Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIt’s the latest Split Zone Duo audience Q&A with Steven Godfrey, who got a LOT of Phil Longo- and Sconnie-related angst in the inbox, so let's do that. Also, are we set up for more and better non-con games in this weird reality? Also, Godfrey is ON BOARD for Friday Night Green Lantern Lights. Producer: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey wrote for the Washington Post about the SEC and Big Ten’s effort to monopolize more of the College Football Playoff. In this episode, he and Richard discuss the Power 2’s latest leverage play, which may not even help those two leagues at all but could hurt a lot of teams (including their TV partners). Producer: Anthony Vito

Our previews of dozens of games in Week 6. Highlights include: * Things getting bleak at several ACC schools* Navy’s chance to dunk Air Force * A sneaky great SMU-Louisville matchup * Indiana is still happening* Go get ‘em, App State * Could Auburn-UGA not be a blowout? * OKST’s impending turnaround * The G5 Hipster Game of the Week * Clemson has FSU on a tee * Ashton Jeanty Heisman Watch * “The worst 5-0 team in college football” * Michigan: Run it back * Cal: the center of the CFB universe, at least until game time* Texas Tech is a mid-2010s Big 12 time machine Production: Anthony VitoWANT TO WIN FREE TIRES AND SUPPORT SZD? Head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and nominate a Road Trip of the Week for next week. When you do, you’ll be entered in a monthly tire drawing. This week’s featured nominee is Miami at Cal, which will be a great football day in the Bay. Thanks to Nokian Tyres! SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS, COMFY AND FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Our code for 20% off your first order at Homefield is SZD20. Our shirt collection, in partnership with Homefield, is at homefieldapparel.com/szd.This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help a close friend of our show and his family as they deal with a medical crisis. Further information is here: https://tinyurl.com/wesboling This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard and Godfrey lead a 30-minute (ish) recap of the weekend in college football. Alabama beats Georgia in an instant classic. Oklahoma comes back on Auburn. Kansas State establishes itself as the Big 12 favorite. Tulane crushes USF. Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter keep making Heisman arguments. And much, much more from a busy Week 5.Programming note: We will be conducting a comprehensive investigation into who could have left Texas Tech-Cincinnati off of the rundown.Producer: Anthony Vito. THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This week’s Trip of the Week was Washington State at Boise State. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAre TV timeouts really longer this year? The answer has two parts. SZD obtained years of documents outlining how media timeouts work in SEC games on ESPN. There’s been no short-term change. (That LSU-South Carolina game was just a weird one, our analysis shows.) But the long-term trend tells its own story about viewers losing more and more of their time to in-game advertising. Then, to help us parse what we’ve learned, we welcome a guest: Bob Thompson, a sports media consultant and the former president of the Fox Sports Networks. Bob talks with Richard and Alex about the forces shaping our viewing experience, whether there’s any way to lighten the commercial load in a world of ever-growing rights fees, and if the Pac-12’s fight with the Mountain West will wind up worthwhile for Washington State, Oregon State, and their friends. Producer: Anthony Vito ALSO THIS WEEK AT SPLIT ZONE DUO* The Week 5 Tasting Menu: Representations Were Made

