Hour 3: Kevin Egan Joins the Show

Summary

The Paul Finebaum Show - Hour 3: Kevin Egan Joins (July 16, 2026)

Episode Overview

Theme:
This hour dives into the intersection of college football and soccer, with guest Kevin Egan (MLS host on Apple TV) offering perspectives on the rise of soccer in America post-World Cup and what college football fans can learn from "the other football." Host Cole Kubik (in for Paul Finebaum) also covers SEC storylines and opens the phones for spirited college football talk.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Soccer’s American Momentum and Apple TV’s Role

• Kevin Egan highlights the infectious post-World Cup energy in the U.S., especially in cities like Atlanta.
• Apple TV is heavily invested in growing the soccer audience, broadcasting MLS matches and leveraging cross-platform promotion.
• Egan’s goal: Get new fans to stick around after the World Cup, emphasizing MLS accessibility ("You can watch Messi on Apple TV every week").

Quote [01:31 – Kevin Egan]:
"I think it's just about figuring out how do we capitalize on the momentum right now because there's people talking about our beautiful game of soccer that have never spoken about it before..."

2. Comparing College Football and Soccer Fandom

• Egan reminisces about covering college football for the Big Ten Network and notes similarities in atmosphere, pageantry, and communal passion.
• Kubik recommends MLS stadium experiences for college football fans, likening night games at Auburn or Georgia to top MLS matches.

Memorable Moment [06:38 – Cole Kubik]:
"I can only imagine what it’s like getting some of these soccer games in there, because I know it’s a little bit louder and it’s crazy. We’ve seen what Atlanta does… they’re packing out Mercedes Benz every week.”

3. MLS vs. World Cup – What’s Different?

• Rules and play are nearly identical; differences lie mostly in TV presentation and innovations like ref cams.
• Egan encourages crossover: “It’s the global game. Dive in. I certainly did.” [03:06]

4. Soccer’s Unique Power to Unite

• Egan tells emotional stories from the World Cup: communities in Haiti, Argentina, and England rallying despite social and political turmoil.
• Discussion turns to how soccer, more so than American gridiron football, brings different cultures, races, and nations together.

Notable Quote [05:28 – Kevin Egan]:
“There’s something special about communities, cultures, races all coming together for our beautiful game…”

5. The Game’s Accessibility

• Soccer matches are time-certain and “in and out in two hours,” contrasted with the unpredictable length of American sports events.

Quote [07:08 – Kevin Egan]:
“If I go to a Braves game, I have not got a Scooby Doo when I’m gonna get home… You go to a football game — a soccer game — you know exactly when it’s starting and when it’s finishing.”

6. Soccer Offside Rule Explained

• Egan breaks down the offside rule in simple terms using the Croatia World Cup example.

Quote [07:52 – Kevin Egan]: “You’ve got to have two players behind the ball… if the attacking player is further past that second last defender, then it’ll be offside…”

7. World Cup Final Hype: Messi vs. Lamine Yamal

• Sunday’s Spain-Argentina final is hyped as a generational showdown: Messi (39) vs. Yamal (19), with a heartwarming photo-story of Yamal as a baby being held by Messi years ago at Barcelona surfacing.
• Egan predicts Spain will dominate possession, but Argentina has the grit and unpredictability.

Quote [09:09 – Kevin Egan]:
“It’s Messi holding Lamine Yamal. And now they’re meeting in the World Cup final… The odds have to be over a billion to one.”

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Additional Notable Segments

Missouri Football Deep Dive (Start: 12:44)

• Kubik transitions to previewing SEC teams with a thorough look at Missouri:
  • Offensive line highlighted (Kaden Green, Zach Owens, Austin Simmons)
  • Defense: Darris Smith praised for versatility (“65240, has played nose, three technique, jack linebacker, and even nickel!”)
  • Key question marks: offensive play-calling changes, running back health, and quarterback run game plans.

Texas A&M Offensive Line and Team Construction (Start: 17:52)

• Caller raises concerns about A&M’s new-look O-line featuring several transfers:
  • Kubik emphasizes the value of snaps and SEC experience, but notes challenges in getting new players to gel under new terminology and play-calling.
  • The coaching staff’s ability to create cohesion addressed as a crucial factor for the Aggies' gridiron success.

College Football Playoff Projections (Start: 32:35)

• Kubik reviews ESPN’s FPI Playoff odds, highlighting top teams and which SEC squads might surprise:
  • Top FPI playoff odds: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Oregon, Georgia, etc.
  • SEC: Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, Auburn, South Carolina.
  • Surprise team candidates discussed; quarterback play and schedule are recurring themes.

