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This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50 page restoration block. Or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it, ready to make anything online make sense. There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability various 18
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the pride, passion and
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pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum show, our for podcast.
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This might be college football final hour on the first day of SEC media days in Tampa, Florida, a most unlikely spot. The commissioner announced today. Next year, I believe he said, in Nashville. Nashville, yeah, I'll be there. But what will the state of college football look like a year from now? Ross Dellinger joining us. And you know, we've talked mainly about X's and O's and on the field today, but the commissioner alluded to the story of the summer and that's the Cruz Cantwell bill. He also gave a reference to Breaking Away, which has gotten a lot of headlines. I know it's got to take everything in context. But first, with, with it being July 20, Congress getting close to the end of the run here before the midterms, and Senator Schmidt, of course, saying that he's got 60 votes, can you cut out the fat and tell us what's really going on in D.C. yeah, a lot.
B
I was, I ran into Josh Hyple, Tennessee coach, in the hallway. He said, hey, how was your summer? Well, it was spent in congressional hearings, so not, not too fun. But yeah, there's a lot happening in D.C. right now. And you know, we can all doubt the progress and doubt Congress and we spend a lot of time doubting Congress. And I understand why. But I think where we are, it feels like we're seeing real movement on this bill. And I think you saw Commissioner Sankey today sort of express a subdued optimism, you know, in, in the bill. Right now it's undergoing revisions by the lawmakers to try to appease the SEC in Big Ten. They want them on board. I think they realize that they might have the votes to get the bill through the Senate without the SEC in Big Ten, but they probably don't have the votes to get it through the House without them. So they're trying to change some things in the bill, Paul, that would get them on board. And I think, you know, the SEC in the Big Ten sent 10 changes they'd like to see in the bill, and I think they're probably going to get like six or seven of them. But right now it's still active negotiations. Everything's sort of fluid, so we're not completely sure what's going to be kind of spit out the other side.
C
And you said something interesting because a lot of viewers may go, oh, that's great. It's going to pass. Well, if it passes without these revisions, I don't want to give the Louisiana delegation too much credit, but they only have the top two people right now in the House since Calise and Johnson, both LSU people. Explain why that is a critical part of this.
B
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's got to pass the House and House leadership has the control to bring the bill to the floor once it passes the Senate. So Steve Scalise, as you mentioned, and Mike Johnson, both from Louisiana, Steve Scalise specifically, I think has a pretty deep and longtime relationship with the sec. And Greg Sankey, if the SEC isn't for the bill, I have a hard time believing that Steve Scalise will bring the bill to the floor. And so I think there's active negotiations right now to revise enough of the provisions to get the SEC and then the Big Ten. Right. You get the SEC on board, you probably get the Big Ten on board. They want a lot of the same things. And you know, I don't want to bore you by going provision to through all the provisions that are being revised, but it seems like there's real progress sort of being made. And I would guess, Paul, by maybe Wednesday that will maybe have some kind of resolution on the question of did they change enough in the bill to get the SEC and Big Ten to at least be neutral on it or maybe outright support it.
C
And if that happens, you think it gets the 60 in the Senate if
B
the SEC and Big Ten come on board? Absolutely, yeah. I mean, if you listen, you mentioned, you know, Eric Schmidt, a senator from Missouri, on Friday. He said that he thought even without the sec.
C
So you were with him?
B
Yeah, I was, yeah. Friday morning in D.C. and he said that even without the SEC and Big Ten support, he thought they had in the the low 60s to pass the Senate. But that's just again, not enough to carry through to the House to get them on board. You really want like 70 plus is what they're looking for. I mean, Ted Cruz at one point said he thought he could get 80, but 80 would take the SEC and Big Ten supporting it. Remember, Paul, the SEC and Big Ten have 26 of the 50 senators are from the SEC in Big Ten footprint. Dozens and dozens of congressmen in the House as well.
C
The one other thing the Sankey comment about, and he again, you know him and you've talked to him a million times and you know, he talks about things, he puts things in context. A lot of headlines spread that the SEC has contemplated breakaway. Can you explain what that means? And would there be anybody else joining the SEC if that actually happened?
