Jimbo’s out; Michigan takes the Big Ten to court.   Texas A&M paid $75 million to fire coach Jimbo Fisher. What’s next at College Station? Richard Johnson from Sports Illustrated and the Split Zone Duo podcast joins AP’s Ralph Russo to discuss the fallout from the Aggies coaching move and what A&M AD Ross Bjork might be signaling with his comments about who’s decision it was. San Diego State, Boise State and Mississippi State are now in the coaching market, too. Michigan and the Big...

There is a lot going on off the field in college football, almost all of it with Michigan. Stewart Mandel of The Athletic joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about the latest with the Michigan sign-stealing scandal. It’s an evolving story but we try to sort out where things are heading and whether Jim Harbaugh will be on the sideline this weekend against Penn State. Also, USC finally cut the cord with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, James Madison is ramping up its pitch to get into the...

Dabo’s defense and what’s next at Michigan?   Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had the type of volatile interaction with an upset fan that only college football can produce. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports joins AP’s Ralph Russo to discuss Swinney defending himself on his weekly radio show and whether he was right to get his dander up? Then Dan and Ralk dive into the Michigan sign-stealing scandal to try to decipher what to make of where things stand, where it’s going and Jim Harbaugh’s future.

Penn State’s predicament and Michigan’s mess   James Franklin and Penn State are still chasing elite. But what is the value of mere excellence, a status plenty of Penn State’s peer program have flailed around trying to get to over the last decade or so? Andy Staples from On3 joins AP’s Ralph Russo for a long discussion about Penn State’s place in the world, why it might change as college football changers and why maybe we shouldn’t be so dismissive of the ability to “win the games you’re...

Going for it and Penn State-Ohio State preview     After Washington beat Oregon in game that turned, in part, on three critical fourth-down plays by the Ducks, when to go for it became a national talking point. AP’s Ralph Russo is a big supporter of four-down football. John Walters, former and recovering sports writer with Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, take a less analytical approach. Ralph and John talk out Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s decision and try to find common ground between the...

 Hot seat check-in and Oregon-Washington preview   Midway through the season, it’s time to take the temperature of coaching situations around the country. Matt Fortuna from The Inside Zone and The Independent Podcast and AP’s Ralph Russo dive into the state of Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish lost again and discuss which coaches have played their way on and off hot seats. Also, Geoff Schwartz of Fox Sports and SiriusXM joins the show to preview Saturday’s Pac-12 showdown between No. 7...

 Why is USC so frustrating and are we too nitpicky?   USC is 5-0 with one of the great college football players of the past 20 years, but yet the Trojans have become one of the most frustrating teams in the country. Why? Dan Rubenstein from the Solid Verbal joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about some of the Trojans troubles, which leads to a broader conversation: Are we too nitpicky when it comes to the top teams in college football? Most of the best teams have been rolling along other than...

Ohio State’s toughness dilemma   Ohio State coach Ryan Day went off after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame last week, targeting Lou Holtz, but, really, he was going after the notion that his team lacks toughness. That is not a new thing for Day and Ohio State. Doug Lesmerises of THE Podcast joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about the Buckeyes’ toughness dilemma. Also, is the top tier of college football growing this season? How many teams are capable of winning a playoff game? Plus, Doug thinks the...

Previewing a monster weekend, by the numbers   Week 4 of the college football promises to be the best one yet. There are six games matching ranked teams, plus several other fascinating matchups. To preview the biggest games, college football stats analyst Parker Fleming joins AP’s Ralph Russo. What can we expect out of No. 13 Alabama against No. 15 Ole Miss now that Nick Saban has committed to Jalen Milroe at quarterback? Is the bill about to come due for No. 19 Colorado as Coach Prime’s team...

College football dynasties   Clemson and Alabama have both already lost, which prompts the question: How do college football dynasties rise and fall? Paul Myerberg of USA Today joins AP’s Ralph Russo for a college football history lesson, searching for comparable runs to Clemson’s under Dabo Swinney and putting Alabama’s dynasty under Saban into historical context. Email the show: [email protected]

Clemson’s fall; CU’s ceiling     Two stunning upsets defined Week 1 of the college football. Colorado beating TCU and Clemson falling to Duke. David Ubben of The Athletic joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about what’s happened to Dabo Swinney’s program at Clemson and how the rest of the season might play out for Deion Sanders and Colorado. Plus, a Texas-Alabama preview. Email the show: [email protected]

Coaching carousel preview     With the season on the verge of full-blown kickoff, it’s time to check in on which coaches need to have success to keep their jobs. Adam Rittenberg from ESPN joins Ralph Russo from AP to talk about the coaching carousel, which these days starts spinning earlier than ever. The clearest hots spots are in West Virginia and Indiana. In recent years, there have been mid-season coaching changes that nobody saw coming. Adam and Ralph dig around to find the...

G5 and Notre Dame previews     Who will emerge as the top teams in the new-look American Athletic Conference? Is it time for SMU and Memphis to takeover? Boise State might have a difference-maker at quarterback in the Mountain West and the Sun Belt could be the most balanced of the Group of Five conferences. Chris Vannini of The Athletic joins Ralph Russo to preview the non-Power Five conferences. Then Pete Sampson of The Athletic and The Independent podcast previews Marcus Freeman’s second...

