freshman's their. Their best guy. What does that mean? But then I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The whole point with Ohio State last year was a depth of veteran talent, but their best player was probably a true freshman in Jeremiah Smith. So they still have that. You watch Penn State's defense. They have a bunch of run and chase guys, right? Like, they'll, you know, Zion, Zion Tracy and Zaki Wheatley and that linebacker core, they. They just have guys who will track you down and get after it and be physical and you throw a bubble screen on them, they're going to come up and hit you, right? So they have that foundation. And then, by the way, Zane Durant denied Dennis Sutton. They have real dudes up front. But also, here's this true freshman dropping spin moves and getting in quarterback spaces can set consistently. What a bonus that is. That's an elevator. That's how you go from good to great. You bring back a depth of veteran talent and sprinkle in maybe some unexpected young guys. I do think Penn State's defense has a chance to get after it. And Dante Moore, the Oregon quarterback's been great, but then also he hasn't faced a defense like Penn State.

[B]

He has not. And I was also looking. So Dante Moore's road starts in his career at ucla, in Oregon are at San Diego State, at Utah, which is a really tough place to play. And also I think he threw like a pick six on the first play of that game I remember two years ago. So San Diego State, Utah, Oregon State and Northwestern this year, or where he's played on the road. So this will be a pretty different experience for him to manage that. And, you know, I think Oregon's offensive line has played well and has definitely gelled faster this year than they did last year. Yeah, Poncho Lalaulu at center's playing. Playing excellent, but this is. We all. We all know what playing in the Whiteout's like. Like, you can be feeling really good about yourself and then get out there and get consumed by the noise and you got a couple of false starts and then deny Dennis Sutton's running past you and Dante Moore's getting sacked and you're punting. Right? So I think. I think there's an opportunity perhaps for Penn State's defensive line to control things a little bit. That's why I don't. I don't think this game is going to be especially high scoring because. Because of that. Because I think, one, Penn State's going to run the ball, and two, I think Penn State's defense might not allow the kind of explosive plays that Oregon's looking for. You have to remember, too, like, this is round three of Will Stein against Jim Knowles, right? Oh, right. And Eugene last year, Stein got the better of that. Knowles kind of got crossed up a couple times with some wrong calls, and Oregon made him pay for it. And then in the Rose Bowl, Knowles, like, had the upper hand the entire game for the most part. So this is. This is round three of that. I'm interested to see how both adjust. Obviously, Knowles with a different team and different personnel. But if you look at, like, what Penn State's doing defensively, it looks pretty familiar to what or pretty similar to what Ohio State was doing at the end of last season. So that. That'll be fun as well. So there's not going to be much in the way of, like, surprises, I think, for either team here. But Chaz Coleman to circle back is sort of like a new guy who's been kind of dropped in. But like, Oregon has, like, like, you know, Oregon's defensive tackles are new and good. Yeah, Omari Washington's really good. Like, Bear Alexander, I think, has flashed, which, like, was what he tends to do. Mateo Uyangla is playing great this year, and I know there's some concerns, like, on the right side of Penn State's offensive line. So there could be chances for. For both pass rushers path. Both path rushes to get after it, which makes me think that maybe. Maybe not as pointy as you might expect from two teams that are ranked this high.

[A]

All right. Oregon is getting three and a half points as the underdog in this game. Who are you taking?

[B]

I've gone back and forth, was pretty confident all off season the Penn State would win when the Game started this year. Oregon has just looked better week to week than Penn State has. I, like, like, you know, I'm not a betting expert from a betting perspective. I really like the three and a half for Oregon. I would like that. But, but I'm. But I'm gonna pick Penn State to win.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because I, I actually do. I think the run game is what gets them there. I have Penn State 2827.