B
Yeah, I think the question was posed to him today is are the talks real? And he said, yeah, they're real. Right. I think that's what that was his response. But he did clarify it to say while the talks are real, that's not really our preferred path. You know, we want more of a congressional path with some of these revisions in a bill rather than breaking away. And people often, I think, confuse, like break confuse the self governance model, which is what they're discussing with a complete breakaway from the NCAA competitively. Now they're talking about that too. Right, that has come up. Jerry Morehead, the Georgia president, has mentioned that, you know, quite a bit of a competitive breakaway as well. I mean, that would mean pulling out of the cfp, right? All that stuff. I mean that would be a pretty significant move. But the thought is, Paul, you avoid antitrust in legal issues if you oper and govern in a smaller group of school districts.
C
So in theory, the Big Ten might be the drafting partner, but it invites massive litigation.
B
Yeah, right. You mentioned who would like break away with them? Well, separately, the SEC and Big Ten and the other two power leagues too, could all split off and sort of do their own thing and self govern from the conference level and then sort of cross play each other. Sure. Like that. That certainly can happen.
C
Talking to Ross Dellinger, just a couple of minor issues dominating the headlines. What else is, I mean, other than the football season in the back rooms. Are you watching or is that dominating at all?
B
Well, you know, cfp, csc, you know, those two things, the College Sports Commission and the College Football Playoff. The future of those, the College Football Playoff is in the middle of expansion negotiations, obviously, and has been. The commissioner joked that as soon as the College Football Playoff was expanded to 12, they began to talk about when to expand again before you even played a 12 team postseason. And so that conversation is continuing. There's a meeting in August, I think the next meeting with the College Football Playoff commissioners in August, and I think they'll get more information about what a 2014 playoff would look like from the money standpoint, in the schedule standpoint. Standpoint, how it would sort of what it's going to be worth, if it's going to be worth doing it and also how it will align, how the December calendar would fall. So I think we'll learn a lot. They'll learn a lot. I don't know if we will. They'll learn a lot in August. And then there's a late September meeting. It's an annual meeting in Chicago and that's a big meeting. I would assume we might all learn the fate of a CFP expansion in late September. I'm thinking that's a big date to circle if they're going to really pull the trigger for next year on the 24th.
C
So you talked about what needs to happen in Congress, what needs to happen between the Big Ten and the SEC in particular for them to they're together on a lot of things, important thing. But they're not together on that.
B
They're not. I think the SEC, Greg Sankey need to see that a 2014 playoff will generate enough revenue to cover the elimination of his championship game. Right. And he value, although he, he won't say it even if I've asked him before and he won't say it, but he said it in the committee room is that his game is valued at $100 million. So you know, they need a, the SEC itself needs to get $100 million from the increase in the playoff. Now you think about the playoff is ESPN pays 1.3 billion for the 12 team playoff. If you go to 24, that's double. Doesn't mean you double the value. Right. Because you're adding games that are first round games that are low level, that aren't very valuable. Right. So when you talk to people in the industry, they'll tell you that the additional 12 teams in the additional round that you'd add with a 24 team playoff is worth anywhere from 200 to $500 million. And really they need to probably get to at least 300 million to cover all the conference championship game value, eliminating all the power conference championship games. They need to get to that number. I mean there's a lot of optimism they'll get to that number. But there is some other issues. Right. The calendar. I think the latest talk, Paul, is if you get rid of conference championship games, you're off that weekend. So you play your rivalry games on Thanksgiving. You'd be off the weekend of the conference championship games. Army Navy would play that weekend. And then the new first round in a 2014 playoff would be the, the next week The Army Navy Week. What is now the Army Navy Week. Right. And they would bump that earlier. That's kind of the schedule. The way I've understood it, in the quarterfinals will still be on New Year's Day, which means the championship game is still a little later than we all want. And by the way, in the congressional bill, Senate bill, they prohibit the national championship game from being played after January 8th, I believe, or something like that. So there's going to have to be some room there.
C
I missed that. Why is that in the bill?