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex preview Week 5, a schedule led by Georgia-Alabama but with dozens of other interesting games beyond. Plus: What should we make of undefeated UNLV’s QB leaving the program amid a payment dispute? There hasn’t been anything quite like this in the history of the sport. Let’s also talk more about Mack Brown’s bizarre week at UNC heading into a rivalry game. Producer: Anthony VitoTHE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This week’s Trip of the Week? Heck yeah, it’s unbeaten Wazzu at Boise State. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The Week 4 Sunday Hurry-Up! Tennessee handled business against an Oklahoma team with a QB problem. North Carolina’s defense did not defend. BYU put a dominant showing on Kansas State. Miami and Clemson flexed their muscles in the ACC. Colorado delivered a psychic blow to Dave Aranda. Appalachian State and the MAC are both in a world of pain, while Southern Miss looks like a matter of time. Plus an incredible Friday night slate when teams made a bunch of weird decisions. We cover it all in 30 minutes—or more. Producer: Anthony Vito THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This weekend’s Road Trip, as voted on by the people, was UCLA-LSU. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey's dipping a bit into coach gossip, mainly because Florida State is winless and Florida's even worse. But let's poke around on a few other places, including Arkansas, of course, before stress-testing the narrative on bowl sites for playoff rounds and extolling the virtues of physical media.Producer: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comOregon State and Washington State lopped off the top of the Mountain West to create the beginnings of a new conference. The move has marginal benefits, but we’re skeptical it will change much about the pecking order outside the power conferences. Meanwhile, the Mountain West has limited options, and the American Athletic could find itself doing some WEIRD things. We play fantasy conference commissioner and chart some paths forward. Production: Anthony VitoThis episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can hear a free preview. Free subscribers can still hear the Week 4 Tasting Menu, our preview of the games ahead. Paid subscribers get another show this week, and everyone gets the Sunday Hurry-Up recap after games have been played.

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex preview Week 4. Meet some freshman running backs at Baylor and South Alabama. Prepare for the return of Josh Heupel to Oklahoma. Consider USC beating Michigan by multiple scores. Marvel at how ridiculous a Friday night Stanford-Syracuse conference game is. And try to figure out a big question: What happened to Oklahoma State’s running game? The Pokes need to figure it out quickly with Utah coming to town. Producer: Anthony VitoTHE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This week’s Trip of the Week? It’s UCLA’s visit to the LSU tailgate scene. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard and Alex give you a loaded but brief recap of everything interesting in college football’s Week 3. West Virginia blows another road Backyard Brawl, Washington State delivers some justice, FSU’s misery continues, LSU and South Carolina play a wild (and long) one, South Alabama scores 87 points, and notes from dozens more games over the weekend. Producer: Anthony Vito. THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This weekend’s Road Trip, as voted on by the people, was the Apple Cup. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey's talking about Hugh Freeze because YOU made him, and we'll check in on messy situations at Kentucky, Cincinnati and elsewhere. Also, what's the ACC Network worth, really? And why are so many good games on weeknights this week? This episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can hear a preview. Production: Anthony VitoALSO THIS WEEK FROM SPLIT ZONE DUO* The Week 3 Tasting Menu, previewing the weekend * Overtime: What a surprising AD firing says about the job* Sunday: The Sunday Hurry-Up, recapping the games

Week 3 is light on blockbusters but heavy on rivalry games, including the newly relocated Apple Cup, the game formerly known as the Civil War, and the Backyard Brawl. The weeknight slate has a couple of great games, starting with Arizona State’s visit to Texas State. In this show, Alex, Richard, and Steven take you through dozens of games they think will be interesting. Producer: Anthony Vito.THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most compelling CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This week’s Road Trip of the Week: the Apple Cup in Seattle. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR THE BOLING FAMILY: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. MORE EPISODES COMING THIS WEEK: * Overtime, a weekly bonus show for paid subscribers, where the SZD crew goes deeper on a topic we think you’ll be interested in * The Single Wing Q&A with Steven Godfrey for paid subscribers * The Sunday Hurry-Up for everyone, recapping the weekend’s action in the longest 30 minutes you’ve ever heard in your life This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Alex and Richard take you through Week 2 of the college football season. NIU wrecks a promising Notre Dame season, Texas State crushes rival UTSA, Iowa State deals a major blow to Iowa, and much, much more. Production: Anthony Vito. THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This week’s Road Trip of the Week: Arkansas at Oklahoma State. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey's going rapid fire over y'all's week one reactions, most of which need to simmer and absorb some more info. We talk about Miami, Clemson, Nevada, Georgia Southern, Boise, Memphis, Virginia Tech, UNLV, A&M and a bunch more.Producer: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThe modern Week 1 schedule means that one Sunday night game and one Monday night game get the whole sport’s attention. That also means they’re liable to produce overreactions. What did we really learn about USC, LSU, Florida State, and Boston College? What are the greatest Week 1 overreactions of our era? And which team’s early showing is likeliest to be a trick this time around? This episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can hear a free preview. Producer: Anthony Vito.THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This week’s Road Trip of the Week: Arkansas at Oklahoma State. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. LATELY FROM SPLIT ZONE DUO* The Week 2 Tasting Menu, covering dozens of games * The Sunday Hurry-Up recap of Week 1

