Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comShehan Jeyarajah is national reporter for CBS Sports, host of the College Football Survivor Show, and knower of the Texas college football scene. He chats with Alex about every FBS program in the state and a big handful of FCS teams, too. The conversation covers everything from, yes, how many games Arch Manning might start this year to how a newly esteablished program at UTRGV might do once it starts playing competitive games. Plus: How will Mike Elko be different from Jimbo Fisher? What should we make of Texas Tech’s five-star freshman receiver? How has SMU’s move to the AAC changed the DFW recruiting scene? Can UTSA remain a big deal in the AAC without Frank Harris at QB? Is Prairie View A&M in line for a run in the SWAC? If it’s a Texas college football topic, there’s a good chance we get into it here. Production: Anthony Vito.

Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey start to look ahead to the 2024 college football season. The episode opens with some consideration of New York Knicks fans (it just happened) and then moves (15:45) into a discussion of nine players we’re paying close attention to for 2024. Some are just really good, and some are pivotal to programs on the ropes. This episodes takes a trip through Arkansas, Arkansas State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Minnesota, Colorado, Clemson, Kansas State, and Boston College. 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

Welcome to a new episode of Scheme School. Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice returns to the show to have a completely on-field-focused (we promise) conversation about Colorado's already-polarizing QB1. What does he struggle with? And what does he excel at? What was the Buffs’ offense last year, what will it be this year, and what should it be to maximize Sanders as a player? Read Nate's in depth breakdown of Sanders here. (Now Richard can just point at this episode as Shedeur’s draft stock goes up and down.) Production: Anthony Vito. Like this show? Here’s more Scheme School * The evolution of Chip Kelly, schemer * How defense evolved in CFB in 2023* All these different safety positions: What happened? This episode is for paying subscribers of Split Zone Duo, but everyone can hear a free preview. Not a subscriber yet? Now’s a great time to become one, as we begin our ramp-up into the college football season, which quickly gives way to the coach carousel and then back to the big postseason games. By subscribing, you get frequent bonus episodes, the ability to ask questions that might appear on the show, and a place in a growing college football community. We’d love to have you. The cost is $10 a month, and you can get a month free with an annual subscription. You can listen to bonus episodes in the same feed where you listen to free episodes, whether that’s on the Substack app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, YouTube Music, or any other platform. It’s easy! 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.comCollege football is about to get a lot different. Alex and Richard talk through how changes to player compensation come 2025 will reshape the sport. We think it’s ultimately a winner for both players and fans, but there are big questions left to answer: What will become of collectives? Which type of program will get the most benefit from the House v. NCAA settlement? Which type will be hurt? Will this settlement be the line of demarcation between an eventual superleague and everyone else? And is this an ideal economic system? Production: Anthony Vito.

Godfrey's insisting that everyone pick a Sun Belt team to ride and/or die with in '24. Plus, did the NFL kill USC's L.A. vibes? And let's set an expectation for every single FBS team changing conferences this season. The Big 12 is a Las Vegas buffet, and it's 3 a.m., baby. Production by Anthony Vito. Throughout May, The Single Wing is free for everyone thanks to Magic Mind. If you’d like to hear The Single Wing all year and ask the questions that help Godfrey build the show, become a paying subscriber to SZD today. 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

For more episodes like The Single Wing, subscribe at splitzoneduo.com. Godfrey's circling back on TV scheduling tactics for Week 1, explaining San Jose State’s triple-free offense, answering a desperately sad question about Group of 5 feeder programs, waxing emotional about EA NCAA, and teaching you why stupid ass-ideas like the G5 playoff get floated. Production by Anthony Vito. Throughout May, The Single Wing is free for everyone thanks to Magic Mind. If you’d like to hear The Single Wing all year and ask the questions that help Godfrey build the show, become a paying subscriber to SZD today. 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