B
I don't really know, except that I think folks that are writing the bill want the college football season not to overlap with the NFL and don't want it to get too deep into the. Too deep into the January, you know, the semester, which, you know.
D
Agree.
C
Would you have to move the season up considerably?
B
No, I don't think you'd have to move the season up. I think what you'd have to do is you'd have to play a lot of rounds in a row in December.
C
Okay.
B
And you'd have to play the semifinals on New Year's Day, which is a problem for the TV networks because the semifinals, New Year's Day, is obviously college football's weekend. Right. And you want four games, four playoff games on New Year's Day, not two. And so that's. That's going to have to be rectified if they're going to move the championship game up to appease and sort of align with the bill.
C
I have 14,000 more questions. We'll get to them the next time. Ross, always great to see you. Ross Dellinger joining us from Yahoo. We'll take a short break. Heather Dennisch on some of the same subjects, but she will dig into the college football season with us when we come back.
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Always consult your doctor to determine if this product is right for you. You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show
C
podcast, Eastern side of Florida. Heather Dennich, join I gotta watch the
D
opening of your show to know what it was like outside there for a minute. It's the first time I've seen it.
C
Yeah, I mean, somebody said, well, what do you think of Tampa? I don't know. And this is no big deal, but these things are in big hotel ballrooms and outside is not really part of the deal.
D
No, it's not relevant, and I'm okay with that. You mentioned John Matier. I had a great conversation with him.
C
Tell us about it.
D
Yeah, so I asked him specifically about his hand and the injury that he went through last year. And, you know, you don't have to play football to know that you got to have a good grip on the ball. But what I didn't know was about his grip strength test. And he told me that most recently he tested at 150 for his grip strength. But after he came back from that injury, it was at 90. And he talked about just how weak that hand was and how it impacted him. And we also had a good conversation about individual goals because he talked about how early in the season, you know, by the end of September, he's in the Heisman conversation. Things are going great this year. He said he's trying to back away from those personal things. They got a taste of the College Football Playoff, and he was like, that's what matters. That's what matters to me. Now all those other things are great, but it's about the team and getting back to that.
C
Did he explain maybe in more detail, considering how weak his grip was, why he came back for the Texas game?
D
No, we didn't talk specifically about.
C
Because I still don't understand that.
D
Yeah, I mean, the, the quick return.
C
Yeah, it didn't really. I mean, in the argument. You know this better than anyone. It was a CFP argument. If you lose a game without Mattier, maybe you can use that as a, as a, as a, as an argument to, to overcome. That didn't matter in the end.
D
Right.
C
But because they, they, they, they, they went on that roll at the end of the year.
D
They did. But he said that he cringed when he looked back and watched October game film, basically. And you know, just in talking about the mental struggle, I asked him, how hard was that for you to go through that? And he said it was the hardest thing he's ever done in his life.
C
That's, he's what, 22?
D
Yeah. Yes. It's coming for you, bud.
C
So tell us more about your day, because you had a more interesting day than we did. You talked to a lot of really interesting people. So who else were was on your list?
D
I did talk to Coach Drink about the value of conference championship games. I know you were talking to Ross about playoff expansion. And Coach Drinkowicz is one who thinks that the SEC championship game continues to matter. I said, well, why? What are we playing for? And he talked about the importance of that. And I don't think he's the only one. I mean, there are some people. Coaches have questioned it from the day the 12 team playoffs started. I remember talking to Ryan Day at Big Ten media days a while ago and James Franklin that first year, like, well, what's going to be the value of playing in this. But in this conference, some people have questioned it as well. But there are coaches who will tell you it's harder to win the SEC championship or as hard as winning a national title, especially with the league going to nine games.
C
And explain a little bit more on that, because that has been a topic now for over a year. It's now reality. And I'm sure every coach is talking the same way about what they have to deal with on that nine game. Which brings me to the cfp. They're aware of it, but what will they take into consideration because of that additional game?
