Podcast
The Solid Verbal College Football
Hosted by iHeartPodcasts · EN
College football in all its glory. Ditch the mainstream and break the huddle with The Solid Verbal. Since 2008, Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein have been shaking up the college football podcasting scene with their fun and unique blend of commentary. Whether you're a diehard or a casual observer, the show taps into your fandom with spirited debates, fresh perspectives, and segments you won't hear anywhere else. Recognized as trailblazers in the podcasting world, The Solid Verbal isn't just another college football show—it's America's College Football Podcast. Become a Verballer today and join thousands of others who don't just love college football, they live it!
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72episodes
Episodes
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ACC Preview: Part 3 - Clemson’s Crossroads, Virginia Tech’s Reboot & NC State Hope | College Football
2d ago01:25:51Summary readyIn this college football podcast episode, we finish our three-part preview of the ACC by turning our attention to the defending conference champions and several of the league’s most difficult teams to project. Can Duke keep finding ways to win after another major quarterback change? Does Clemson have a real plan for getting back into the College Football Playoff conversation? And can Louisville once again rebuild its offense around a new transfer quarterback without losing ground near the top of the conference? We also dig into James Franklin’s full-scale reboot at Virginia Tech, Ty’s increasingly dangerous belief in NC State, and a pivotal season for Brent Key at Georgia Tech. With new quarterbacks, rebuilt offensive lines, coordinator changes and transfer portal additions everywhere, how much confidence should we place in recognizable coaches and favorable schedules? Plus, we examine why Cal could become one of the most entertaining teams in college football, whether Syracuse can recover with Steve Angeli back under center, and what Bill O’Brien can realistically build at Boston College. Elsewhere, Dan experiments with performance-enhancing inhalers, Ty launches Bros for Brohm, the Calgorithm gains strength, and we issue another annual warning about hiring Ted Roof. Timecodes:0:00 - Intro4:01 - Duke Blue Devils Preview14:26 - Clemson Tigers Preview25:00 - NC State Wolfpack Preview32:29 - Louisville Cardinals Preview40:22 - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Preview50:36 - Virginia Tech Hokies Preview1:06:02 - Cal Golden Bears Preview1:12:53 - Syracuse Orange Preview1:18:03 - Boston College Eagles Preview1:22:33 - Parting ShotsSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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ACC Preview: Part 2 - Miami’s Title Push, SMU’s Next Step, Mike Norvell's Hot Seat & Notre Dame | College Football
5d ago01:24:37Summary readyIn this college football podcast episode, we continue our 2026 ACC preview with conversations about eight conference teams and Notre Dame. Is this finally the year Miami turns its loaded roster into its first conference championship? How high is the ceiling for an Irish squad with College Football Playoff expectations, a Heisman candidate at quarterback, and more talent than ever? We also examine whether SMU is ready to take another step under Rhett Lashlee, whether Virginia can build on last season’s breakthrough with defense and small ball, and whether Pitt can turn another fast start into something more sustainable. Florida State enters a defining seventh season under Mike Norvell, while North Carolina begins Year 2 of the Bill Belichick experiment with Bobby Petrino running the offense. Wake Forest remains dangerous, strange and difficult to play, while Stanford begins a patient rebuild under Tavita Pritchard. Plus: The Davis Warren Commission, Mid-Atlantic Hawkeyes, quarterback passport stamps, an unexpected amount of Train trivia, HGTV renovation metaphors, and an important reminder to wash your produce. Timestamps:0:00 - Intro5:11 - Virginia Cavaliers Preview17:30 - Miami Hurricanes Preview29:13 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview41:14 - SMU Mustangs Preview47:04 - Pitt Panthers Preview53:29 - Florida State Seminoles Preview1:03:32 - North Carolina Tar Heels Preview1:08:08 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons Preview1:14:03 - Stanford Cardinal PreviewSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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ACC Preview: Part 1 - Contender Tiers & What Happens After Miami? | College Football