College football (including its TV partners) usually gets out of the NFL’s way. But when the 12-team Playoff arrives this December, the two levels of the sport will be head-to-head in a way they almost never are, especially since college’s powers that be made a tactical retreat from Thursday night. Is it surprising that the Playoff and ESPN would counterprogram the NFL? Was it avoidable? Should we, as fans of the sport, care? And why is CFB finally so comfortable existing on its own, even on the same day as the NFL? Production: Anthony Vito. Bonus episodes: https://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

In this solo show, Steven Godfrey's trying to figure out why Clemson's O-line can't match its D-line, why BYU was (is?) dirty, if Army/Navy has a Rose Bowl mentality, and how NFL markets affect local college teams. Production: Anthony Vito.Magic Mind: https://magicmind.com/splitzone20 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.comAs a postscript to last week’s newsletter about college football coaches’ golf handicaps, Alex and Richard discuss several football-adjacent golf topics. Has golf supplanted college football as the sport that’s most being harmed by its executive leadership? Is Hugh Freeze really that good? (Trent Dilfer definitely is.) Why is this the preferred offseason hobby of two-thirds of Split Zone Duo? And what, exactly, will happen at this week’s PGA Championship?Handicaps: https://www.splitzoneduo.com/p/college-football-coaches-golf Production: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comOhio State played host to one of the most bizarre commencement speeches of all time this month, when alumnus Chris Pan pitched graduates on Bitcoin and attempted to lead the Buckeye crowd in multiple singalongs. D.J. Byrnes writes The Rooster, a newsetter covering Ohio and its politics. Last week, Byrnes’ publication broke the news that Ohio State’s president, Ted “Slapshot” Carter, broke with recommendations from an advisory committee to select Pan. What was happening there, and what does it reveal about the leadership structure bewteen one of the most powerful institutions not just in higher education, but college sports and the entire Midwest? D.J. joins Alex to talk about it. Read Byrnes' story: https://www.rooster.info/p/ohio-states-drug-fueled-bitcoin-shame

Welcome to a FREE episode of The Single Wing thanks to our friends at Magic Mind (https://magicmind.com/SPLITZONE20 for 20 percent off). May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so let's talk about anxiety, parenting, and the Jimmy Sexton era of agenting. Plus: UCLA, Kent State, Wyoming, and Pearl Jam. 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.comIt was huge college sports news in 2023 when dozens of athletes at Iowa and Iowa State became the targets of a state investigation into underage sports betting and wagers originating from the two campuses. It was less big news when enormous problems with that investigation came to light and the case started to fall apart. On this episode, Iowa writer and attorney Patrick Vint of Hawkeye State joins Alex to discuss how (and why) Iowa law enforcement made itself into an NCAA investigatory arm, how the NCAA handled the information brought to it, and how we can think about a hugely problematic investigative process that still revealed legitimate issues. Production: Anthony Vito.Read Patrick's feature on the case: https://hawkeyestate.substack.com/p/heads-will-roll

The end of the spring transfer portal window means the beginning of looking ahead in earnest to the 2024 season. With rosters mostly locked, Alex and Richard share the teams they’re optimistic, pessimistic, and in between about at the halfway point of the offseason. Richard thinks Ohio State will win the national championship, and Alex thinks Clemson is due for more pain. We’ve also got impressions of Virginia Tech, Kansas State, USF, Michigan, Auburn, Oregon State, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Plus, Richard tells the world definitively what he believes will happen to Billy Napier this 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 Split Zone Duo crew discusses the results of the NFL Draft through both a college football and “being mean to Steven Godfrey” lens. Georgia’s player development, Washington’s offensive line, Oregon’s way of helping Bo Nix, whether Nick Saban actually admitted to a tampering violation on live TV, and much more. But yes, it all leads to a therapy session in which Godfrey comes to grips with the Falcons’ selection of Michael Penix Jr. 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.comMaryland is hiring Brian Ferentz as an analyst, per Bruce Feldman. Alex went to Maryland, so Richard forced him to record an emergency show about the whole thing. We start with Alex fearing the worst, then discuss how Mike Locksley is building a Saban school, why this move actually makes quite a bit of sense, and where exactly Brian now stands in Maryland’s line of succession.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comA coaching search where nobody got spurned, everyone got paid, and all parties wound up exactly where they wanted to be all along? How nice. That’s the semi-official account—from ESPN and many of the people most closely involved—of what happened at Alabama. Alex, Richard, and Godfrey discuss how media, agents, and administrators collaborated to pitch a sunny description of one of the biggest college football coaching hunts in years—and how it fits into the usual way of doing business in this industry.Production: Anthony Vito.