[A]

Okay, you and I, you have Penn State 2827. I have Oregon 2726. So all that analysis for us to pick ties and they tied. I, so I, you know, I've been talking about Drew Aller and it felt like, right. All the momentum Penn State had, all the off season momentum Oregon seized. Oregon and Ohio State have seized the in season momentum for the Big Ten. And then I was like, you know what? Now maybe it swung back. That is like we were all in on Penn State. Now we're all out on Penn State because they haven't played anybody and they haven't looked great. But maybe we're overdoing it, you know, like, what's wrong with us? Why, why are we out on Penn State Just because they played. They won three games against inferior opponents. Let me go back and double check. And then I went back and double checked and I was like, no, no, actually, no. My fears about Penn State are warranted. He just is. He's just missing throws. He's just at times not looking confident. And then at times he does. And then at times it clicks and it's like, that's it. And then they come back the next drive and it's like, that is not it. And it's just interesting as the veteran guy in the Big Ten. So I just, I don't think this is an end all, be all game. I do think if Penn State loses, there will be a temptation for some to analyze it as like, that's it. James Franklin still can't win the big game. It's done. But I don't think that's the case. I think Oregon's very good, but I think we have, I think there's a chance that people overreact to a Penn State loss here if it happens.

[B]

I think, yeah, I think that's right. The people will. I, I don't know that I. Well, I think you're right that they will. I probably would feel that it's off base. But if, if you consider the context of the season, it's like we know what Penn State can do and has done. Like this is this is sort of the next step. It's actually funny that, like, because it's usually like top five for James Franklin. Right. Which is just like when he plays Ohio State. And Oregon's like, right on the outside of that. So you won't even get credit. All right.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

For beating Oregon if. But I. It's the same kind of game. I would give him credit for it. Did you know, by the way, that this is only going to be Dan Lanning's fourth true road game against the ranked team as a head coach?

[A]

No, I did not.

[B]

So he's. If he's 1 and 2, he won at Utah in 2023, lost at Washington and lost at Oregon State, I think his first year. And they also. They played Georgia in Atlanta and his, like, first game and they lost that game, too. That's not a true road game, but it kind of. But if you count that he's one in three on the road against ranked.

[A]

Teams, that's baby Dan, though. This is. Now he's teenager Dan. That's. That's baby Dan.

[B]

It's less about the record for me. Yeah. It's less about the record for me and more about just like the. The lack of experience in those kind of games.

[A]

Yeah, No, I think that's fair. All right, so that's our first pick. We have five more picks to take. But first we want to remind you that there is some great apparel available for [e-mail] I do think especially. And they have so many different teams there. It's a game day collection of college football. Right. And I do think sometimes I, for instance, was looking at the Illinois collection just a little bit. Now, some of the things in the Illinois collection are sold out, but they're coming back, they're on order. So you might want to get in there now to maybe like, get ready for. For when the stuff is available again. Because I think people are so fired up about Illinois, but they have a lot of these little shirts, Landis, where it has the. The mini logo of the team that's almost so small from afar, it just looks like dots or plaid. And then when you get in tight, it's like, oh, it's my team. And it's kind of like a festive little thing. And so if your team's down, like Illinois might be right now, it's like, it's like a little pick me up. But if your team's going great, it's like maybe you're not trying to brag too much. It's a humble brag and people are like, oh, that's a cool shirt. Is that orange and blue? Oh wait, those are little eyes, right? I like, I like shirts like that. The kind of, the closer you get, the more information you get. So the game day collection, they have the, the polos like that. They have the cool like regal stripe on the quarter zips which I think are really cool. They have the hoodies. And we're going to give you a code. This is going to get you 20 off your first order at roback.com it's R H O-B-A-C-K dot com. Put in the code BAD20. You'll get 20 off your first order. Again just go peruse it. Go check out this game day collection of stuff and see what you think. B a D20, 20 off your first order at Roback. R, H O B A C, K. All right, so that was the 7:30pm game. We wanted to get to that early, Landis, because it's kind of important for what we're doing. It's a big one. Now let's go back to noon, which is also like a really important game and just an odd game because this is Notre Dame at Arkansas and it is only a four and a half point spread. It's two teams with two losses, but it really does matter. And at first blush Arkansas is just is coming off losses to Ole Miss, which was a touchdown game in Memphis, which is a one point game. And it's like why is Notre Dame only favored by 4 1/2 against Arkansas? But Taylor Green for Arkansas, the former Boise State quarterback who transferred a couple years ago, he's throwing for like 300 yards a game and rushing for 90 yards a game. And it's like, oh, Taylor Green, is he gonna win the Heisman? So I. The Notre Dame defense continues to be a mess. They're going to get a little bit healthier. I think Leonard Moore is still like an unsure the great sophomore corner for them. If he's going to play in this game, they're going to get some other guys back. Devonte Smith in the slot who was out for the Texas A M game and it really mattered when Texas A and M threw all over them. Like Purdue hung around more against Notre Dame I think than people would have expected last week. But I, I think that's maybe a little bit more of a credit to Purdue. But obviously every game is a must win game for Notre Dame at this point. Like, do you have any concerns about Notre Dame for this one?