D
You know, I was talking with our friend Darienoka in the green room earlier today, and I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him. It's not rocket science. People in the selection committee meeting room have played football. They've watched football, they've coached football. You and I both know in watching these games that some of those ACC and Big 12 teams that have two losses did not play as difficult a schedule as some of these SEC teams that have two and three losses. You can certainly pick it apart, but some of them are really obvious and some of them are playing better football than others. That's a fact. And if you look at ESPN research right now, I want to say 15 of the top of the 16 teams are at least in like the top 11 of strength of schedule. The entire SEC strength of schedule in our metrics is within the top 20. I want to say it's, it's up there. So that's real. And the selection committee has strength of schedule metrics that are not far off from espn. So I imagine they're going to be looking at the same thing.
C
Talking to Heather Dinatch about that and Heather, expansion of the cfp. I know there's a lot of important meetings coming up. What can you tell us on that front?
D
Well, much of the same is that there's going to be another meeting in August, but it's more information. And to this point, we've heard SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey say, I'm not opposed to 24, but I need more information. And the information he needs probably at the top of the list is the financials. Are you going to recoup the. I will say 80 to $100 million in value of the SEC.
C
That game changes every time I hear somebody talk about it. At one time it was 50, really, about six months ago, somebody. And then it went to 75.
D
And now it's 100 SEC spring meetings in May. My sources told me 80 to 100 million. So that's what I've been sticking with. But can you, can you recoup that money? And I will say in May, at the Big Ten spring Meetings. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said, we, if we decided to go to 24 tomorrow, we could get rid of our conference championship game in time for the 2027. So they're on a different page.
C
Why is it so much more valuable in theory to the SEC than the Big Ten?
D
I'm not saying the value of the games are anything.
C
It's just how the league values it.
D
Oh, I understand what you're saying. I don't, I don't know the answer to that question. I think some of it is just because they are willing to get rid of that to include more teams overall. Right. It's a, a scheduling thing.
C
So this more information, I'm assuming television networks have something to do with that information. How does that work? Because right now it's espn. If you expand it, it opens the field, does it not?
D
Yes.
C
To other networks, yes.
D
But also at the ACC spring meetings, Commissioner Jim Phillips, I believe went on the Record, publicly stated that ESPN was not in favor of a 2014 playoffs, that ESPN favored a 16 team playoff. So I think the.
C
I doubt that shocked anybody.
D
I think the commissioners understand that. I think a lot of the conversation too, just industry wide, is how much interest is there from all networks on these games.
C
And I realize you cover college football. You're not a media reporter.
D
Thank you.
C
But everywhere you go in media, you hear the same names at Amazon, Netflix, things like that. Are they potential players along with Fox in this conversation?
D
Well, I would imagine. And again, you're asking questions slightly above my pay grade in terms of streaming.
C
I don't know the answer. I'm asking somebody who might.
D
Well, you have to at some point open it up to all options because you've got to get the best value. And that's part of the homework that's being done right now.
C
I'm wondering, because television, live television, is probably as hot as it's ever been. I mean, we just got through watching a month of the World cup and they're already talking about a dramatic increase. So do you think that plays more into where the Big Ten is? Which, which begs the question, why would the SEC not say, okay, you know, we'll do this, but because there's so much more money involved?
D
Well, you just have to know that you're going to get the money. And with all due respect to Kentucky and Vanderbilt, they're not Spain and Argentina, so no, they're not. We're talking about different playoff games here.
C
Right.
D
The value is different.
C
But Georgia and Texas are close with
D
the product fair in this conference. Yes.
C
Heather Dennis, thank you. Always great to see you. We'll see you tomorrow.
D
Thanks, Paul.
C
Heather Dennis joining us as we continue here. A couple more guests as we roll on toward the end of day one. There are four days, in case you were wondering.
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C
We're always thrilled to talk to J.D. pill, who is one of our favorite guests from on three. And J.D. you're asking me what's going on? I'm asking you what's going on because I want to know because you you have an insight perspective that is unique. So what are you most looking forward to this year? In the SEC after hearing Will Stein
G
talk about change Kentucky, I'm like ready to run through a brick wall for big blue nation right now. Paul. That was.
C
Go do it.