Rece Davis and preseason AP Top 25   The preseason AP Top 25 is out. It’s the unofficial start of the college football season. In keeping with tradition, Rece Davis, host of ESPN’s “College GameDay” joins Ralph D. Russo on poll drop day to talk about how he voted. Michigan at No. 1?! With so much news recently in college football, especially with conference realignment, and heading toward a historic season, we’ll get Rece’s thoughts on current events and what feels like the end of an era in...

Big Ten Preview   Before the Big Ten expands to the West Coast, there is another season to play as a 14-team, mostly Midwest conference. Matt Fortune of the Inside Zone joins Ralph Russo from AP to preview the Big Ten – and talk about recent realignment news. Michigan and Ohio State are again the favorites, with Penn State looking to step up to that class. In the final year of the West Division, new coaches Luke Fickell at Wisconsin, Matt Rhule Nebraska and Ryan Walters at Purdue are in the...

Pac-12 Preview   The Pac-12 might be the most exciting and interesting conference in the country this season with Heisman winner Caleb Williams and several other star quarterbacks leading the way. Off the field, there is a real concern about whether the conference will still exist next year. Yogi Roth from the Pac-12 Network joins AP’s Ralph Russo to breakdown the Pac-12 on the field. Then Russo tries to sort out where things stand with the Pac-12’s media rights deal and will it be good...

SEC Preview     The conference previews roll on with the Southeastern Conference. Cole Cubelic from the SEC Network joins AP’s Ralph Russo to take a deep dive into college football’s toughest conference and the home of the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs. There is more mystery surrounding Alabama this year than there has been in years. Does that make the Tide even more dangerous? Lots of hype for LSU. Is it valid? Lots of intrigue around Texas A&M. And what can...

Big 12 Preview   Texas and Oklahoma are making their last ride through the Big 12 and hoping to take a trophy with to the SEC. Cincinnati, Houston, UCF and BYU are in their first season in a Power Five conference. How will they make the transition? Can TCU and Kansas State avoid the regression that Baylor and Oklahoma State had last season after making surprising runs to the conference title game the year before? Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports joins AP’s Ralph Russo to preview the Big 12, as...

ACC Preview   Florida State is ascending. Clemson seems to have plateaued. The trajectory of these two traditional powers and how it plays out on the field will be the story of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2023. David Hale of ESPN joins AP’s Ralph Russo to preview the ACC, which they break down into the three tiers. Two heavyweights at the top. A few major rebuilds at the bottom. And everybody else in a glut in between. What does year 2 under Mike Elko look like for Duke? How far can...

June recruiting rankings and trends    In June, recruiting rankings can be confusing. Ari Wasserman from The Athletic joins AP’s Ralph Russo to sort through the big stories from the recruiting trail from the last month, including Florida’s surge, Michigan’s re-entry into Ohio and five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola committing to Georgia. What trends are significant halfway to the December signing period and what might be false flags? Email the show: [email protected] Ralph Russo...

Preseason mags and puzzling programs   How do you prepare for the college football season? USA Today’s Paul Myerberg joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk go-to preseason magazines, and to reminisce about Paul’s days basically writing an online college football preview. That leads to a conversation about college football coverage, the changing landscape of game and how the growing divisions in the sport are exasperated by the changes in media and news organizations. Then Paul and Ralph run through a...

Klatt on Coach Prime, schedules & Caleb   Joel Klatt has become one of the voices of college football as the lead analyst for Fox Sports and Big Noon. He is also a former Colorado quarterback. Klatt joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about Coach Deion Sanders’ radical rebuild of the Buffaloes and whether it will work in both the long and short-term. Plus, Klatt has a radical idea to create more balanced scheduling in college football and lays out Caleb Williams’ narrow path to a second...

SEC schedule fallout   The Southeastern Conference is going to stick with an eight-game schedule for at least the first year that it is a 16-team conference, with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma. Why? Braden Gall from the Cover 2 Podcast and Athlon Sports joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about the SEC sticking with eight in 2024, why it’s a disappointing decision, and why – maybe – it’s not a terrible idea to see how two years of a 12-team College Football Playoff works itself out. Plus,...

ACC angst    The Atlantic Coast Conference aired its grievances last week at athletic director meetings off the coast of north Florida. Clemson, Florida State and Miami lead a group of schools that are interested in unequal revenue sharing. But Florida State and Miami have not exactly been pulling their weight during football season in recent years. That made for some interesting conversations about what’s next for the ACC. Andrea Adelson of ESPN joins AP’s Ralph Russo to sort through the...

Wins totals with the Bear. Chris Fallica, formerly of ESPN’s “College Gameday” is now at Fox Sports and he’ll be a part of Big Noon Saturday this season. AP’s Ralph Russo talks to The Bear about his new gig. They get into college football win totals for the coming season. Is there a number too big for Georgia? Should you bet on Florida State’s hype? How will notable new coaches at Wisconsin, Nebraska and Colorado do in their first seasons? Fallica and Russo bounce around the Power Five...