[B]

Yeah, well, yeah, I do Because I don't know what to expect from Notre Dame's defense.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Like, it's odd to me. I'm like scrolling through these games now. I think this game, the total is 63 and a half, which I think is tied for the highest total this week, which is like a crazy thing to think about given what we thought about Notre Dame's defense coming into the year. But Notre Dame has not really shown an ability to stop anyone other than Purdue, so. And even that was like, they didn't shut him out. So, yeah, I'm a little worried about Notre Dame here. You know, Arkansas did just lose to Memphis. So, like, I, I don't think Arkansas is a great team, but they can put it on you offensively. So this turns into a shootout. The crowd gets into it with Notre Dame on the road. It's the first time these two teams have ever played, which is kind of surprising to me. So, like the. That combined with being on the road and potentially going back and forth is not a spot that I would love to be in if I were Notre Dame. So, yeah, I'm a little worried and.

[A]

It is like the right. In the wrong window for Notre Dame that If they beat 2 and 2 Arkansas, they're not going to get that much credit for it. As opposed to. If Arkansas had beaten Ole Miss. Right. This would maybe then be a game that could help Notre Dame's resume. So if they win, they won't get any credit, but they could lose. Like, Arkansas is good enough to beat Notre Dame. So congratulations to the Fighting Irish for being just like in having everything kind of working against them so far this year.

[B]

So I guess the one thing that is working in Notre Dame's favor is that Arkansas wants to fire its head coach. So. Well, that is like, yet again.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And its offensive coordinator is staging a coup, apparently so. Oh, yeah.

[A]

The call's coming from inside the house. Bobby Petrino. Bobby Petrino might take over the Arkansas program by at halftime. I am the captain now. He's gonna. I am the captain now. Sam Pittman. It's like, yeah, where's Coach Pittman? It's like Bobby Petrino locked him in the bathroom. Bobby Petrino's coaching the second half revenge game for Chris Ash, Notre Dame defensive coordinator. Former Arkansas defensive coordinator. Oh, that's the main storyline. Forget about all this other stuff. The Chris Ash revenge game. I am going to take Notre Dame. I'll take Notre Dame 3000, 324.

[B]

I am also taking Notre Dame 3831. So cover for the Irish.

[A]

Okay. Even more. Yeah, me too. A little more of a shootout for you. Also in the noon window is Illinois, Arkansas and I just not Illinois, Arkansas, Illinois, usc. It's USC at Illinois noon on Fox. USC is favored by six and a half in this game. It's actually up to seven now. It was six and a half when we started doing it. Up to a full touchdown for Illinois and we have gone from USC is sort of an interesting possible trap game in between the Indiana and Ohio State games for Illinois to is Illinois going to be in the midst of like a month long losing streak before we know what's happening. They are getting healthy in the secondary. Brett Bielema was saying I guess on his Wednesday radio show a bunch of they think at least like three, three defensive backs will be back at the end of last week when they lost Indiana he said like six of their tops to seven defensive backs are that game. Miles Scott got ejected for targeting so he'll be back for this one. Xavier Scott is still out. He's their best defensive back. That just stinks. I still, I don't want to be out on Illinois but it's hard not to watch what happened last week and not completely be out on Illinois.