It’s time for an offseason check-in with the most watched, most controversial 4-8 team in college football history. Richard, Godfrey, and Alex weigh in on the four different conversations that happen at any given second about Deion Sanders and Colorado: the one about the actual football team (5:30), the one about Deion as a leader of men (21:54), the one about race (52:20), and the one about disruption (1:09:00). 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.comWe get a lot of questions about how we keep up with the wide world of college football to bring you this podcast. How do we try to figure out where the interesting stories are? How do we keep eyeballs on a sport with so many teams at so many different levels? In the spirit of transparency and it being April, let’s talk about how to process a sport with a million things happening at once. These are our tips from years of covering the sport professionally, but they aren’t just for media members. We hope they can help anyone get more out of CFB.Production: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comFor SZD’s annual NFL Draft QB special, Richard is joined by Ben Solak of The Ringer and Derrik Klassen of Bleacher Report. We start with the compulsory review of the greatest QB prospect of this century (Jacksonville Jaguar Trevor Lawrence) and review last year’s college-turned-pro QBs. Then, from Joe Milton to Austin Reed to Drake Maye to Caleb Williams, we break down this year’s. Production: Anthony Vito.

USC reporter Luca Evans of the Orange County Register joins Alex to talk about the many challenges facing the Trojans in the NIL and collective space (4:19). How does a rich school with a blue-blood football history run into difficulty in this new world? USC is the best window into that question. Then Richard and Alex talk about the unusual buildup to the April transfer portal window (33:32) and break down interesting position groups to watch over the coming weeks: Michigan’s QBs, Penn State’s WRs, and more at Miami (x2), UNC, USC, and Washington. To close, they discuss the different ways that football institutions decided to remember (or not) O.J. Simpson (1:04:02). Production: Anthony Vito.Support New American Pathways: http://edsbscharitybowl.com/Follow Luca on Twitter/X @bylucaevans.Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splitzoneduo Exclusive content: https://www.splitzoneduo.com Merch: https://www.homefieldapparel.com/collections/split-zone-duo SOCIAL MEDIA-Follow Split Zone Duo on X: https://twitter.com/splitzoneduo -Follow Split Zone Duo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/splitzoneduo/ -Follow Split Zone Duo on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@splitzoneduo AUDIO-Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/split-zone-duo-college-football-podcast/id1532830225 -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3fWVGeqNizhbKdAe9HDnma -YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-gmQS8YzsnM99Zb5fMrE8SYn45RpcBx_&si=Ahi5DFDI8l8mGCDQ OUR TEAMHosts: Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner Production: Anthony VitoSocial: Hector Diaz HOSTS ON X: https://twitter.com/38godfreyhttps://twitter.com/RJ_CFB https://twitter.com/@alex_kirshner 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.comWelcome to The Single Wing, where Steven Godfrey takes subscriber questions on a wide range of college football topics. This week, Godfrey's officially issuing a Gangster AD badge (Go Vawls), and we're also discussing the come-up at Virginia Tech, the veteran plains-ish states head coach most likely to sneak into a title game (Go Utes), and the delightful mash-up of the Nick Saban and Bill Snyder eras. Plus, let's talk about an X-Men cartoon. Why not? Support the EDSBS Charity Bowl at www.edsbscharitybowl.com Production: Anthony Vito.