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex preview Week 2 of the 2024 college football season (14:10) after discussing one of Week 1’s hot topics: the state of College GameDay and Kirk Herbstreit’s dog in the broadcast booth. In Week 2: Texas and Michigan play a blockbuster that may not live up to it on the field, K-State and Tulane might have the game of the day, UTSA and Texas State have legit Playoff implications, Iowa and Iowa State might play a slightly more offensive game than usual, NC State needs to remember that Tennessee can also run the ball, and Colorado and Nebraska play a game with lots of storylines. Plus, why the week’s testiest game might be ULM against UAB. Producer: Anthony Vito.THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. This week’s Road Trip of the Week: Arkansas at Oklahoma State. SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd. And if you’ve never ordered from Homefield before and are shopping around the whole catalog, use our code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order. MORE EPISODES COMING THIS WEEK: * Overtime, a weekly bonus show for paid subscribers, where the SZD crew goes deeper on a topic we think you’ll be interested in * The Single Wing Q&A with Steven Godfrey for paid subscribers * The Sunday Hurry-Up for everyone, recapping the weekend’s action in the longest 30 minutes you’ve ever heard in your life This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The Split Zone Duo Sunday Hurry-Up returns! Alex and Richard take you on a 30-ish-minute jaunt through everything that was interesting in the first week of the 2024 college football season. Miami demoralized Florida, Notre Dame’s offensive line came through when Texas A&M’s QB did not, Georgia reiterated that it’s in a different class than Clemson, Penn State and Tennessee got exciting QB showings, Vanderbilt did something fun, Arizona might have the best QB-WR tandem anywhere, Boise State got an all-time running back performance, Sam Houston had a breakthrough, and much, much more. NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Enter your pick for Week 2 and be entered in a monthly drawing at nokiantyres.com/szd.Production by Anthony Vito. We’ll see you on Wednesday for the Week 2 Tasting Menu and bonus show. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIn this show, Godfrey answers questions from SplitZoneDuo.com subscribers. Godfrey is neither 1) good at predicting things nor 2) claiming to be, but the results are decent-ish, at least when it comes to K-State. Maybe Florida? Let's talk about how to better hate your rival, when to DVR a CFB weekend and go do something else, and how to find a job you don't hate.Producer: Anthony Vito. Also this week! * The Week 1 Tasting Menu * Overtime, Week 1: Bonus show on CFB roster subterfuge * 2024 kickoff with Ty Hildenbrandt of The Solid Verbal

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAuburn lists 37 defensive starters. Georgia won’t release a depth chart, so Clemson won’t. Several teams with obvious starting quarterbacks will not acknowledge reality. CFB lineup secrecy has gotten ridiculous, but there’s a more troubling piece of it in 2024: the lack of uniform injury reporting. Why is it such a problem? Not exactly for the most commonly stated reason. Producer: Anthony VitoTHE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. (We all use them and have found them to be great wheels.)SPLIT ZONE DUO SHIRTS FOR A CAUSE NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd.LATELY FROM SPLIT ZONE DUO* The Week 1 Tasting Menu* 2024 kickoff with Ty Hildenbrandt of The Solid Verbal