[B]

Yeah, I mean they got blitzed and we're in a terrible spot. Just sort of personnel wise to try to contend with what Indiana was going to do. I think there's a chance they bounce back right there. This is a, it's a big spot for the program. Like even big was talking about that like that it is. It is big. Noon right like it. There's going to be some attention on this game. I think it is still two ranked teams. Even if the attention on this game is like oh I wonder what USC is about. There's still going to be people it's still going to be an opportunity I think for Illinois to like course correct a little bit and, and remind people that maybe they're still a team that can I don't know if you can make make the playoff if you lose by 50 but maybe still win nine or 10 games. So we'll see. I think USC is not going to have Jacoby Lane. It's who's its best receiver. He didn't play last week against Michigan State. His status seems uncertain at best. And it's also a weird like body clock game for USC and Lincoln Riley was complaining this week about they played the latest kickoff time last week and they're playing at 11 o' clock in the morning this week. That's what the money's for. So. But it is a 9am Kickoff time for USC, which I actually think could matter. So I don't feel great about Illinois, but I actually think they have a shot to win this game.

[A]

I do. Do you believe in the blitz? And I think there's two things that can really lead to like the blitz being that like, it just gets away from you, but it is not truly indicative of who you are. And I think the two main things that can go into that are, A, it's on the road, which at Indiana last week was, and B, you have some injuries and so. And then you go home, you get a little healthy, you get your wits about you and you go back to being closer to who you really are. Now I also think it's possible. And now I'm just making excuses for Illinois. I'm just like, what a Beelima apologist. Les Maurices. I also think, like, I think last week can be a real indication of who Indiana is without necessarily being an indication of who Illinois is. Is that possible?

[B]

I think that's possible. The other thing too, and again, it's not excuse making because Indiana outplayed Illinois in every facet. Kurt Signetti wants to put it on you. Like, I think a lot of teams would have got to the position that Indiana got to at halftime of that game and just said, like, we got it power down, let's get, let's get it home. And Kurt Signet, he's like, no, we're gonna score more touchdowns. So. So then like it just ends up looking way more lopsided than maybe it would have been against almost any other team. The reality of like, who outplayed who and by how much would have remained the same. But the optics of the score maybe would have felt a little bit, a little, a little better for somebody looking at it who didn't actually watch the game. So I don't think that is entirely who Illinois is.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So. But I, I think it's clear that Illinois is not what we thought it might be coming into the season. Like, they have offensive line issues in addition to trying to navigate a banged up secondary. So not better than what they should against Indiana. Yes. Playoff caliber team. I think, I think definitively not. But that doesn't mean they can't beat usc at home.

[A]

Illinois plus seven. I'm taking Illinois 26, 24.

[B]

Yeah, I'm taking Illinois too. I think they bounce back. I don't know about USC's defense yet. Yeah. And I know Illinois's offense is not great. But I think they're gonna try to play big, play slow, run it, shorten the game and combine that with the weird body clock stuff. I'll take Illinois 2420.

[A]

Okay. It's like I don't pure head is I'm off Illinois, but I don't want to abandon a team that I talked about all off season based on one blitz. And I think the part of this, they were really down to third string guys in the secondary. It's like if you're in the Big Ten, you need to have good backups. They were down to third string guys who were just getting smoked. So even if they can just have backups, they can have guys who are at least in the too deep. I think that will matter. And also I don't want to bet on Lincoln Riley. Body clock and Lincoln Riley. I don't wanna, I don't want to live.

[B]

That offense is good though, that offense. Look at, it's. It's looking like the real deal, right? Yeah. He's playing really well. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Okay, so we'll both. We both took Illinois last week and they lost by 50 me ways. What's the heck? We may as well take him again, right? All right, next one is Rutgers at Minnesota, also at noon. So three kind of noon bangers. Notre Dame at Arkansas, USC at Illinois, Rutgers at Minnesota, noon on the Big Ten network. Minnesota at home is favored by five and a half. This is like a real test for Minnesota because Rutgers is like chucking it around, which you have mentioned previously, but what a world, baby. Like that. This is Ethan Caliak, Macus and Ian Strong, right? Am I saying the Rutgers receivers. Ian Strong who's like.