G
That was refreshing to me. Now is it going to be this year? I think that'd be a little bit surprising for all of us to see Kentucky have a Indiana level of rise to, to prominence. But I just appreciated his personality. I appreciated him saying the quiet part out loud of like yeah, you hired me to be the difference. Like I, I would hope I'm the difference here at Kentucky. So that was, was fun to hear. Also I think John Mateer seemed like he was a little bit more, I don't know, adjusted to what the SEC spotlight was. So that was interesting. So I think it's really one of those years too Paul, where like it could be anyone from Texas to Oklahoma to an lsu. It feels like a very, very wide open conference this year. So it's fun to unofficially kick things off.
C
Yeah, we always push you for predictions.
G
I love it.
C
I love it. We've asked you before. We're going to keep asking you because the thing about predictions, you can change them. It's not like because you told us something in April. So what is the latest hot meter for J.D.
G
yeah, there's a lot of ways to go there. I think there's going to be five teams from the SEC that get in. I do not think Alabama will be one of those teams. So we can just dive into that if you want. Is that a good place to broken
C
heart to cross the state right now?
G
There's a lot to believe in for me there. There's a lot you're asking me to believe in. You know, it's the brand new offensive line, it's the first year starting quarterback. It's a run game that gets the defibrillator put to it. There's so much there where I'm like, I love Caitlin DeBoer. I think he's a phenomenal coach. I think that he' probably the right guy long term in Tuscaloosa, but there's, there's a, a pretty good jump that I think has to be made for them to be a playoff caliber team. And could Caleb do it? Absolutely. Do I feel comfortable picking them over a team like in Oklahoma at this point in time? The answer is no. So for that reason I think Alabama gets left out in terms of other SC teams that make it. You got Georgia, you got Texas, you got Oklahoma, you know, so you could add them.
C
Who did not hear there? We didn't hear Alabama. We didn't hear Alabama.
G
Alabama.
C
Did you mention Ole Miss?
G
No Ole Miss. No Ole Miss. And I like Ole Miss. Ole Miss doesn't like me, but I like Ole Miss. I don't like them enough to think they're a playoff team.
C
Why don't they like you?
G
You know, they had a lot of one score games last year, Paul, that just broke their way, which is phenomenal. But it's hard for me to believe in the one score game how important on ole misses.
C
I mean, everybody talks about Trinidad and Kewan Lacey, but they don't have the brain trust of the offense anymore.
B
Sure.
C
I mean, it was two people and they're both at LSU now.
G
Paul, the real thing with me, with Ole Miss, that scares me. That run defense wasn't great a year ago. They allowed 4, 5 yards of carry, which is phenomenal. We got a quarterback in Trinidad Shambliss that can pull a rub out of a hat and make things happen for you. But that's just. That's a very risky way to live, you know, I don't think I want to live paycheck to paycheck on the defense that way. I'd much rather feel confident in the defense being awesome up front and then the quarterback be good every now and then and we win, you know, some rock fights. I don't. I don't love Ole Miss in that scenario. I think the style of game they can win is a little bit more of a narrow path than some other teams in the SEC that I just like more.
C
We had Hypo up here about an hour ago, and that's a. Tennessee is an enigma for a lot of people. What are they for you right now?
G
Hypo seemed a little bit more at ease than he had in previous years. Did you pick up on that? Did you feel that?
C
I mean, I think he's coming off of a. He's coming off of a bad season that Tennessee fans said, okay, well, we're not all that upset.
G
So here's my thing with Tennessee, Paul. Hippopotamuses are responsible for almost as much as any deaths of any other animal in the animal kingdom. But you see hippos in like, very cute, very unassuming. They got a great brand. I think that's Tennessee this year. Like Tennessee sort of unassuming. Josh Hyple is a great coach. They got their quarterback battle good for like pat on the head. Tennessee, they'll figure it out. They bring back five guys on the offensive line with seven starts or more, bring back their Top two wide receivers, a thousand yard back into Sean Bishop. I do not think Tennessee is a playoff team. I think they are dangerous and I think they could be the hippo that sneaks up on you if you don't take them seriously.