Richard has a conversation with Eric Galko, the director of football operations and player personnel for the East-West Shrine Bowl. It’s wide-ranging: Eric shares his 2024 NFL Draft hot takes and QB rankings, then talks about how the NFL views college players—and how well their programs are developing them. Eric tells us whether NIL actually ruined the third day of the draft. And having developed the XFL kickoff plan that is now part of the NFL, Eric shares whether college football is ready to implement the same thing. 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.comIn 2023, Neal Brown was the industry's most fireable head coach. Then he had a good enough year to get a small contract extension. Who is 2024’s most fireable coach? Well, there are a few contenders. Godfrey, Richard, and Alex take the temperature on a handful of coaches who look troubled as spring ball gives way to what could be their final offseasons in their current jobs. Who has the best chance to resurrect his tenure, and who is in trouble? And in the case of Billy Napier, are all 7-5 records created equal? Production: Anthony Vito. This episode is for paid subscribers, but free subscribers can hear a short preview.

Week 1 has always had tons of warmup games, but the schedule usually has a big handful of bangers. In 2024, that’s not the case. There are barely any games pitting Power 4 teams against each other and as a trickle-down, not many all-Group of 5 matchups of note either. Yes, there are a few blockbusters (LSU-USC, Georgia-Clemson), but look beyond that, and you’ll see the issue.Is this just a scheduling coincidence, or are recent changes in the college football ecosystem taking a toll on Labor Day Weekend over multiple years? Godfrey leads an investigation and discussion about what’s up with Week 1.Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@splitzoneduoExclusive content: https://www.splitzoneduo.comMerch: https://www.homefieldapparel.com/collections/split-zone-duoSOCIAL MEDIA-Follow Split Zone Duo on X: https://twitter.com/splitzoneduo-Follow Split Zone Duo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/splitzoneduo/-Follow Split Zone Duo on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@splitzoneduoAUDIO-Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/split-zone-duo-college-football-podcast/id1532830225-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3fWVGeqNizhbKdAe9HDnma-YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-gmQS8YzsnM99Zb5fMrE8SYn45RpcBx_&si=Ahi5DFDI8l8mGCDQOUR TEAMHosts: Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, Alex KirshnerProduction: Anthony VitoSocial: Hector DiazHOSTS ON X:https://twitter.com/38godfreyhttps://twitter.com/RJ_CFBhttps://twitter.com/@alex_kirshner 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 has ideas for how to make college football’s on-field rules a little bit better. Alex and Godfrey like some of them and don’t like others. Let’s discuss the optimal width for the hashmarks, whether it’s time to shift the rules around RPOs and linemen downfield, the NFL’s new take on the kickoff, and then some more chaotic ideas that we’ve been kicking around. Production: Anthony Vito.Spotify: Apple Podcasts: Here’s a picture: 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 answering your questions about Lane Kiffin's short- and long-term plans now that Bama has hired a Nick Saban replacement who isn't him. Let's also discuss the vital signs of Year Zero as a concept, plus Florida's DEI mess and any effect recruiting, Mel Tucker career rehab, Dabo narratives in Clemson's post-title era, pro wrestling “journalists,” and anxiety treatments. Production: Anthony Vito.

Spring practice is a lot of hype and not a lot of substance, but sometimes we can learn a lot. Alex, Richard, and Godfrey talk about what to pay serious attention to right now and the five most interesting teams of spring 2024: Alabama, Michigan, Army, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. 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 answering your questions about SEC Network bias (lol), the Big 12's inadvertent but noticeable "be good at basketball" strategy, how effective Ohio State's new AD will be, Colorado rumors (no), CFB programs hiring media (also no), and Nick Saban eating his microphone. Also, "Dungeons and Dragons." Production: …

Godfrey looked a bit deeper into how a 12-team playoff system will work in practice, and he ended up feeling ... surprisingly optimistic about the future of the sport? We're just as surprised as you are. He, Alex, and Richard talk through the types of teams this new system will benefit, the tradeoffs that Cinderellas will make, and why all in all, it's a good deal. 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.comClemson filed a lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday in South Carolina, seeking to free itself from the conference’s grant of rights and set up an exit from the league. Alex and Steven react to that complaint, which comes off as an absurd attempt to rewrite universally understood rules. But this is college sports; being ridiculous doesn’t exactly mean Clemson is “wrong.” Read Clemson’s complaint here, featuring heavy redactions. Production: Anthony Vito. This episode is for paying subscribers, but free subscribers can hear a preview.