[B]

Yeah, strong. It was the other K.J. duff and D.T. sheffield or the three receivers. Yeah.

[A]

So they're chucking it around like crazy. I, I'm not waiting for. I'm waiting for you to pick Rutgers here.

[B]

I am picking Rutgers here. Rutgers, by the way, has flipped its entire identity. They're the second worst defense in the Big Ten by yards per play and the third best passing offense at 304 yards per game. They are. This is not your father's Rutgers, let me tell you.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah. Kelly Mattis is playing really well.

[A]

The.

[B]

The receivers are, are good. The best receivers Rutgers has had probably since. Not probably since it's been in the Big Ten. And Cali McManus, I wrote this earlier this week, might be like Rutgers best quarterback since Mike Teal. Like it's been, it's been a while since Rutgers was in the Big east. So their defense stinks but their offense is kind of fun. And I think because of that it's going to get a little high scoring. Cal threw it on Minnesota in that game that Minnesota lost out there. And then last year Rutgers was not a good offense. And Ethan Cali Akmanis revenge game threw three touchdowns against Minnesota and beat them at home last year. And this passing offense is much better this year and it's in Minneapolis. And Ethan Cali manis will exact even more revenge.

[A]

Oh my God.

[B]

35, 31.

[A]

35, 31 Rutgers. I have Minnesota 31, 24 just to note how crazy Rutgers is throwing it all over the place. Those three Rutgers receivers that you mentioned are first, third and fifth in the Big Ten in targets and they're on the same team. K.J. duff 35 targets, 336 yards. Ian Strong, 31 targets, 367 yards. D.T. sheffield 28 targets, 252 yards. They are chucking it.

[B]

They're like a 2008 Big 12 team.

[A]

Yeah, but isn't that good coaching? Lean into what you have.

[B]

Yeah, I'm sure. I bet Greg Shiano hates it, I'm sure. But yeah, lean into what you have.

[A]

Yeah, he, he can't sleep at night. But you gotta, you gotta win. All right, next one is another like excellent. Just congrats to the Big Ten on just having games that matter. Man. Indiana at Iowa. Excellent test for the Hoosiers after their big win. 330 on Peacock. This line people believe more and more in the Hoosiers. It was at seven and a half last night. Now Friday morning as we as we record it's Iowa plus eight and a half at home. Like real I, Phil Parker and that Iowa defense is not going to let Indiana and Fernando Mendoza do what they did to Illinois.

[B]

Are you sure? Well, defense, they just let Rutgers do it.

[A]

I know, but Phil, but Phil, man. Don't you think Phil. Don't you believe in Phil?

[B]

No, I like Phil Parker. But Phil Parker needs dudes and Phil Parker don't got dudes this year. I think that this is a bad, bad Iowa defense.

[A]

No Xavier Wampa. How about the offensive line? How about so like and then how about Illinois's offensive line got overwhelmed in a way that Iowa's offensive offensive line will not get overwhelmed against Indiana pro.

[B]

Yeah, probably.

[A]

Look at you. All right, all right. I see who you're.

[B]

I always thinks, dude, I was you.

[A]

So I now see this is one of the things I, I, I thought Iowa would not have a good year. But now here I am, like, kind of standing up for Iowa. Let me. So you are in on. The two people that you are the most in on in the Big Ten this year so far are Kurt Signetti and Ethan Caliac Manis. Is that. Is that fair? Those are your two guys.

[B]

I would put Arvella Reese on that group, too.

[A]

Okay. Okay. The Big Three of Big Ten football.

[B]

Big Three.

[A]

So you think Indiana. Do you think Indiana is going to go in and do what they want again? That Fernando Mendoza is locked in and he's going to pick apart Iowa just like he did Illinois.