C
That's what you mean.
G
That's where we go.
C
So I've done the show a long time and you hear bears and tigers, snakes.
G
So inside the box.
C
I have never in my entire career heard anyone bring up the word. I don't know if I've even heard the word hippopotamus since I was like in grade school.
G
It's too inside the box.
C
Yeah.
G
Lion, tigers, bears, hippos.
C
I just have to. This is just. If we have to go to a break in the middle of this, I don't care. So what, what, Is there some fascination with hippos with you? Do you, do you have a, like a pet hippo? What is the deal?
G
I'm glad you asked. So last couple of weeks, went out to San Diego for a wedding and the San Diego Zoo is phenomenal. Took about 20 months go to the hippopotamus exhibit. And then it hit me. I was like, oh, this is Tennessee football. This is Tennessee football. Right.
C
While you're in San Diego, you.
G
That's just like phenomenal zoo.
C
Like hippie, the hippo. You pointed at him and said, you're Tennessee football.
G
Yeah, just the run game, the style.
C
Wearing a coonskin hat.
G
He wasn't. Maybe someone's playing Rocky Top. Yeah, no, it wasn't an orange hippo, but it was a hippo nonetheless. And I was like, you know what? These guys seem so cute in this exhibit and I don't think I'd be scared of them in the wild. But then they sneak up on you and you're like, oh, they got a thousand yard back. They got two receivers that are over 800 yards a year ago. We get the quarterback, right, Paul, we're. We're causing problems.
C
I did this bit, but I used to speak a lot probably 30 years ago where you could go out and say things. I did a bit. It's been replicated about which schools and if you're SEC schools equal women.
G
Okay?
C
So like, it's like I'm not even going to mention the school. Like this school is a cougar or this school. I say that to, to set up the subject of this. Have you thought about
G
which other animals
C
the 16 SEC schools as animals?
G
Not one.
C
Tennessee's a hippo. We know that.
G
Yeah, we could. I mean, we could, we could do that externally right now, if you wanted to.
C
No, I just want to.
G
I want you to think.
C
I mean, you got. You got a, you know, successful podcast. I don't know what you got. Plenty of time to fill this summer.
G
So we said this last year, during that run, Oklahoma, Komodo dragon. Okay. Komodo dragons ugly. Paul. The amount of games I watched last year, watching Oklahoma, I wanted to throw up. Looking at the offense, 17 points each of the last, I'm like, it's. It's disgusting. But if you get in that. In that 4/4 strat, if you had to go into Norman and play them, if you get bit by a Komodo dragon, it's. It's game seven. It's over with. I mean, the saliva alone is poison. And so I was like, it's ugly. I don't like the way it looks. But if Oklahoma bites you, if you got it, you got to get in the cage with Akimoto Dragon and sure enough, playoff team.
C
Let me think before you go. Everybody's talking about Texas. We know what their mascot is, but what are they? Because last year they weren't much.
G
So that's one. I haven't workshopped a whole lot yet.
C
They were. So give me. Give me another one, though.
G
I think Texas, Texas, to me could be a box jellyfish. All right. Lethal. Lethal, right? There's a lot there, but a lot has to. A lot has to be. San Diego Zoo was great. I can't co. Sign it enough. A lot has to come together for Texas offensively to be lethal. A lot has to go wrong for you to get stung by it like box jellyfish. You're not getting hunted down in the wild. You got to have the current hit you and all these things. You gotta have the right concoction.
C
You don't just put your foot in the water at the beach and get hit by a box jellyfish.
G
Right? Right. You have to have some things come together. Texas now gotta have some things. Arch Manning, we gotta play to our potential offensive line. We gotta have it fixed. Like, we gotta have a couple of things now. Have the right circumstances. Preparation means opportunity. Box jellyfish lethal. Texas lethal. Here we go. What do you think? We're workshopping it.
C
I. I mean, I. So, I mean, I don't think I've even ever. I mean, you know more about. I've never even heard of a box jellyfish.
G
Poisonous jellyfish.
C
Okay.