College football teams now have "general managers." How did the sport get here? How are they similar to GMs for pro teams, and how are they different? And will a college GM ever be able to fire a coach? 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, Richard, and Alex talk out three big news developments over the past week. The Big Ten and SEC continue (3:01) to fight for extra spots and extra money in a new College Football Playoff system, so let’s address why the arguments in their favor are so hollow. Friday nights (16:55) have become a bigger part of the college football schedule of late, but 2024 is poised to see that go to a new level. And Dartmouth basketball players voted for a union (23:49). What does it mean for college football? Maybe a lot, maybe nothing, and we won’t know for a while. But nobody should deny what a huge deal it is. Also, Alex explains how to deal with Ted Cruz’s PR people when they get angry about something you write about college sports. This episode is for premium subscribers. Free subscribers can hear a preview. Production: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThe first installment of the Split Zone Duo Book Club: What's it like to write a book-length jeremiad aimed directly at the ruling class of an entire sport? Author and reporter Dan Wetzel joins Godfrey in Michigan to talk about Death to the BCS, a seminal work examining the graft and idiocy that once ruled college football but that we've completely shed in the 14 years since its publication ... ah shit, that's not right at all. Oh well. Production: Anthony Vito. You can follow Dan on X, read him at Yahoo, and listen to him on the College Football Enquirer. This episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can listen to a free preview.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comRichard and Alex take your questions on a long list of topics, in order: Neal Brown’s extension at West Virginia, the literal risks of private equity coming to college football, if Arizona messed up by hiring a coach before replacing the AD, if Emmitt Smith’s comments will affect Florida recruiting, a new pipeline of AD hiring, why G5 conferences like big cities, how you can(‘t) resist the SEC and Big Ten, what the deal is with Central Michigan and the Connor Stalions thing, why journalists get sideline acces at bowls, the two of us playing rounds of golf, and wedding speech advice. Production: Anthony Vito. This episode is for paying subscribers, but everyone can listen to a 10-minute preview.

Michigan’s quarterback is the latest national championship winner and draft prospect to kick off a very specific kind of national debate about QB play. Alex and Richard interrogate why players like JJ McCarthy become debate catnip (and then personally make JJ McCarthy into debate catnip, because Alex cannot resist). Production: Anthony Vito. Subscribe for bonus episodes and more at 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

After 2023, Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh left, and Alabama and Michigan fans worried a lot about assistant coach hires made by their successors. It got Alex thinking: Do national championship head coaches ace their assistant hires out of the gate? What happens when they mess up the important work of filling out a coaching staff? SZD goes through 25 years of history in a quest to figure out if a coach can win a national championship without acing his first test. 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

In a roundup of college football news, Godfrey, Richard, and Alex talk about Georgia State’s interesting new head coach hire (1:30), Paul Johnson excoriating Geoff Collins (10:35), the upcoming EA Sports College Football game and the payment to players for appearing (25:45), and the reunion of the Mid-American Conference and UMass (30:44). 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's trying to keep the Beavers relevant nationally as the P12-to-P2 era "dawns." We also got questions galore about G5 playoff chances, post-playoff bracket bowls, Mark Stoops' mentality after the A&M mess, why Godfrey was Big Wrong about UCF and Gus Malzhan, and an effort to create joy for a member of our community needing it now. Production: Anthony Vito. This episode is for paid subscribers of Split Zone Duo, but everyone else can listen to a free preview. Join now to get frequent bonus episodes, newsletters, and Q&A opportunities while becoming part of a great CFB community.