[B]

I don't think it'll come as easily. Easily as it did against Illinois. You have to respect Kinnick a little bit, but also, Iowa hasn't beaten our ranked team in three years. No, four years. They've lost their last 10 games to ranked teams and there's a couple shutouts in there. And I know this offense is better than a lot of those offenses were. And Mark Konowski's playing better. Right. Maybe. Maybe the three rushing touchdowns he had in the win against Rutgers last week will ignite him to be kind of what we thought he might be for this team this year. But their passing offense is still not good. And I think Indiana's defense is very good. And Indiana's offense, I think, will throw it on most teams that it plays. So it won't be a runaway, I don't think. But I still think Indiana wins pretty comfortably.

[A]

Okay, what do you have for your score?

[B]

30 to 14.

[A]

Oh, that is comfortable. All right. So that's a smooth cover for the Hoosiers. I'm going to take Indiana, but I'll take Iowa with the eight and a half. I'll take Indiana. 27, 20i. It is a little bit of a. So they're. Indiana's off next week and then they go to Oregon. They're flying high. But I just like, don't know if psychology applies to Kurt Signetti. I think Kurt Signetti is like the Terminator of Big Ten football. He's just like, go beat the opponent. I don't care about anything.

[B]

He was doing it like immediately after Illinois. He's like, I was better than Illinois. He said, like they asked about. I was like, this is a really good team. It's going to be a stiffer test than one we just saw against Illinois. It's like, all right, so I don't. I just don't. I don't think. I don't think Indiana is a team that gets over confident to its own Detriment. Right. It is the exact right amount of confident in itself. Yeah. And will probably at some point this year encounter an opponent where that's great, but the talent is talent. But I don't think this is that game.

[A]

We have not been great. Just we have one more game to pick. But I just would like to remind people that this is not a gambling show. It's a pick show. It's to talk ball. It's for fun. Please do not bet your mortgage based on our picks because you are 13 and 15 against the spread. You were one in five last week. Yeah, and I had a great week last week. I was 2 and 4. So which is qualifies as a great week for me this year because I am 11 and 17 against the spread this season. So you are two games ahead of me against the spread. And I'm just straight up. I'm only 14 and 14. You are 16 and 12 straight up. So what's wrong with us.

[B]

Overanalyzing? Probably.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. We're too.

[B]

Also, I think, I think we're a little. I think we, we get a little too tied to our priors, too. Oh, like that definitely happened with Illinois. Indiana, clearly.

[A]

Yeah. I thought a thing in June and I, and I do think this, that, yeah, maybe I said it last week. If I was ranking, I, I ignore my priors because I know that I'm an idiot. So I'm not going to go. I'm going to go by what has actually happened. I'm going to go by evidence if I'm ranking, if I'm part of a poll that matters. But if I'm making my own picks and betting my own $2, I will strap myself to my prior and throw it in the deepest part of the ocean and go down with my prior. Right. And it's.

[B]

I got.

[A]

Still think Illinois is going to be good. And like the bubbles are coming up. It's like, where's Doug? It's like, oh, he's tied to his Illinois Anchorage. Like, aren't they 4 and 7? It's like. Yeah. He won't stop though, because it's what he thought in March. So. Yes. It's hard, isn't it? It's difficult, yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We're only doing one SEC game this week. There are other games that I guess, like people could be enthused about. The goal here is not to pick every single game. Right. Like, that is not what we're doing here. So we are not picking Illinois. Excuse me. Old miss versus LSU. We're not picking TCU at Arizona State at 9 o' clock on Friday night. Which it's actually like a coin toss game. It is super duper important for the top of the Big 12. We're not picking that. Since then.

[B]

It can't good Friday night games because you get used to state. Florida State 1 is also Friday.