1w ago01:17:18Summary readyIn this college football podcast episode, we begin our three-part 2026 ACC preview by zooming out and attempting to make sense of the conference as a whole. Miami enters the season as the clear favorite, with Darian Mensah taking over at quarterback and another roster built to reach the College Football Playoff. But can the Hurricanes finally win their first ACC championship? From there, we sort the rest of the ACC into contender tiers and confront the question that defines the league this season: Who comes after Miami? We debate how much to trust Kevin Jennings and SMU, Jeff Brohm’s latest rebuild at Louisville, Clemson’s return to Chad Morris and the long list of possible challengers lurking in the conference’s crowded middle. We also examine the unusually unsettled quarterback landscape, widespread offensive line turnover, the arrival of James Franklin at Virginia Tech and the pressure facing Mike Norvell at Florida State. Plus, we identify our ACC pet teams, search for surprise storylines and hold an entirely unnecessary conference nickname draft.Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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G6 Previews: Part 2 - Pac-12, Mountain West & CUSA + UConn | College Football
1w ago01:34:27Summary readyIn this college football podcast episode, we continue our 2026 Group of Six conference previews by breaking down the resurrected Pac-12, the new-look Mountain West and a wide-open Conference USA. We start with Boise State’s move into the Pac-12 and discuss whether the Broncos are truly a College Football Playoff threat or simply the best team in their new neighborhood. From there, we examine the cases for Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State and Washington State, along with the conference’s unusual plan to flex matchups during the final week of the regular season. The Mountain West has undergone an even more dramatic transformation, with North Dakota State making the jump to FBS and Northern Illinois and UTEP entering the league. Can NDSU immediately contend with UNLV and New Mexico? Does Hawaii have enough around Micah Alejado to make a run? And can Air Force, Wyoming or one of the conference’s rebuilding programs force its way into the race? We also venture into Conference USA, where Western Kentucky may be the preseason favorite, but Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty and several recent FBS arrivals give us plenty of reasons to question the established order. Finally, we bolt independent UConn onto the end of the preview and explore Jason Candle’s attempt to rebuild a roster that lost nearly everything from last season. Timestamps:0:00 - Intro5:05 - Pac-12 Conference Preview38:44 - Mountain West Conference Preview1:09:55 - CUSA Conference Preview1:27:24 - UConn Football PreviewSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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G6 Previews: Part 1 - The American, Sun Belt & MAC Conference Previews | College Football
2w ago01:35:25Summary readyIn this episode, we kick off our 2026 conference preview series with Part 1 of our Group of Six rundown, covering the American, Sun Belt and MAC. With coaching changes, transfer portal churn, new coordinators and a whole lot of roster turnover, we try to figure out which teams are actually built to contend and which ones are more mystery box than finished product. We start in the American, where UTSA, Navy, Memphis, Army, FAU, USF and ECU all have some version of a case, even if nearly every team comes with one glaring question. Then we move to the Sun Belt, where James Madison enters a new era with Billy Napier, Old Dominion has real intrigue, Louisiana and Troy headline the West, and nobody feels quite as loaded as last year. Finally, we close with the MAC, where Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan appear to be the class of the conference, while Toledo, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Ohio and Eastern Michigan crowd into a very meaty middle. Plus: Dan’s questionable subtitle, a punny new vehicle at Coastal Carolina, Lunch Winfield, Goose Crowder, Sacramento State’s strange MAC arrival, Keldric Luster, and the looming joy of the Ball-Sac rivalry. Timestamps:0:00 - Intro6:37 - American Conference Preview46:40 - Sun Belt Conference Preview1:11:00 - MAC PreviewSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Intro to the 2026 College Football Season
2w ago01:20:21Summary readyIn this episode, we officially welcome ourselves back to college football with a full 2026 season primer. Before preview season begins in earnest, we reset the board with the biggest changes you need to know, from conference realignment, new teams, and bowl games to rule tweaks, the coaching carousel and a longer road to the national championship in Las Vegas. Consider this your intro course for the upcoming season. We also run through the biggest names and roster moves shaping the season, including a huge crop of new head coaches, notable broadcast changes, the biggest transfer portal targets, and the quarterback storylines that could define the year. Plus, we look at early national title odds, conference favorites, Group of Six playoff contenders, and the broader themes we’ll be tracking all summer as our full preview series gets underway. Also: the Ball-Sac rivalry, North Dakota State’s FBS arrival, the triumph of bike shorts, the return of the Poinsettia Bowl, and a joyous march in the Fleck Parade. Timestamps:0:00 - Welcome back3:35 - What is this episode?6:26 - The Basics10:20 - Notable Changes30:16 - New Coaches35:49 - Announcer Changes39:52 - Notable Transfers56:16 - Big Storylines1:01:34 - The Odds1:06:21 - Common Themes1:15:57 - Parting ThoughtsSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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July Q&A: Surprise Contenders, New Coach Leashes & Ice Cream Sundaes | College Football