Godfrey presents Richard and Alex with four decades' worth of MAC head coach firings and hirings to try to figure out if G5 football jobs are on the decline. The answer is messy, but one thing's for sure – coaches have been running to coordinator gigs for a long, long time. Ask Nick Saban. 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.comSometimes, the haters call Split Zone Duo “an NFL podcast.” Today we prove them right by previewing the Super Bowl in our own way. Joining Alex and Richard is special guest Arif Hasan, publisher of Wide Left, a great newsletter that covers three of the biggest beats shaping our society: the NFL, current affairs, and the Minnesota Vikings. See Arif’s publication below, and follow him @ArifHasanNFL. Our conversation is wide-ranging and covers the following topics:* The state of the Vikings (Richard could not resist) * Whether wide receiver drops are now cool, as evidenced by the Chiefs having a good offense with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and a bunch of receivers who have cinderblocks attached to their hands * “The Shanahan offense.” At this point, what is it? * The nation’s Brock Purdy affair: Is he good? And why has he become the touchstone of an American culture war over whether he’s good or not? * Taylor Swift should be the end of “distraction” discourse in football. But. * Game picks One publication note: Alex mentioned in the recording that Swift is suing a college student over a plane tracker. To clarify and be more accurate, as of press time, her lawyers hadn’t filed suit but were threatening that they would. This episode is for premium subscribers of SZD and Wide Left. Subscribe to SZD’s paid offerings here on Substack and you’ll get lots of podcasts, newsletters, and Q&A opportunities, including these ones just in the past few weeks * Alex’s essay on DJ Durkin, Maryland, and Jordan McNair. Listener feedback comes from this kind subscriber, who says: “i have been obsessed with cfb for a long time. didn’t know about @SplitZoneDuo. then i did. twas @38Godfrey’s Herbstreit episode that brought me in. since then, i wait. and it always exceeds. however, what @alex_kirshner does in the Durkin episode is SUBSCRIBE-TO-THIS level great.” Here’s that Herbstreit episode. * “Is Alabama fucked?” An extensive discussion of the challenges facing a post-Nick Saban Alabama and how the Tide can deal with them.* Godfrey and Ryan Nanni’s “Blind Side” commentary track.If you haven’t subscribed yet, we’d love to have you. It helps us make the show, but more importantly, we think you are missing out!

Alex, Richard, and Godfrey discuss a new NLRB ruling that might (might!) result in employee status and union organizing for college athletes. Then the group talks about recent worries about college football losing coaches to the NFL. Is this new? Yes and no. Is everything good at UCLA? 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

DJ Durkin continues to get SEC coordinator jobs. In the past few seasons, he’s bounced from Ole Miss to Texas A&M to Auburn as some of the most famous head coaches in college football have hired him to lead their defenses. An older stop on Durkin’s journey now tends to get limited attention when he arrives at a new place. So let’s talk in detail about what happened after Durkin took over at Maryland ahead of 2016, the kind of program he sought to build, and what exactly happened in Maryland’s building leading up to the death of one of Durkin’s players, Jordan McNair, after a workout in 2018. Reducing the story to a few words does not help people understand what happened in College Park. The whole history is important, and so is the unwillingness of powerful people to address it with transparency.Further resources: * Maryland investigative commission report on the program’s culture* An athletic training consultant’s review of Maryland’s procedures 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's here to help make TCU better (Why is Kendal Briles still there?), talk about how bad D.C.’s NFL stadium is, reflect on Tennessee's lost decades, raise money for Georgia Tech, and improve Indiana's nickname game. Also there's a big examination of the chasm between G5 and P5 in hiring and how fragile the success of a place like Louisiana Tech can be. Production: Anthony Vito.