[A]

Oh, oh, oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. No, I really. Yeah. Good luck to. Good luck to Virginia in that one. Cincinnati, Kansas is noon on Saturday. Kansas favored by 4 1/2 in that. Duke at can. Duke at Syracuse is noon. Duke favored by five and a half. Louisville at Pitt is noon Saturday. Louisville favored by four and a half. As we said, lsu, Old Miss, Auburn, Texas A M, those are both at 3:30. Arizona, Iowa State is at 7 o'. Clock. Iowa State favored by six and a half. And that. BYU, Colorado at 10:15. BYU favored by seven and that. So like there's a lot of like touchdown or less games that I do think really matter to playoff discussions and conference races and that kind of thing, but we're just not picking all those. We are picking Alabama Georgia. We have to pick Alabama Georgia.

[B]

Right, we do. Can I ask you a question related to some of the games you just rounded off? And if you don't have a good answer, that's fine. But I have not really paid much close attention to PIT this year. I just know that Eli Holstein is stinking up a joint. Yeah. Have you seen anything that might suggest they make a switch because they got that kid from. Was it Western Carolina?

[A]

Yeah. I have not been paying a ton of attention to that either. So I, I don't know what the PIT situation is. I thought you were starting to lead us down, like make a switch with Nardog. I thought you were starting to pat in our doozy conversation.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

But like that really matters, right? Like Louisville, Pitt, first of all is a. A great, moderately regional game in the acc. But also like super matters for Pitt. I have no opinion.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

What, what, what. What are we supposed to think about Alabama, Georgia? Who's the good team in this one?

[B]

That's actually an interesting question.

[A]

Who's good?

[B]

I think. I actually think they're both. They're. I think they're both good. Who's better? I'm not entirely sure. I think Kirby might. This Kirby need it. Kirby's got two national title rings, but he has one in six against Alabama and lost to Caitlin DeBoer last year.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And now he's at home. So I'm interested if Alabama wins to see what the Kirby Centric talking points might be nothing, but I just like want to see how people talk about him if he get, if he moves to 1 and 7 against Alabama.

[A]

George is fifth in the AP poll. Bama with that opening loss to Florida State is 17th. Like, I'm definitely not, I'm not subscribing to Bama is 17 fixed. They're, they're coming off a bye week, but they beat UL Monroe 73, nothing. And they beat just an overwhelmed Wisconsin team. 38 14. Are you, are you subscribing to some degree of Bamas fixed?

[B]

I would, I am subscribing to the idea of Bama is not as broken as we thought they were because they lost to Florida State.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

They're gonna, they're getting Jam Miller back at running back. They're getting Tim Keenan back at defensive tackle who I think has not played this year. He's very good. So they're getting a little healthier at some key spots. Ty Simpson's playing well and like, granted it was against Wisconsin, who's not very good and I forget who their cupcake game was in between, but you on Monroe.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You and Monroe. Yeah. So I'm not totally out on Bama. I've not had like Bama in our playoff picks or anything like that. But I'm, I'm open to the idea of perhaps we were a little too spicy with what we were saying about Alabama after week one.

[A]

Okay. I still, I am keeping the spice on that. I still don't believe in it. They're both coming off off weeks last week and it's one of those things that if Georgia could have kept the momentum going after the overtime win against Tennessee, it's like, oh, maybe here comes Georgia. But now I think, you know, they had a week off or whatever. You can't control that. They should have lost. I mean they, they should have lost to Tennessee. It's a mirror. It's a miracle that they won that game now. They created the miracle. They completed a fourth and 10 pass. They got a two point conversion to force overtime. No, they didn't create the entire miracle. The Tennessee kicker just missed a game winning field goal that he should have made on the last player regulation and then Georgia won it in overtime. So I don't think there's a ton of reason to fully believe in either of these teams. And, and I have not, I've had Georgia, my playoff picks, I have not had Alabama. I've continued to have Texas as my SEC champ because I don't think either of these Are playing at the level. Have played through the first month at the level of what the best team in the sec should be. Whereas Penn state maybe has looked a little bit off. But I think you can look at Ohio state and you can look at Oregon and say, okay, that's what a best team in a major conference should look like right now. I don't. I don't think bam and George are at that level. So I don't want to pick either of them. I want to pick a tie here as well, but we don't have ties anymore. You're picking Bama. I bet it's a three point spread. Bama is a three point underdog. And I bet. I bet you're picking bama.