College Football’s Changing Landscape (Caller Terry, 38:10)

• Observations about roster turnover and the need for new coaching philosophies in the age of the transfer portal and NIL.
• Kubik underscores the importance of leadership and chemistry building amid annual roster churn.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments With Timestamps

• [01:31] Kevin Egan: “There's people talking about our beautiful game of soccer that have never spoken about it before and they're feeling the emotion of everything that they're seeing play out on their screens and in their cities.”
• [02:26] Kevin Egan: “The biggest one by far obviously is…the greatest player to ever play the game, and that's Lionel Messi… you can watch him right here with us on Apple TV.”
• [05:28] Kevin Egan: “Soccer is a very welcoming game where everybody’s welcome and it’s quite a transient sport… If you’re in an MLS market… go to a game…there’s no going back from it after that.”
• [07:08] Kevin Egan: “If I go to a Braves game, I have not got a Scooby Doo when I’m gonna get home because it could drag on… You go to a football game, as I call it, a soccer game, you know exactly when it’s starting and when it’s finishing.”
• [09:09] Kevin Egan: “At Barcelona, there was a competition… Lamine Yamal's parents… submitted their application, they applied for it and they won. And their newborn baby got a picture with Lionel Messi. It’s Messi holding Lamine Yamal… Now they’re meeting in a World Cup final.”

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Important Timestamps

• 00:49 – Cole Kubik introduces topic, frames discussion: soccer’s growth and Apple TV’s impact.
• 01:31-07:40 – Main interview: Kevin Egan on soccer’s momentum, MLS, cross-sport fandom.
• 07:52-09:09 – Offside rule explained, Messi vs. Lamine Yamal story.
• 12:44 – SEC talk resumes: deep Missouri roster dive.
• 17:52 – Texas A&M offensive line construction, transfer impact.
• 32:35 – Playoff projections and surprise SEC teams.
• 38:10 – Caller Terry on roster turnover and coaching implications.

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Summary

In this hour, The Paul Finebaum Show bridges the gap between American football and soccer, highlighting their shared pageantry and community spirit. Guest Kevin Egan offers unique stories (including the Messi-Yamal photo), demystifies soccer for the uninitiated, and encourages college football fans to give MLS a chance. The show also shifts seamlessly back to college football diehards, providing thorough analysis of SEC teams’ prospects, with a particular lens on offensive line chemistry, roster turnover, and the new reality under the 12-team playoff format.

This episode is especially valuable for open-minded sports fans interested in both worlds and offers practical, passionate arguments for giving “the other football” a shot during the college offseason.

Transcript

[Comcast Announcer]

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[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

the pride, passion and pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum Show. Our three podcasts.

[Cole Kubik]

This might be college football

[Caller - Aggie Football Fan]

again.

[Cole Kubik]

To the Paul Feinbaum Show. Cole Kublick sitting in for Paul today. You got me today. You got me all day tomorrow. 855-242-7285. Talking college and a little bit of a different twist on it now as we'll talk college football from maybe a soccer perspective. The Other Football with Kevin Egan, who is a host for MLS on Apple tv. And we've seen the streaming services just dive headfirst into sports. Kevin, what do you think is next for Apple TV's coverage? Maybe just mainstream America's coverage of soccer after what we've seen in this World Cup?

[Caller - Terry]

Yeah.

[Kevin Egan]

Cheers, Cole. Great to be with you. I think it's just about figuring out how do we capitalize on the momentum right now because there's people talking about our beautiful game of soccer that have never spoken about it before and they're feeling the emotion of everything that they're seeing play out on their screens and in their cities. I live in Atlanta and I can tell you the images of unity and love and harmony that we've seen throughout the city of Atlanta and beyond, it's just tremendous. So I think people are feeling that it's infectious. And now hopefully with Apple tv, we can encourage people to get involved. Like we have games on tonight now starting at 7:30pm Eastern time. We've got three games this evening and two big time rivalry games tomorrow that are on Apple TV and Fox. So hopefully people love to get their soccer fix and want to, want to keep kicking it with us as well.

[Cole Kubik]

When you get some of these stars that we've seen in the World cup make names for themselves on Apple tv. Correct. Like they're, they're names that we are now more familiar with that you're going to be able to watch on a consistent basis if you can put forth that effort.

[Kevin Egan]

Yeah, without a doubt. Look, the biggest one by far obviously is the Greatest player to ever play the game, and that's Lionel Messi. You don't need to be one of these people to say, I don't like soccer. You know who Messi is. Everybody knows who he is. He's been the best player at this tournament. He's 39 years of age and for three years now he's been playing in Major League Soccer. So I think it's a big time compliment to MLS and the standards and the level of competition within our league today that Messi's come here, he's competing, he's a champion right now. And, and yeah, you can watch him right here with us on Apple tv.

[Cole Kubik]

Kevin, for us that are still trying to learn the inner workings of soccer, some of the details, some of the rules, what would be different in MLS than maybe what we've gotten used to or we've watched in the World Cup?