3w ago01:25:30Summary readyIn this July Q&A episode, we open up the mailbag and tackle a wide-ranging batch of offseason questions. Which teams could become this year’s surprise contenders? Is Utah still a threat after major coaching and roster turnover? Can Texas Tech buy its way out of an old perception? And what do the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rules mean for the future of roster building? Plus, we talk portal spending, quarterback development, new coaching leashes at Michigan State, Penn State and Virginia Tech, college football’s value as a live-event experience compared to the World Cup, EA Sports dynasty strategy, social media guardrails, and sundae bars.Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Chris Fallica on Weird Stats, the Transfer Portal & Letdown Lookahead Sandwiches | College Football
4w ago00:58:17Summary readyIn this episode, we welcome Chris Fallica of Fox Sports, Big Noon Kickoff and Bear Bets to talk through college football from the perspective of a researcher, bettor, traveler and longtime media fixture. We get into how he studies the sport this time of year, what numbers actually matter, how the transfer portal has changed preseason projections, and why college football remains so difficult to evaluate in an era of super conferences, roster churn and wildly uneven schedules. We also dig into the art of finding weird stats, the value of schedule spots, the eternal appeal of the letdown lookahead sandwich, and whether elevation deserves a bigger place in how we talk about home-field advantage. Plus, Chris shares a few early thoughts on teams he trusts and teams he is more skeptical of heading into 2026, with Indiana, Miami, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Florida State and Arkansas all coming up along the way. Before the interview, we also react to the latest twist in the Brendan Sorsby saga after the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft. Timestamps:0:00 - Intro4:13 - Brendan Sorsby denied NFL Supplemental Draft8:29 - Chris Fallica joinsSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Brendan Sorsby's Exit + Message Board Madness | College Football
Jun 1800:48:52Tap to summarizeIn this college football podcast episode, we react to the latest and likely final twist in the Brendan Sorsby saga, as the now-former Texas Tech quarterback backs off his NCAA lawsuit and turns his attention toward the NFL Supplemental Draft. After weeks of legal maneuvering, Big 12 pushback, public statements and fan frustration, we try to make sense of how the situation became untenable, what it means for Texas Tech, and where the Red Raiders go from here with Will Hammond now back in the spotlight. Then, with preview season still a few weeks away, we open the window into the weirdest corners of college football fandom with help from the Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) social feed. We dig through offseason fan brain at Texas Tech, Florida State, LSU, Washington, Oregon and beyond, touching on conference realignment fantasies, private investigator hypotheticals, Lane Kiffin’s housing situation, recruiting angst, national title expectations and one Auburn thread that probably should not have made it onto a college football podcast. Plus: a new logo is on the way, Ty’s voice is still recovering, Dan pitches an “immersive college football experience,” and things end with an unfortunate discussion of fermented Japanese green plums. Timestamps:0:00 - Intro2:05 - Brendan Sorsby to enter NFL Supplemental Draft27:22 - Message Board GemsSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Teeter Teams: Florida, Arizona State, Wisconsin & Teams Living On The Edge | College Football
Jun 1600:58:47Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we examine the most interesting college football teams hovering around the bowl eligibility line in 2026. With win totals sitting at 5.5 or 6.5, these are the teams that could just as easily surge to 8-4 as stumble into 5-7, and we try to figure out which direction they’re headed before preview season officially begins. We start with Florida and the Jon Sumrall reboot, then dig into Arizona State’s questions, Kentucky’s brutal SEC schedule, Minnesota’s surprisingly low win total, and Virginia Tech’s fascinating reset under James Franklin. Plus, we debate whether TCU has enough runway and whether Wisconsin is finally ready to clear the bar under Luke Fickell. Also: Dan searches for a new lease, Ty searches for a Seattle soccer ticket, third-quarter sing-along traditions, the dangers of too many stadium sound effects, and how fuzzy June math led us directly to the today's concept. Timestamps:0:00 - Intro7:25 - Explaining Teeter Teams9:32 - Florida Gators16:47 - Arizona State Sun Devils23:29 - Kentucky Wildcats30:10 - Minnesota Golden Gophers37:52 - Virginia Tech Hokies44:18 - TCU Horned Frogs49:59 - Wisconsin BadgersSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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