[B]

You are correct. I'm picking Bama in a shootout. 42, 41.

[A]

Wow. Bama. Oh, that's the magic score. 42, 41. That's the magic Bill and Doug score. We picked that as the score of the Ohio State Georgia semifinal. And we both nailed it independently. Not working with each other at the time. Picked Ohio State to lose to Georgia. 42, 41. And we nailed it. You are now picking Georgia to lose by that score. Again, it's at Georgia. And Bama's a dog. So you have the underdog winning. I'm gonna pick.

[B]

It's like watching Corso put on a mascot head.

[A]

Dog mentality. Dog mentality. I believe. I don't believe in Gunner Stockton, but I don't believe in Ty Simpson either.

[B]

I don't believe Georgia believes in Gunner Stockton.

[A]

There's not one part of either of these teams that I believe in. The thing that I would believe in the most honestly is Kirby smart, except he's one in six against bama. Like I do think. I think Kirby smart runs an embarrassment of a program. Now, I don't know when's the last time a guy got arrested for driving, But I think, like, that is horrible. I think, like the football part of how Kirby smart runs a program he's excellent at, but it can't beat bama. Right? And so it's just like. It's. It's very interesting. And the idea that Kaylin deboer kept that going last year has to just kill this guy. So I do think that of all the things, Kirby smart has everything he wants in life except the better record against Alabama. And if it's stuck in his craw against Saban, it's like it is. He cannot believe he didn't beat Kaylin deboer last year. So I'm sure Kirby.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Kirby wants a hide.

[B]

It's got to be the, like, very similar feeling. Like, Kirby Smart and Ryan Day get together and just talk about, like, I can't believe I lost a Shroom Moore. I can't believe I lost to Caleb DeBoer.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Like, that guy that I couldn't beat is finally gone and we still lost. So.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Yeah. Which was, like, if Kirby gets an opportunity to put it on Bama, he absolutely will. I just. I just don't know that that'll happen.

[A]

Yeah. So I have 35, 31 Georgia, so. But I don't. My heart's not in it, thank God. Because I have a. I have a. I have a northern heart. What can I tell you? All right, those are our six picks. We'll try to be better. We don't want to be wrong. We'll try to be better, but we're here to talk ball and have a good time and not make excuses, hold us to it. We need. We should be better at this. Although I will say I was looking through, like, some other people's picks and, like, everyone's picking against the spread, and these are our national experts. And they were all like, 14 games under.500 against the spread for the year. And I was like, okay, I feel better now.

[B]

It's hard. It is weird. Like, I think, like, my personal betting, I'm actually not doing great, but, like, I don't bet on a lot of these games. I bet, like, rice minus three and a half. Right when.

[A]

This is not a Rice pick show. No, this is not a Rice pick show. All right, that's it. We'll see you guys for the. Watch along for Ohio State Washington during that game on Saturday. And then we'll see you back for the live post game show pretty much when Penn State and Oregon and Bama Georgia end on Saturday night. Right. Like in the. In the 11pm range. But if it's a barn burner and there's two minutes left, we're gonna wait for that game to end. But it'll be live on YouTube. Just subscribe on YouTube so you get an alert when we go live and then put those in your podcast feeds. Thanks, you guys for being here. We certainly appreciate it. Go check out roback.com if you want to check out our Ohio State coverage on our substack page. You certainly can do that. Bill and Doug Osu, substack.com But for now, those are our picks. He's Bill Landis. I'm Doug Le Maurice, and that was the Bill and Doug show. Some things in life are just made for each other. Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese Modelo and College Football College football season is Modelo season and the season has officially kicked off. The Modelo recruiter is back in action, looking to reward full time fans who give their all for their team and their school week in and week out. If you're listening to this, you've been recruited. So lace them up and get out there. And don't forget to make time for a well deserved ice cold reward because college football wouldn't be the same without you. So grab yourself a Modelo and enjoy the official beer sponsor of the College Football Playoff Modelo.