Alex, Richard, and Godfrey take a long, detailed trip through the Week 1 schedule, from NDSU-Colorado to Clemson-UGA to JMU-Charlotte to USC-LSU and beyond. Congrats on making it through the offseason. Let’s talk ball.Producer: Anthony VitoTHE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. (We all use them and have found them to be great wheels.)SZD SHIRTS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard links up with the godfather of CFB podcasters, Ty Hildenbrandt of The Solid Verbal. Ty has just about seen it all in CFB podcasting, so let’s ask him: How has the game changed behind the mic? After that, considering the interesting nexus of Ty’s fandoms, we talk Notre Dame/Penn State, and considering where we both live, we have RUTGERS TAKES.Production by Anthony Vito. Thanks to Ty and co-host Dan Rubenstein for their years of friendship. You can find The Solid Verbal wherever you get podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAfter previewing all 134 FBS teams for the 2024 season, it’s predictions time. Split Zone Duo picks Heisman Trophy finalists, players and games of the year, coaches to be fired and hired, conference champions, and the 12 teams in the expanded College Football Playoff. What will happen this season? Now there’s no reason to even play the games, because we’ve already figured it out. At the end of the season, we’ll dig up this time capsule and see how we did. Production: Anthony Vito.SZD shirts to support the Boling family: https://homefieldapparel.com/szd Fund to support the family: https://tinyurl.com/wesboling

Oregon State and Washington State face unprecedented situations, but not exactly the same one on the field in 2024. Richard, Godfrey, and Alex break down the Pac-12 that’s now a Pac-2. Oregon State is rebuilding almost from scratch, while Washington State has a little bit more left in the tank from the old world. In a brutal moment for both of them, the Beavs and Cougs will hunt for silver linings. Production by Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The ranks of the FBS independent schools are down to three (and still getting smaller). Richard, Godfrey, and Alex talk about UConn and UMass to start, and then Jessica Smetana (18:44) joins for a state of the union talk about Notre Dame: What’s the belief level right now in Marcus Freeman? Has Notre Dame secured its independence forever? How is the fanbase’s relationship with Peacock? Will the Irish be able to block anyone on the edges this year? And will this program ever again have a game-breaking wideout? We discuss all of it. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Join our FCS Upset Draft at www.splitzoneduo.com, and try to pick the correct FCS wins over FBS teams. Craig Haley is the FCS senior editor for Stats Perform. He’s one of the longest tenured and most respected reporters covering FCS football, and he joins Alex to provide an overview of the 2024 season. Who’s a serious national title contender? Where are big steps back expected? Is this the year another FCS QB from the Dakotas makes a huge national name for himself? And which FCS teams have the best chance to pull off major upsets in FBS stadiums?Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The return of the MAC on Split Zone Duo! We preview the 2024 season, as Miami tries to defend its title and establish itself as something like what Toledo has been. Bowling Green tries to remain solid, NIU aims to run over you while playing good defense, Ohio wants to at least tote the rock well, and EMU becomes one of Godfrey’s favorite teams. You won’t believe who now coordinates the WMU offense. Things are going quite poorly at CMU, in more ways than one. Ball State looks to recapture lightning in a bottle. Buffalo tries to get a coach to hang around for a while. Akron and Kent State want … anything. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

SZD previews the Sun Belt: Appalachian State is the favorite in the East, but Coastal Carolina had a more promising first year under Tim Beck than you realized. James Madison resets, Georgia Southern really needs to start winning, Marshall is in the danger zone, ODU is the site of a scandal, and Georgia State is worth checking back in on in a few months. Meanwhile, Texas State (!) is the favorite in the West. Troy underwent a million changes, Louisiana has a serious defense, Arkansas State should make a bowl, and South Alabama made a coaching hire that’s worth debating. Southern Miss has an opportunity in front of it, and, hey, ULM has some competence right now. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey sits down with longtime Big Ten and Ohio State writer Doug Lesmerises of "Kings of the North" in a traditional north/south idealogical spar that's anything but. We talk about the origins of Doug trying to redefine the northern and midwestern identities of college football and the lopsided decades of Southern dominance that got the sport to this point. Production: Anthony Vito.

