The 440: College Football

Courtroom expert Ross Dellenger joins Braden Gall to break down the latest in NCAA eligibility cases across the sports. What did we learn from Trinidad Chambliss ruling and it's impact on the future? Who needs to be in the room to solve these problems? How much does a competitive football roster cost?

Could Indiana be the best team in modern college football with a win? Bill Connelly joins Braden Gall to analyze the National Championship game. Where can Miami take advantage of a nearly perfect IU team? Was Miami's run to this game a fluke? Is Carson Beck a good QB?

Mitch Light of The Athletic joins Braden Gall to make sense of an unprecedented Final Four in college football. What do Indiana, Ole Miss, Miami and Oregon teach us about the future of College Football? What are we learning about the new playoff, new rules and new version of College Football? What did we learn from the quarterfinals and what do we expect to see in the semis?

Braden Gall sits down with longtime Big Ten and Ohio State reporter Doug Lesmerises. We break down Miami's shot at an upset, Indiana's chance at winning the whole thing, what makes the new tournament special and Oregon's balance. We preview the four College Football Playoff quarterfinal match-ups.

The first round of the playoffs did exactly what we expected it to do. A little bit of everything and maybe the potential for something totally new. Then Braden talks with Steven Godfrey about one of the wildest coaching carousels in modern college football history.

Braden Gall sits down with SiriusXM's Chris Childers to break down the future of the college football playoff committee. Did they get it right? What happens to conference championship games? Why the playoff will expand and what is the role of the TV networks? What happens to the Group of 5? Will Notre Dame be forced into a conference?

Braden Gall and Jared Stillman try to figure out what the hell is happening with the Penn State coaching search? Who else messed up this coaching carousel and who got it right? Are Bama and BYU already in or should the championship game matter? Is Nick Saban a liar?

Hey everyone, Braden here. I am offering a quick update on the future of the show. IT'S STILL ALIVE and we have plans we are figuring out. Thanks for all of your support and stay tuned!

Braden Gall and Steven Lassan host the last episode of the Athlon U College Football podcast - aka, The Cover 2 pod. We tell stories, explain the future of the pod and explain our love of college football. Dear Listeners, Thank you to each and every one of you who listened over the last 12 seasons. I would love to stay in touch via social media or my Nashville company, 440 Sports. Come hang out with us and stay tuned to the feed b/c you never know what could happen. Love to all of you, Braden

Steven and Braden talk college football. Our favorite thing in Week 4 was a massive new mascot and a distracted head coach. Mike Gundy has been fired from Ok-State as the hot seat gets warmer. Man, were we wrong about a lot in Week 4 and doesn't that make it fun? We look ahead at massive top 15 match-ups this week, offer picks against the spread and handicap the G5 race to the playoffs.

Steven and Braden talk college football after a dramatic third weekend of action. Our favorite thing from Week 3, what Georgia's win over Tennessee teaches us about the playoff and how Notre Dame's resume is still really good. Critical games in the Big 12 and Big Ten highlight another great weekend of action.

Steven and Braden talk college football. Florida, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma St and Kansas St are facing major questions after a brutal second week of action. Rivalries delivered in the Midwest. The AAC continues to shine and might have at-large playoff contenders. Baylor, Oklahoma, Illinois and others got big wins. Plus, the SEC takes center stage in Week 3 as multiple ranked match-ups highlight the weekend.

Steven and Braden talk college football. Massive top 10 match-ups highlighted a huge Week 1 but is the college football world overreacting? Is the chase for the playoff spot among the Group of 5 totally wide open after USF dominated Boise St? How good could the top of the Big 12 be in 2025? Michigan-Oklahoma highlights a big slate of games in Week 2, including a great list of ACC non-conference match-ups.

Steven and Braden celebrate the return of college football as a massive Week 1 kicks off this weekend. What was our favorite thing about Week 0? The SEC moves to a 9-game schedule. And we preview five straight nights of college football joy! LSU-Clemson, Texas-Ohio St, Auburn-Baylor, Notre Dame-Miami, Va Tech-South Carolina, TCU-UNC and much more.

Steven and Braden make their official picks ahead of Week 0. Conference champions, the national title, the playoff field, biggest sleepers, a Heisman draft, win total over/unders and a preview of the Iowa St-Kansas St game. Football is back!

Braden and Steven preview the SEC in 2025. Is Bama rising this preseason? Can Georgia reload? Who is better: Florida or South Carolina? Why is Texas A&M underrated? Are the Vols and Rebels taking a step back? How good could Auburn be? Who is the worst team in the league? Can Diego Pavia carry Vandy? Why is Texas No. 1?

Steven and Braden preview the ACC in 2025. Can Clemson win the National Championship? Who in the league can challenge in the ACC title game? Why we love Georgia Tech. How much can Florida State bounce back? What impact does Bill Belichick have? Stability at Pitt and NC State count for something, right? Leadership structure in the Bay Area is going to be fun to watch. What direction is Va Tech going?

Steven and Braden begin our 2025 conference previews with the Big 12. The most balanced and unpredictable league in college football will provide incredible drama as any number of teams could make it to the conference title game. TCU, Texas Tech and Baylor could be sneaky good. Utah and Kansas could bounce back. Arizona State and Iowa State could defend. And Oklahoma State will... do something.

Steven and Braden talk Group of 5 football in 2025. The preseason rankings tell a story about each league. The American is the deepest and likely the best. The Mountain West has the best team. The Sun Belt is the most balanced and wide open. The MAC is top heavy and Conference USA is a two-horse race. Sickos unite!