Richard, Godfrey, and Alex start the show with a discussion of Sherrone Moore’s elevation to Michigan head coach and Iowa’s maybe-good but definitely-weird hire of Tim Lester as offensive coordinator. Then it’s time to revisit 2023 predictions, talk about what we learned, and forecast what this long offseason in CFB will be all about. 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.comSplit Zone Duo is proud to present a long-sought-after project: The feature-length commentary track for The Blind Side (2009). This movie got a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, and Sandra Bullock won Best Actress. Steven Godfrey, who covered Ole Miss around the time of the events depicted in the film, saw things differently than how the movie showed them. Please enjoy this extensive commentary on the whole thing. You do not necessarily need to pull up the movie to enjoy and follow along with this track, but you may want to! It’s available for rental and purchase at both Apple and Amazon, and we believe the movie files on those platforms are the same. As of publication time, The Blind Side does not stream with a subscription on any major platforms. Renting it costs $3.99 on Apple and $3.79 on Amazon as of publication time. Or maybe you’ve got it on DVD! Some notes on getting the podcast file lined up properly with the movie itself: At the 21:23 mark of the podcast, Godfrey begins the instructions for lining up the movie and the commentary track. The movie file should be about 2 hours and 8 minutes. You’ll see the Warner Bros. logo from the mid-aughts, and then you’ll notice a graphic for production company Alcon Entertainment. When you see the little ® trademark symbol come on the screen at 0:25 of the movie file, hit pause on the movie. Then, at 23:19 of the podcast track and 0:25 of the film track, press play on both. You’ll then have synced tracks as the movie goes forward. (Free subscribers can listen up until this point.) Thanks to our audio producer, Anthony Vito, for his work in bringing you this track. Thanks, we guess (?), to Michael Lewis for writing the book that allowed us to do this commentary in the first place. Roll tape!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comWhen Nick Saban retired, Alex wrote a column for the Ringer under the headline “Nick Saban Made Alabama Too Big to Fail.” The same day, Godfrey argued in the Washington Post that the “theory that a post-Saban Alabama is too big to fail … ultimately misunderstands the how and why of Saban’s singular success.” Can these two arguments be squared? Somewhat yes, and somewhat no. We talk in this episode about Alabama’s rough first two weeks without Saban, the Crimson Tide’s challenges going forward, and how Saban did (and did not) protect them from a cold, unforgiving life without him. Production: Anthony Vito.Free subscribers can listen to a short preview of this episode. Paying subscribers can listen to the whole thing and also get access to all of our other premium content, including regular podcasts, newsletters, and Q&A opportunities. Split Zone Duo is not publishing a free episode this week, but will have another episode for paid subscribers in the next few days: The Blind Side commentary track featuring Godfrey and Ryan Nanni. It’s not to be missed!

Former SB Nation coworker/SZD co-conspirator Rodger Sherman quit his day job before the 2023 season and drove to over 60 (!) college football games across the country. Enjoy the tale of Road Rodge, with a weird bonus moment at the end. 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

Alex and Richard spend a half-hour talking about the national championship, the 2023 Michigan team's place in history, Jim Harbaugh cementing his legacy, and what might be next for Washington. 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

Please enjoy this recording of Split Zone Duo Live in Houston, taped the night of 1/6/24 and presented by our friends at Homefield Apparel. We had an amazing crowd and loved doing a show about the season that was and the national championship between Michigan and Washington. But really, what got into Godfrey at the beginning of this show? Thanks to Rockefeller's in Houston for hosting us and recording the show, and to Anthony Vito for the audio engineering to get it onto your podcast feed. 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 start the show with discussion of LSU cleaning house on the defensive coaching staff, UNC wasting Drake Maye on bad defenses and splitting with Gene Chizik, and Frank Harris’ legendary run at UTSA. Then it’s time to preview the FCS title game between Montana and South Dakota State (13:31) and the Playoff National Championship between Michigan and Washington (22:40). Production: Anthony Vito.For tickets to Split Zone Duo LIVE in Houston: splitzoneduolive.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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