Liberty is a heavy favorite after dominating Conference USA in its first season in the league. So let’s start at the bottom of CUSA and work our way up. Will Kennesaw State (4:06) be glad it moved to FBS? Sam Houston (9:56) had a miserable first year and looks to build something in its sophomore FBS season. UTEP and New Mexico State (13:18) have raced in opposite directions lately, but gravity might pull them back together. Is Louisiana Tech (19:39) the “bad situation” of the year? Derek Mason represents a new day at Middle Tennessee (22:43), but it may be best to check back in later. FIU (26:35) needs to not have any trouble with FCS opponents. The top of the conference (28:37) belongs to Liberty until further notice, but WKU and Jacksonville State look like plausible challengers—or, at least, the closest thing to it. Production by Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard, Alex, and Godfrey break down the American Athletic Conference ahead of the 2024 season. Memphis (3:00) looks like it’s primed for a run, but UTSA and Tulane (10:12) are strong in their own ways. USF (19:21) was a minor breakout team in 2023. Is another step forward in store? Which bad to mediocre team from the ECU, Rice, UAB, and North Texas crop (22:37) could make a leap? Why is Army in the AAC now, and how does it stack up with Navy? (27:45) Is it possible to find optimism at Charlotte, USF, or, gasp, Temple? (32:57) Can Tom Herman at FAU move toward a sequel of his old AAC success? (37:27) Then, let’s run through the SZD preseason superlatives for what might be the best Group of 5 league. Production by Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThe NCAA and Michigan have moved to the “leak wars” portion of their fight over sign-stealing. Godfrey, Richard, and Alex discuss the art of NCAA investigation crisis comms, why elevating Sherrone Moore was a good hiring decision that would inevitably hasten this confrontation, where Michigan has a point and where it doesn’t, and how just about everyone in this ridiculous saga will get to claim a victory (except Central Michigan). Production: Anthony Vito.

It’s a Mountain West preview from Richard Johnson, Steven Godfrey, and Alex Kirshner. To start, let’s talk about Utah State firing Blake Anderson right before the season (3:02) and Fresno State also needing a preseason coach replacement for Jeff Tedford (13:16). Is Boise State as overwhelming a favorite over Fresno and UNLV as media voters seem to think? (14:16) Can either Colorado State or Air Force break their typical mold? (29:35) What should we expect from new coaches at San Jose State, San Diego State, and Wyoming? (37:11) What is with Alex’s anti-Craig Bohl agenda at Wyoming? Will Ken Niumatalolo run the option at San Jose State? Would you rather be handling the rebuild at New Mexico or Nevada? (51:44) How should we assess Hawaii’s long rebuild under Timmy Chang? (57:27) Then let’s close with preseason MWC superlatives. Production by Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The 18-team Big Ten gets the SZD preseason preview treatment. What are reasonable expectations for last year’s title game teams, Michigan and Washington? (5:59) Is there any way things could go very badly for Ohio State and Oregon? (21:24) Will Penn State figure out a way to move the ball through the air? (34:54) Do we see a dark horse between the stylistically clashing Iowa, USC, and even Wisconsin? (39:02) How will life be for the Big Ten East non-contenders who have now seen that division go away? Is Indiana about to do something big?? (58:34) Will Nebraska break its bowl skid? We think so (73:49). Is UCLA closer to its 2023 record or everything that’s happened since? (78:31) David Braun’s debut at Northwestern was sizzling, but it might get harder now, while Minnesota, Purdue, and Illinois all face their own post-West challenges. (86:57). Then it’s time for SZD’s preseason Big Ten superlatives. Production by Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Doomberg runs the biggest financial newsletter on Substack, explaining money and markets to a quarter-million subscribers every week. Alex Kirshner, a skeptic of private equity money in college sports, asks Doomberg a bunch of questions about why institutional money is poised to come to college football, what it will mean, and who it will benefit. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey opens the notebook for an all-coaching carousel mailbag to set the agenda for 2024. Two Mountain West jobs are already open, and there's a healthy retirement watch list before we even get to the Hot Seat Proper. Let's figure out who's gettin' that sweet buyout money and when. Production: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThere’s always lots happening in college football in South Florida. Richard interviews a pair of experts on the state of the FBS teams in the region: Kevin Fielder of Rivals breaks down FAU and FIU, who are perpetually jockeying for South Florida G5 supremacy. And then Adam Lichtenstein, the Miami beat writer for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, tells us what to make of the The U heading into a pivotal season for Mario Cristobal. This is Part 2 in a series, after Richard and the Tampa Bay Times’ Matt Baker got into North Florida business. Production: Anthony Vito. It’s SZD Relaunch Week! And it’s an excellent time to become a paid subscriber ahead of the season. Here’s what we’ve had to offer over these few days: * Monday: The EA Sports video game field guide and review* Tuesday: The 2024 SEC preview show * Wednesday: Steven Godfrey makes nice with Michigan at long last * Thursday: This “State of the State” item on South Florida * Friday: Coach Gossip returns with a special Godfrey Single Wing. He answers subscriber questions about the state of the coaching carousel entering the season. There’s a lot to go over. Schedule is subject to change at the whims of the podcast gods. Watch Dead Letters Nebraska, The Video! Subscribe on YouTube if you’d like us to do more of these, or just let us know in the comments. We had fun making this one!