[Kevin Egan]

Nothing really, quite honestly, nothing. It's, it's, it's the global game, you know, and that's the beautiful thing about, about soccer, that it's played absolutely everywhere. So what you see on the World cup, you'll see in Major League Soccer as well. And MLS from a TV perspective is bold with its vision. You know, like what you see with the referee camp, for example, at the World Cup. And I know that any fan of entertainment and TV loves to see that sort of an angle. Like, for example, at MLS cup, we had a ref cam on Lionel Messi and caught him speaking English to the referee, which is very rare to see. So mls, you know, visionaries in that sense. But yeah, I mean, it's the global game. The thing is, you can be a fan of college football. I remember when I moved over here, I worked with the Big Ten Network. I was working on college football each and every week. And you can get people to cross over. I certainly did during those years. And we all love drama, we all love sports. So dive in. I'd encourage you to give MLS and the global game a go.

[Cole Kubik]

Okay? Kevin Egan joining us on the phones at Kevegan. E G A N. You can follow him on Twitter, you can see him in studio covering MLS on Apple tv. And as Kevin said, they start back up tomorrow night. You can get games right there on Apple TV tomorrow night. I'm interested from you because my adopted team outside the United States would be Croatia, Luca Modric and the guys that go back to Homeland, where the Kubelec name actually comes from. I got to hear from you now. Who is your adopted college football team since you came to the State, you said you moved to Atlanta. Like, who have you followed along with that is now like the team you love to watch?

[Kevin Egan]

Yeah, I like that question. I mean, back in the day, there was that infectious enthusiasm at the time around when I, when I worked with the Big Ten network. Obviously huge rivalries. But the one I was able to go to was out to Ryan Field and watch Northwestern games. And it was fun to tailgate and get out there and watch these Northwestern games. I know it's not the biggest atmosphere that you'd feel within college football. And I suppose now I live in Atlanta, I've got to get over to Athens, don't I, and go see the Bulldogs play a bit more.

[Cole Kubik]

Well, I'll tell you this, too. You're only hour 45 minutes from Jordan here, stadium, there at Auburn. Go catch a night game in Auburn. Alabama, you can get that one, too. Maybe get Georgia at Auburn this year. And you get the best of both because Jordan Hare Stadium is absolutely fantastic. What can be done next to help promote. How do we take the success that this World cup has had and then drive it into continuing soccer fandom on any platform?

[Kevin Egan]

You know, sometimes I think when I think about college football, speaking with someone yesterday, just as that comparison that brought up college football to me in the NFL and I said, well, with, with, with soccer, it's actually a lot different because, for example, with the World cup now, you have to think about the stories here. You have to think about the fact that there's an Ebola outbreak in con example, and what it means for their whole nation to be galvanized by this moment. Haiti, you know, qualified without playing a game on home soil due to political unrest. And look at what it does for a nation. The same could be said with Argentina or the wave of momentum felt by England. And there's something special about communities, cultures, races all coming together for our beautiful game. And you see that within Major League Soccer with players from all over, like Son Young Min is the most popular Asian athlete on the planet and he plays in Major League Soccer. So these are coming some of the stories. Soccer is a very welcoming game where everybody's welcome and it's quite a transient sport as well. So get involved. If you're in an MLS market or you can travel to get to one, I highly encourage you to go to a game because these stadia, they're sold out. When you can get out to a game and enjoy, and enjoy the atmosphere like you're seeing at the World Cup, I mean, there's no going back from it after that.

[Cole Kubik]

No, there's not. And I'll tell you this. Covering UFL football and doing games in some of these MLS stadiums like in D.C. and seeing the crowds that they bring in for the UFL and what that's like Columbus, I can only imagine what it's like getting some of these soccer games in there, because I know it's a little bit louder and it's. It's a. It's crazy. We've seen what Atlanta does. You mentioned that you lived in Atlanta. I mean, they're packing out Mercedes Benz every week. And I mean, it's unbelievable.

[Kevin Egan]

And here's the other thing I'll say for any fans of. Of college football, in terms of giving it a go, you know that you're in and out in two hours. That's the beautiful thing with. With American sports. I find you go to. If I go to a Braves game, I have not got a Scooby Doo when I'm gonna get home because it could drag on. It's the same with an LS NFL game. You go to a football game, as I call it, a soccer game, you know exactly when it's starting and when it's finishing. And you can kind of plan your night around us, you know.

[Cole Kubik]

Okay, Kevin, so I have a big task for you now. I'm gonna ask for your help here because the team that I just mentioned to you earlier, I do felt like was robbed on this rule earlier in this World Cup. Help us understand offsides. We're trying, doing our best. Like, can you put it into, like, third grade terms for us here?