G
One sting, you're done.
C
Okay, so, you know, there's no, like, call 911 and say box jellyfish. Do you have the antidote?
G
I don't think so.
C
Okay.
G
I haven't been stung by one.
C
That's a pretty. That's a pretty gruesome stinging when. Yeah, you're on the way to the. You're on the way to the ER and they say, listen, you might as well just say goodbye right now. You're not. We're not saving you.
G
But a lot has to happen. I mean, Texas Airlines got to get right. The new DC Willis mush champ is going to have to happen.
C
You don't sound overly confident on Texas.
G
I'm confident enough. They're a playoff team. I am at the point with Arch Manning. At the same point, I think you're at four dates into a relationship. You're attracted. You like them. You believe in the future. But it's like I'm not down on the knee for Arch Manning just yet. Saying you're the next best four days isn't.
C
Isn't a lot.
G
I know we're getting. I want to. I want to. I want to learn more. I want to learn more about you. Go on more dates. We'll see what archmaning is.
C
Okay. I could do this forever, but they're telling me we have another guest. And he better not get stung by a bucks jellyfish. I feel sometimes like I am been run over by hippopotamus. What a conversation with J.D. patel.
G
Thank you, Paul.
C
Appreciate you.
B
Thank you for listening to the Best
A
of the Paul Finebaum show podcast.
B
Watch the Paul Feinbaum show weekdays from 3 to 7 Eastern on the SEC Network. Plus you can listen and watch on the ESPN app. You know, when you're locked in, focused and fearless.
D
Welcome to the wnba.
B
Your vision narrows.
C
You can't look away.
B
Every assist, every stop, every logo. Three from beyond the logo, every.
D
Did you see that moment?
B
You bet.
G
What records are going to be broken this season?
B
All of it. Right here.
C
Lock in.
B
It's the WNBA on ESPN all season long.
Date: July 20, 2026
Host: Paul Finebaum (C)
Featured Guests: Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports (B); Heather Dinich, ESPN (D); JD PicKell, On3 (G)
Location: SEC Media Days, Tampa, Florida
This episode, recorded during the first day of SEC Media Days in Tampa, centers on the rapidly evolving legislative and competitive landscapes of college football. Paul Finebaum welcomes Ross Dellenger to dissect congressional progress on college athletics reform, discusses playoff expansion and governance with both Dellenger and ESPN’s Heather Dinich, and finishes with JD PicKell’s energetic preview of the wild, unpredictable SEC season—including some truly unique college football/animal metaphors!
Guest: Ross Dellenger
Timestamps: 00:41 – 07:28
Current State of Legislation
House and Senate Dynamics
SEC Breakaway Scenarios
Guests: Ross Dellenger & Heather Dinich
Timestamps: 07:43 – 22:01
CFP Expansion: From 12 to 24 Teams
Negotiations are active; key questions include revenue (must offset or surpass the $80-100 million value the SEC places on its conference championship game), schedule feasibility, and calendar conflicts (especially with the NFL and academic semesters).
"There's a meeting in August… and then a late September meeting in Chicago… I would assume we might all learn the fate of a CFP expansion in late September." (Dellenger, 07:43–09:00)
Legislative wrinkle: the bill may prohibit the championship game after January 8th, pressuring the schedule (11:34–12:05).
Conference Championships: Value & Purpose
Guest: Heather Dinich
Timestamps: 21:28 – 22:40
TV Rights and Media Landscape
Value of Games, Market Realities
Guest: JD PicKell
Timestamps: 26:00 – 35:59
SEC Preview and Program Outlooks
Tennessee as the “Hippo” of the SEC
Playoff Picture
Hour 4 from Tampa captures the pulse of the SEC and college football’s broader future—balancing Washington D.C. politics, playoff aspirations, TV dollars, and pure gridiron unpredictability. Dellenger provides critical updates on legislation, Dinich unpacks playoff expansion practicalities, and JD PicKell amplifies the energy with animal metaphors that capture each team’s unique threat level.
If you missed this episode: You missed sharp insight into how college football will look—and feel—over the next pivotal year.