Oil and water. The Capulets and the Montagues. Michigan fans and Steven Godfrey. After years of often contentious relations, Godfrey threw down the gauntlet for Michigan fans to donate a bunch of money to charity, and they smashed giving goals like always. So here it is: Godfrey—egged on by Michigan diehard and New York Times writer Jane Coaston—acknowledges the good in both the Wolverines and the famous bowl game that they won last year. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The 2024 SEC season preview from Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, and Steven Godfrey. How could the party be ruined for Georgia, Texas, and Alabama? Is Ole Miss or Mizzou better set up for a dream season? Which first-year starting QB at Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma is best set up for a breakout? Do Mark Stoops, Billy Napier, or Shane Beamer have any tricks up their sleeves? Can Auburn position itself for a 2025 breakout? What about A&M? Is what Arkansas is doing with Sam Pittman and Bobby Petrino a little bit too obvious? Plus, let’s find some near-term hope at Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAfter a long week of playing the EA Sports College Football 25 video game, our verdict is in. Alex and Richard review the game, discuss whe…

It’s the 2024 Big 12 season preview from Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey. Utah enters the league as the favorite, but the gap to Kansas State and Oklahoma State looks small (5:03). It’s been a long time since any of Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, or West Virginia won a conference, but they all have riser (and some decline) potential (26:15). Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech all seem to have an opening with Texas out of the league (47:20), but is anyone poised to seize the moment? None of last year’s new Big 12 schools (58:32) distinguished themselves. Will that change in Year 2? Is Arizona State … in a bad, bad way? (65:58) And let’s just be quick about Colorado? (78:12)Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Ben Haumiller is EA Sports’ principal game designer for college football. He’s here with Godfrey to discuss the long road back for a previously defunct CFB gaming franchise, and to answer questions from Godfrey and our subscribers about how College Football 25 will play and feel. Plus, Godfrey has details on his involvement with the game. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