[Kevin Egan]

Yeah, you've got to have two players behind the ball, so it's essentially that. So usually it's the goalkeeper and then another player, and, you know, you draw the line. And if. If the attacking player is further past that second last defender, for example, well, then it'll be offside. But I think. I think you're referencing the Croatia situation. That was so. It felt so harsh in the moment watching it, especially when they were talking about the touch and it was a flick and look over radio. This is very hard to describe, but it was. It was the finest of margins that went against Croatia. And I felt for you, because Croatia are very lovable football nation. They've had some great players over the years, as you know. You mentioned Luka Modric and many others. Davar Sukar was a legend of the game that I loved when he was playing. So it was the finest of margins. But, yeah, the offside one is. Is tricky, and we have the technology nowadays, we're getting there anyway with the game that it makes it easier to see if someone is clear and obviously offside.

[Cole Kubik]

All right, finally, I have to ask you, Sunday, 2 o' clock on Fox, Spain, Argentina, you're going to see maybe, maybe the oldest talent in the world and the youngest talent in the world kind of going head to head here in this matchup. Who's going to hoist the cup after we watch this one Sunday afternoon.

[Caller - Terry]

Yes.

[Kevin Egan]

For those unaware, you're referencing Lionel Messi and lamina Mal, who's 19 years of age. Messi's 39. So 20 year gap. Have to tell you this really quick story very quickly. At Barcelona, there was a competition for parents out there to go and get your picture with your child taken with a superstar that plays for Barcelona. Lamina Mal's parents, immigrants now living in Barcelona or in Barcelona at the time they submitted their application, they applied for it and they won. And their newborn baby got a picture with Lionel Messi. It's Messi holding Lemania Mal. And it's the most astonishing image. Now given that Lamina Mali is that superstar that's emerged from the academy in Barcelona. Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time. And now they're meeting in a World cup final. It's just go and look it up. Search Le Mania Malino Messi. It's one of the craziest stories you'll find. The odds have to be over a billion to one. And yeah, they're going to meet this weekend and it's very, very hard to call. Spain will control a lot of the ball. What I mean by that is their possession orientated team, they want to the ball at all times. And Argentina are a scrappy, resilient side that are happy enough to concede possession, but then they'll punch you in the mouth when you least expect it.

[Cole Kubik]

It's almost like we see some of these college football players when they're kids. Like I think it was like Colt McCoy in a Texas uniform when he's like 3 years old and then he's out there playing quarterback for the Longhorns. It's just like you don't expect things to go that way. And all of a sudden here these two are going to face off for the most prestigious trophy in sports and going to be incredible to watch on Sunday. Listen, man, great stuff. Thank you so much for hopping on today. Very informative interview and enjoyed having you enjoy the rest of the World Cup. And we'll be tuning into MLS Friday night.

[Kevin Egan]

Hey, I appreciate you guys taking the time to chat a little MLS as well in the World Cup. Greatly appreciate you call and keep up the great work. Thank you.

[Cole Kubik]

There you go. Kevin Egan, studio host for MLS on Apple TV and giving you some reasons to kind of keep the soccer momentum going as we wait for college football season to arrive. No reason you can't go take a peek at some of those games Friday night or Saturday. Watch some MLS on Apple TV. We are here to talk college football though. 8552-4272-8585-5242, 7285. Some of the other positions individuals were excited to watch at those positions inside the sec. I want to hear from you who those are. What teams do you have questions about heading into media days next week that you think we may be able to get answered? 855-242-7285 more of your calls next on the Paul Feinbaum Show.

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[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Cole Kubik]

Knock in Paul Feinbaum Show. Cole Kubik with you, 855-242-7285. Filling in for Paul today and tomorrow. Want your in put on SEC media days. Teams you're excited to watch. Players you're looking most forward to watching in every position. I've given you a few of mine at certain positions and we can continue rolling there. Also brought up some teams we haven't really had a chance to get into just yet. We mentioned Tennessee in the last segment, what the Vols might be able to be this upcoming season. Couple others that we haven't really focused in on hadn't taken extra time on Missouri, I think would be one of those teams. Hadn't talked a ton of Kentucky this week. Maybe we do a little bit of that. South Carolina, not a ton of attention so far. I hadn't really give you my opinions on Oklahoma heading into the season. What's Vanderbilt going to be this year? Let's talk Mizzou first out of the gate because there are a couple of players that I think you need to know that are not household names that might be guys that towards the end of the season, you're going to want to know what they're all about and you're going to want to know what they're capable of doing and how they're doing it. And you can say, hey, I've been telling you about that guy for months now. Now I think the offensive line still got a chance to be pretty good. You got Kaden Green coming back. You plug in Zach Owens, a transfer at left guard that's been at Mississippi State, Colorado, Colorado, Colorado, Clemson, excuse me, not Colorado twice. And you bring in Austin Simmons, who is an elite talent at quarterback. Now, he hasn't been healthy enough to starter long enough for us to just say, hey, he's an elite college quarterback. He's an elite talent playing quarterback in college right now. But he's got the goods and there are a couple of things that could complicate that. He's got to stay healthy. Number one, what's the Ahmaud Hardy situation? I'll just say this, and I think you guys have heard me say it. Jamal Roberts can hold it down until Ahmad Hardy comes back. You'd love to have both for the majority of or at least a large portion of the season, because you don't want Jamal Roberts taking all the carries and all of a sudden he's dinged up. Then you get Ahmad Hardy back and he's got to feel his way in. You don't want that to be the way that it goes down. We won't know that situation probably for a few more weeks. Also, what's the offense going to look like? Because I felt like you lost a really good play caller and offensive coordinator. But Chip Lindsay's been around the block. It's a little bit of a different offense because with Drinkwich, it's always been it's sort of that App State Boise Tree stretch play, outside zone, build play action off it, heavy scream, you run your gap scheme stuff to keep people off balance from an unbalanced perspective. They put all the different motions and shifts with it the last couple years it's made it more difficult to defend and that hasn't really been where Chip has lived and died. It's not that he can't work his way into it, not that they can't mesh those together, but I'm interested to see one how Austin Simmons fits into it because some of the quick game will be a little different for him. Do they offer up much quarterback run? Because it can be there, but they've had quarterback health issues so maybe that's not a place that they want to go anymore. And what's the situation with the mod Hardy? I'll just tell you defensively. And by the way, I know I said trade as Green at tight end a little bit earlier, but Brett Norfleet should also be on your list of guys that you want to watch play football. Because Brett Norfleet, the tight end at Missouri, he is an absolute joy to watch. Probably the best multifaceted tight end in the sec. When you're talking about a guy that can find his way open, give you a bigger target, big catch radius, reliable hands, can make some plays, but also not afraid to line up in line next to the tackle and just grind in the run game. He gives you that attitude, that demeanor. Vastly underrated football player. But on the defensive side of the ball, a couple other people that I think you probably need to know Darris Smith and I know a lot of you out there right now, I don't know Darris Smith at Missouri. Darrin Smith is listed as a jack linebacker for Mizzou. He is 65240. He has played nose, he has played three technique which is outside shoulder of the guard. He has played five lining up on the offensive tackle. He has played jack linebacker. So stand up outside in the linebacker position on the football removed from the tackle over the tight end. He has played off the ball linebacker and he has played nickel in this Missouri defense. Yeah, you heard it 6524 has played nickel in the Missouri defense. Now doesn't mean he's the best at any of those things. Sorry, I had to just reference a text message that came in from my buddy Casio kid there that probably should not be read on air at any point in time. But seeing Daryl Smith line up that many places that many times a game and be able to do so many things well, you have to put him in the category of one of the best all around football players this league has to offer. He's fun to watch. 855-242-7285 guys you're looking forward to watching this upcoming season expired in Texas. Welcome into the show.

[Caller - Aggie Football Fan]

Hey, Cole, I want to talk a little bit of this soccer. You know, I'm a football guy. American college, NFL, UFL arena, it don't matter. But Cole, I watched the soccer World cup mainly because of the fans and of the spirit. And there's not one ounce of me that wants to watch mls. I'm just being honest. And I watched the USA and rooted for them. And now I think I'll root for Argentina because I like their fans. And I was rooting for Norway because their fans were crazy. And I think a lot of your American football guys that got into soccer are the same way. I'm not saying that I want to kill the sport or it's just hard to get interested into it at a professional level, at least for me. But that's not really why I called. I want to talk a little Aggie football. Cole. I'm interested. This is what I'm interested in is the offensive line for A and M. A lot of new guys, they got the big guy from, from Alabama. He was the right tackle, I think, for Alabama. All the Alabama guys said he ain't worth the damn. They got two guys from lsu, Adams and Echols. One's inside guy, other one's a tackle. Heard nothing that they ain't very good either. Well, it's going to be amazing to see Cole, when they get some real coaching. Okay. Because I know A and M's offensive line coach is really, really good. And see if those guys turn into real players because they have the size. They were both four, five star recruits, whatever, out of high school. And that will be of a great interest to me. And if that offensive line with four new starters can gel, all we have is the center back neighbor and that's it. But that's just kind of why I wanted to call. I mean, you got. It's kind of like we were talking about that office line a while ago. You know, LSU had 13 new guys. Can they gel? And a lot has to do with coaching because a lot of these guys are very similar in stature, athleticism, but you know it better than anybody. That coach, coach, and those coaches make a lot of difference. And that in my world, Cole, that, that is what I can't wait to see.

[Cole Kubik]

I'm with you. And here's the counter to what you said. A lot of people are saying Wilcom Formby is one that you referenced coming in from Alabama. You've got a Trayvon Ball coming in. Cohen, Echols, Coming in, Tyree Adams from lsu. They have snaps under their belt. That's valuable. Sometimes. One of the better ways to learn how to be successful in football is to be on the field playing and be unsuccessful in football. Learning what not to do, so to speak, doesn't make it automatic, doesn't mean it's definitively going to happen. But they at least have that experience. They know the physicality, they know the speed, they know some of the terminology, they know some of the technique. So the tough part is expired. Not only those guys gelling together, having been in the same place for a short amount of time, but then technically doing it in a new offense. Now, I know a lot of the verbiage is not going to change. A lot of the play calls going to be the same, but it's still a different play caller. So some things become a little bit different by nature. That takes a little bit of time to figure out. But I do like the experience that you have at the end of the day, and that's what all these offensive lines are clamoring for. That's what they're all trying. We just need some experience, like, just give us some guys that can figure out how to get it done on the field, because not many of them have it right now.

[Caller - Aggie Football Fan]

Let me ask you this. Coming into, you know, since Colin Klein left and now you got Wiggins calling the place new office coordinator, probably new terminology. I don't know how much wouldn't it be easier for these guys to catch on with the terminology for it being new? Because everybody's going to be learning. I'm talking the entire team, including the quarterback, might be learning some new terminology and they can communicate more than, hey, this is what we did last year. Let's move on quicker. Does that make sense, what I'm trying to say?

[Cole Kubik]

No, it does, it does. You want as much carryover as you can get. And I would imagine that there won't be too much that's very different now. He'll have different play calls, he'll have different plays that he calls different things. And that's just going to be, like you said, new to everyone. And you, you got to get yourself familiar with that. But at the end of the day, it's essentially learning a new offense anyway because you have guards playing next to tackles, tackles playing next to tight ends, centers playing next to guards that they haven't been with. I do love the fact, though, that you have Nabu and Marcel Reed that have played together. So that understanding of what it takes, what it needs to be how we operate snap counts, those kind of things. That's managed, that's handled. And that's tough, too. I mean, ask any Alabama fan what they were dealing with a couple of years ago with the quarterback that didn't know how to operate the snap count correctly and made a center look bad. Like that's it can be a real thing and it can carry into the bowl season. It can happen.

[Caller - Aggie Football Fan]

All right, man. Did a hell of a job this week. Appreciate it.

[Cole Kubik]

Thank you very much. Appreciate you 855-242-7285 players, teams, schedules you want to discuss? We continue doing it right here on the Paul Finebaum Show.

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[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show Podcast.

[Cole Kubik]

Welcome back in Paul Feinbaum Show. Cole Kubik sitting in for Paul today. Be with you guys tomorrow as well. We've gone through multiple teams inside the SEC today. Previous caller expired in Texas. Just brought up the Aggies, a team that I do think is getting proper respect nationally. However, you don't see a lot of folks really stepping out, picking them to extend too far. Good team. Maybe right around the preseason top 10 push for a playoff spot. But I don't hear a lot of folks saying, yeah, national championship can get done. Big playoff push coming, run inside the playoffs. Why would that be that? Maybe that continuity on the offensive line is a reason for that. Maybe the consistency that Marcel Reed lost at times last year would be a part of that. You got Ruben Owens back at tailback. You got Micah Riley at tight end, who I like, can be athletic for you, help stretch the field. Mario Craver is a playmaker. Some people might not tell you that or agree with that. I think he's big time. Terry Bussey offers speed in different ways. Ashton Bethel Roman back Isaiah Horton gives you a bigger target to use down the field and defensively. I'm not going to say that the Joes don't matter, but your scheme is what's going to get it done on that side of the ball. Elko can draw it up. I mean he's the guy that at the end of the day is going to take what he's got and be able to force it to be problematic no matter who's out there. Doesn't matter now. I love what they have coming back inside. DJ Hicks vastly underrated interior defensive lineman that did some good things for him a season ago. Landon ranked back inside as well. You go get C.J. mims out of the portal who's been in North Carolina and ecu. Another big body that should be able to plug and go and give you good reps there. Do you have the individuals off the edge though that can be as problematic as what we've seen the last couple of years in this defense. Anto Saka from Northwestern, he's prototypical edge, I think. I don't think he has the twits of some of the guys that you've had there the last few years, but someone who can win you some one on ones. Marco Jones, a guy that we've seen when some of those one on ones really in limited playing time for A and M as well, could be a potential big year for him. Your whole secondary is back now. You lose a linebacker that was really important to the football team. Torn York on leadership, accountability and then playmaking, communication, all those things he brought to the table. It's going to be tough to replace him. This could be difficult. But with Texas A and M, the schedule is obviously something that you have to discuss. Just like it's going to be with every other team in this league. Missouri State, Arizona State at home, Kentucky at home. Then you go to lsu. We already talked about though the benefits of this game. That's going to be LSU coming off of Lane's return trip to Oxford. Arkansas, thankfully now at Kyle Field at Missouri, Citadel at Bama, week off at South Carolina, Tennessee at home at Oklahoma and then Texas. The first thing that sticks out is you love the way that the schedule is broken apart. Yeah, you get Arizona State, Kentucky back to back. LSU next. But we just mentioned the advantage with lsu, but the only consecutive road games that you have this season are none. So it's not like some of these Teams that are playing back to back road games. Three out of four games on the road in different stretches. You don't get that with this team. I love having the week off after you travel to Alabama and then go play at South Carolina. So technically back to back road games, but there's a bye week in between. You don't play two road games in two weeks. Citadel a later non con game sandwiched in between road trips in Missouri and Alabama. The part that you probably look at and don't like is okay. After the buy. After October, we make a November push at South Carolina, Tennessee at Oklahoma and then Texas at home. That's a tough stretch no matter what. No matter what because your defense is going to be stressed with Lenore Sellers and then a Tennessee offense is going to try to stretch the field. Obviously John Mateer in Oklahoma and then Arch Manning. You better be up to the task because you'll get really good quarterback play, slash offensive scheme and design. And that includes Kendall Browns at South Carolina. That includes Steve Sarkeesian at Texas. In the last month of the season. Your defense is going to have to be ready to overcome that. But it's a team that physically should not be overwhelmed by anybody on this schedule. It's going to be consistency for me with Texas A and M. Can the consistency show up week in, week out? And that is adding pressure defensively. That is winning up front with the offensive line, establishing a run game, quarterback, consistency in the intermediate throws, understanding when to pull up, pull the ball down and run. And then remember last year this a team that sort of went out of their way early in the season to make sure Marcel Reed became a pocket passer and was comfortable being a guy in the pocket and could throw the football the way they needed him to and a little bit to protect him down the stretch. Does that change this year? Do you just let him go out and play quarterback? Here we go, kid, light it up. But I think they're a very intriguing team to watch and I kind of like how quiet it is. I kind of like that there's not a lot of drama. The expectations aren't too high. They're not completely out of whack. It doesn't add extra pressure. Guys, there's enough pressure in this league for everybody. Anybody. I don't care if it's Arkansas, Kentucky, Bama, Tennessee, South Carolina. You got pressure on you, you're feeling it one way or the other. These kids look at their phone 11 hours out of the day, probably 14. They see it, they hear it, they know it. They're probably talking about it. Pressure's nothing new to any of these guys. But there doesn't feel like there's a lot of added pressure with A and M. And I love that about that group. 855-242-7285. High ceiling for Texas A and M this year will come down to big games. Come down to big games and winning on the road. At lsu, one of the toughest places to play in the nation. At Mizzou, at Alabama, at South Carolina late in the year, late afternoon kick. Will he be rocking? And what is that for? The Governor's cup trophy. The Governor's Mayor of Governor Administration trophy. We had to make up a trophy for that game a couple years ago. Why? I have no idea. You got to go to Memorial Stadium. So you got tough road schedule. You grab a couple of those on the road, then all of a sudden we could be talking about a really good season that Texas A and m puts together. 8552-427285-85524-27285. You get in on your college football topics next on the Paul Fine Bomb Show.

[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

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[Cole Kubik]

You know the best part about this spicy Italian sausage? I voted for this topping.

[Caller - Terry]

Yeah.

[Cole Kubik]

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[Kevin Egan]

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[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

[Cole Kubik]

Back into the Paul Finebaum Show. Cole Kubik sitting in with you today. 855-242-728-5855, 2427285. Best chance to reach the College Football Playoff. All of college football and out of the Southeastern Conference. When you reference the Football Power Index from ESPN Forward thinking metric. That is a predictive metric that takes the statistics and the analysis to kind of tell you what they think is going to happen. Third season of the 12 team playoff. All four power conference champions guaranteed a spot in the field. Notre Dame guaranteed a spot if it finishes in the top 12 of the college Football Playoff rankings. Spot guaranteed for the Group of six, no longer limited to conference champions. That'll go to the highest ranked team in the final rankings. So who does the FPI look at and say they have the best chance to get in. And when we do this, I want to look a little bit further down and ask you guys who you think might be a little bit of an outlier. Who's a team that could sneak up and surprise, find their way in that maybe some other folks aren't giving a great chance to be in the College Football Playoff? Ohio State's at the top of the list at 76%. Notre Dame next at 74%. Now that goes back to what we talked about. Josh Pate in the first segment of the show of schedule. Notre Dame's gonna be a really good football team, but they got the schedule. I'm actually surprised they're not ahead of Ohio State, maybe having to finish in the top 12 to get in as opposed to win your conference. But Ohio State's still gonna have to deal with Oregon, they're still gonna have to deal with Indiana. If we're just talking percentage chance to make it, I'll probably put Notre Dame number one right now for me. But that is schedule based and not being able to, to be knocked down a notch by a conference championship game potentially. Texas up next at 70%. Oregon 65%, Georgia 64, Miami 61%. Texas Tech comes in at 58%, Indiana 57. And then we get to Alabama at 41. Do you view Alabama right now as the number three team as far as most likely out of the SEC to get to the College Football Playoff? 8552-427285-85524-27285. Is there a surprise team for you in the SEC you think can get into the playoff? And how far down the list do we have to go before it's a, quote, surprise as far as that team getting into the College Football Playoff? LSU after Alabama at 40%, Texas A&M 39, Oklahoma 28, followed by USC and BYU. Do you put Alabama and LSU in a similar category as far as potentially making the College Football Playoff? Because I think some folks might not view those teams in the same light now and I also think the opinions of those teams could be very different in opposite directions. I think there are some people out there that feel really good about Alabama and where they are and are not as high on lsu. I think there are some people that are extremely high on LSU and a little bit uncertain about what Alabama is going to be after those teams. Ole Miss will be next at the 2022.8% chance to reach the College Football Playoff and a little bit surprising. And maybe this is when we start getting to surprise teams if they were to make it. Like we would really look at it and say hold on now. We didn't see that coming. It's weird because we saw him in the playoff two years ago. But Tennessee would be the next biggest odds after ole miss at 20.5% to make the College Football Playoff. And we just ran through the Vol schedule. We just ran through what the Vols have. Let's be real, that's coming down to quarterback play. And they got time to figure it out, got time to get it right. Tough game against Georgia Tech early going up against the Mendoza quarterback. Tough game after that. The Florida Gators 15.2%. How surprised would we be if Florida made the College Football Playoff? Now I love John Sumrall, I love a lot of this roster. Playoff feels lofty when you're talking about this team potentially getting in. But receiver, running back, some on the front seven of the defense. Brad White coordinating that defense. Feasible. But I think just because it's year one in the SEC we would still be surprised because you don't have that bona fide quarterback. Might be Aaron Philo. He's with the same offense coordinator he had at Georgia Tech and Buster Faulkner. So would it be a big surprise? Up next would be Missouri, then Auburn. Would those be big surprises? South Carolina's at 10%, the last SEC team with a double digit percent chance according to the FBI to get in the College Football Playoff. I don't think I'd be shocked if South Carolina got in. I love Kendall Browns as the offensive coordinator. It's a great fit with Lenore Sellers. You got weapons. You upgraded the O line through the portal. You have a solid defensive line, not just Dylan Stewart and you got a D coordinator that is bona fide proven commodity in this league. And Clayton White 855-242-7285 to get in. Terry is in Alabama. Welcome into the show Terry.

[Caller - Terry]

Thank you for taking my call. I just had two comments. One, I think that 41% maybe a little low on my Bama guys but we'll see. The main thing I wanted to comment on and maybe they commented on it. I don't listen all the time but to me college football with everything that's happened is a little bit like the basketball. I think it's been for a while where every team every year is a different animal. You really don't have that much carry through year to year. I think that's going to take a different coaching approach, a different philosophy. It just seems to me a little more like basketball where you have the guys go in the NBA. This is going to be a similar setup where every year's a different team.

[Cole Kubik]

I think you make a great point, Terry, and that's why we spent time earlier in the week, maybe you missed it, talking about leadership, trying to formulate that, trying to grow that on your team, getting guys that have actually played reps even though they might not have the highest ceiling talent wise to come be a part of your roster. And who can find that continuity, the chemistry, the ability to gel earliest in the season. It's going to go a long way with what those teams potentially are going to be able to do and turn into and maybe compete for a national title. Appreciate the call. 855-242-7285 if you want to get in. 855-242-7281. We'll get to author quickly. Who wants to chime in on the Paul Fine bomb show? We lose authority. Author, give us a call back. We'll try to get you on the other side. Is he there? Arthur? We'll get you on the other side because we're almost out of time. We're up against a break here and I want to give you a little bit of time to actually get your thought in. Let us know what you're thinking so we can get you a good answer.

[Kevin Egan]

Out.

[Cole Kubik]

We have one more hour to go that we're going to take your calls. The phones are open for you. 855-242-7285. Teams projected to go to the playoff who's too high, who's too low, what teams would actually surprise you if they ended up in the College Football Playoff? We'll discuss those teams, maybe some teams outside of the SEC that could rob the SEC of a spot or two in the College Football Playoff based on who they have in front of them, who's been added to their roster and what they may end up being this season. Could some of those be from the acc? Who finishes up their media days today in Charlotte? SEC media days next week? We're going to get you set for it and take your calls next on the Paul Feinbaum Show.

[Paul Feinbaum Show Producer]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum Show Podcast.

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