Steven and Braden talk college football. We give our picks for All-Conference and All-American QBs for 2025. Each power league has a theme under center: The SEC is the best, the Big 12 is the most balanced, the Big Ten has the most intriguing upside and the ACC might have the No. 1 player.

Steven and Braden embark on their annual Dream Road trip through college football. You get to go a game each weekend but can't see a team more than once. Where are you going? Locations, rivalries, weather, storylines, stadiums and championship drama all matters. Come along for the ride, 2025 style.

Steven Lassan and Braden Gall talk college football. The Pac-12's new media deal points to an interesting future for the conference. The Big Ten and SEC are at an impasse that could actually benefit college football. Then we dive into the scheduling imbalances across college football, focusing on the teams catching breaks in 2025. Plus, Braden says sorry!

Steven and Braden talk college football. The latest around conference expansion is tied to Texas State, the Pac-12 and the Sun Belt. Plus, how will strength of schedule get added to the selection process? We debate the best coaches in America from each power league, the G5 and nationally. We weigh career accomplishments with upside and modernization.

Steven and Braden talk college football after the House Settlement around revenue sharing was finally approved. A new era has begun and a new organization called the College Sports Commission has hired a director tasked with enforcement. Plus, we conduct a coordinator draft and break down the most impactful and critical coordinator hires in 2025.

Steven Lassan and Braden Gall discuss the latest in playoff format debate - who is going to win? The Big Ten trying to buy playoff spots or the rest of college football that wants to earn it? Plus, some Hall of Fame rule changes we love. Then we talk gossip. What are coaches saying about each other in our annoymous coaches scouting report for 2025.

Steven and Braden talk college football as the playoff structure is changing again as straight seednig will be implamented in 2025. What other changes are coming to our sport and playoff? What are our favorite and most interesting teams in the rankings in outside of the top 25 teams?

Steven and Braden talk college football. Bill Belichick is making more headlines for all of the wrong reasons - is there a tipping point for UNC where it's not worth it? Plus, is Michigan trolling the NCAA? Then we go across the country on our Group of 5 Dream Road Trip 2025.

Steven and Braden breakdown how TV played a huge role in the Shedeur Sanders story. Then we embark on our SEC dream road trip for 2025. Who is on the top tier and which QBs are the most exciting? Which games in 2025 are we going to this fall?

Steven and Braden talk QBs going into the NFL Draft and if we are learning anything about the position in college? Nico is going to UCLA and the playoff start times have been announced. Then we embark on our dream road trip through the ACC (and Notre Dame). The middle of the ACC is wildly unpredictable as many teams could jump to challenge the top tier in 2025.

Steven and Braden break down the latest NIL saga between Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee. What does it tell us about the future of the sport? Will schools and coaches actually gain leverage? Who made the right decisions and did anyone actually get better?

Steven and Braden break down the bizarre career of Troy Taylor at Stanford. Should general managers be making decisions on coaches? How have rankings teams in the preseason changed over the last 15 years? Why 2025 might be the most difficult and entertaining preseason top 25 ever.

Steven and Braden talk college football. News from Bowling Green, Deion Sanders and the NCAA 26 video game as well as news with NIL and recruiting. Plus, how much is a new stadium worth to a college football program? Can a Group of 5 program become a power program with a new building? South Florida, UCF, Houston, Tulane, SMU and more are showing us.

Steven and Braden talk college football's quarterbacks in 2025. What are the trends around G5 signal callers and what does it tell us about the game? Which league has the best QB? Which league is the most underrated? Which league is loaded with potential? Is anyone better than Arch Manning?

Steven and Braden talk college football - this time live from the Combine in Indy. What are coaches saying about Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders and how much players transfer? What is the NFL saying about Travis Hunter? And we grade every first year head coach from 2025?

What teams outside of the Top 25 are the ones we like to surge in 2025? Last year, Miami, SMU and Iowa State were just outside the top 25 and had huge seasons. What are those teams this year? Plus, what are the implications of the new ACC TV contract? And the coordinator carousel is still spinning. Steven and Braden talk college football.

Steven and Braden talk college football. Braden is at Senior Bowl practice recapping all the buzz from down in Mobile. Then we explain Lassan's early 2025 preseason top 25.

Steven and Braden break down Ohio State's national championship victory over Notre Dame. Will Howard's play, the decisions by Marcus Freeman, Ryan Day's legacy and how the new format gave us what we wanted.

Steven and Braden preview the National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Characters, storylines, upset-ability, blue-chip ratio, coaching legacies, match-ups and predictions.

Steven Lassan and Braden Gall talk college football. Ohio State topped Texas and Notre Dame eliminated Penn State in what was the best pair of semifinals in modern history. So did the new format do its job? What to make of Quinn Ewers legacy and Texas' staying power? Ohio State is just too good. The Irish and Lions have the same issue but it made for a great match-up. What does it tell us about James Franklin (if anything) and Marcus Freeman (and Brian Kelly)?

Steven Lassan and Braden Gall talk college football playoffs. Texas survives on the back of a gutty win while Arizona State won hearts and minds. But do the Horns have the personnel to challenge Ohio State in the semis? (Since the Buckeyes routed Oregon) Notre Dame and Penn State match-up after hard-fought wins over Boise and Georgia. What does this Final Four tell us about the future of the game?

Welcome to Athlon U! Steven and Braden begin a new era of college football with some fresh new digs. Ohio St, Texas, Penn St and Notre Dame move on in style and are worth celebrating. So why is the internet so dumb? We break down the first round and scold the comments section.