It’s the 2024 ACC season preview from Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey. Following a discussion of the start of TALKIN’ SEASON (0:43), the group starts the ACC rundown with FSU and Clemson (20:06) and then goes through the entire Atlantic (and now, uh, Pacific) Coast Conference. How big a step back is reasonable at FSU? Does Dabo Swinney have a revival in him? Who from the Miami/Virginia Tech/NC State/Louisville has the best chance of a surprise? Could someone show proper respect to the nice little rebuild being carried out at Georgia Tech? Will Pitt, Wake Forest, or UNC start moving in a positive direction again? What do we make of new coaches at Boston College, Syracuse, and Duke? And how about new entrants SMU, Cal, and Stanford? Is there a path forward for Tony Elliott’s UVA? Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThe Tampa Bay Times' Matt Baker joins Richard to talk all things Florida, Florida State, UCF, and USF ahead of the 2024 season. Now that the Bulls have been left behind in realignment, what’s next? The offense is gonna be good, but you'll never guess who their DC is. UCF has tasted life in the Power 4, so how will Act 2 go? Yes, there's a moment of Billy Napier kvetching, and a whole lotta wondering about just how and when FSU is gonna tear apart the legal fabric of the sport. Production: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIt’s a big year for Ryan Day. He might have the preseason No. 1 team, and the pressure couldn’t be higher given three straight losses to Michigan, the Wolverines’ potential step-back year, and a 12-team Playoff format that all but ensures Ohio State will compete for a national title. What is the state of Day’s offensive identity, and how has he evolved? How will he work with his famous new offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly? Ross Fulton of Buckeye Huddle joins Richard for an episode of Scheme School about the coming Ohio State offense. Note: We had some connection problems during the recording, which you might notice in a few spots, but our ace producer Anthony Vito has worked his magic to provide audio clarity. Thanks to Anthony and Ross!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIn this solo show, Steven Godfrey’s got two hours’ worth of football and life to keep you occupied as you sojourn in this hot valley of news for college football. Let’s talk about Lane Kiffin’s altar-dodging with Auburn, Marshall’s ceiling in the Sun Belt, Jimbo Fisher’s failings, Michigan’s scheduling, and the death of regional identities (for now). Production: Anthony Vito.

Alex and Richard take subscriber questions heading into a holiday week. Which Florida school does Billy Napier least want to let beat him? Did UCLA set up DeShaun Foster to fail? Who can be 2024’s quiet “hang in the Playoff race right to the end” decent team? Is the Big 12 really due for an era of parity, or are media making that up? Who will suffer most in the Big Ten and SEC from the current realignment wave? What do we make of Curt Cignetti and Indiana? Who drives CFB TV ratings? And let’s compare and contrast Nick Saban and his most obvious current contemporary in the other football. Bonus episodes and Q&A: www.splitzoneduo.comProduction: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Weeks before the Big 12 expands to 16 teams, Godfrey and Alex dive into the unique place the conference currently occupies. It’s not rich like the Big Ten and SEC, but it’s not teetering like the ACC or dead like the old Pac-12. Things are more precarious than they were four years ago but way better than they were three years ago. Commissioner Brett Yormark is trying ideas that seem at turns silly, destructive, innovative, and extremely smart. So, what do we make of the Big 12’s present and future? Let’s talk about it. Production: Anthony Vito.Bonus episodes: www.splitzoneduo.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comA college football playoff with more than four teams? What will they think of next? Alex, Richard, and Steven talk through what we can learn about the upcoming Playoff expansion by looking back at decades of the FCS (and Division II and III) postseason. What really drives expansion? Will the selection committee draw even more ire with a bigger field, or less? How much of a holy grail will first-round home games be? And what about finally getting a chance to see strange bedfellows in frigid weather in December? Production: Anthony Vito.

The rumor mill demands that several coaches be on the hot seat at all times. But what about when the seat gets so hot that a new description—”pre-fired”—becomes appropriate? With Billy Napier and Sam Pittman headlining the 2024 class of pre-firing candidates, Richard, Steven, and Alex go down memory lane. Sometimes a pre-fired coach goes the way of Bryan Harsin or Ed Orgeron, but sometimes he goes the way of Tommy Tuberville or even Jim Harbaugh. And when the seat gets hottest, what percentage of coaches actually stick around for a while? Does anyone beat the pre-fired rap forever? Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe