Saturday Blitz Podcast: Recent Episodes
FanSided
FanSided's Saturday Blitz Podcast discusses the latest college football news, analysis and more from the staff at SaturdayBlitz.com
John and Zach remember former Miami, Louisville, Oklahoma, and FAU head coach Howard Schnellenberger after his recent passing in the opening segment of this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast. Also covered this week is Barry Alvarez's possible ride into the sunset after more than three decades at Wisconsin, what a ruling in favor of players in the upcoming Alston v. NCAA Supreme Court ruling could mean for college football, and Lincoln Riley's recent comments on intraconference transfers.
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John and Zach are back after a hiatus to discuss some of the bigger stories in college football over the past month. This week's podcast includes a discussion of Les Miles and his demise at Kansas in the opening segment. After the first break, we look at a rare North Dakota State loss before diving into the overemphasis on prototypical body types among NFL Draft prospects.
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With John about to move to a new state, we discuss the current state of the transfer portal and the unique challenges of switching schools in a pandemic. After the break, the discussion picks up with a look at Jackson State's 53-0 shutout of NAIA Edward Waters and what it means for Deion Sanders and the start of his coaching career.
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John and Zach return this week to break down Gus Malzahn's new post in Orlando and the mutual benefits for both coach and school in the hire. After a short break, we return to discuss concerns and storylines for the FCS spring season that kicks off this week
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John and Zach are back this week to go over all the big stories from National Signing Day. Which teams cleaned up, and which teams left something to be desired?
After the break, the podcast returns to offer thoughts on the biggest recent story for college football fans -- the announcement by EA Sports that the company would relaunch their college football video game franchise soon. We break down what EA Sports should and should not do with the new release when it finally hits the market.
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John and Zach return after a few weeks off after the end of the 2020 season for the first Saturday Blitz Podcast of the offseason. The first segment focuses in on stories from the Senior Bowl before turning to discuss realignment gossip after the break. In the final two segments, we turn our attention to the best and worst coaching hires so far this offseason.
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John and Zach offer some instant reactions to Alabama's defeat of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship. This episode was recorded immediately after the conclusion of the 52-24 Crimson Tide victory. Included in the discussion are takes on where this Alabama team stands among Nick Saban's six national titles in Tuscaloosa and where Mac Jones fits among all-time Crimson Tide quarterbacks.
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John and Zach return for the first episode of 2021 with a look back at the College Football Playoff semifinals and a look ahead to the championship game between Alabama and Ohio State.
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John and Zach discuss all things College Football Playoff this week, beginning with an overview of what the selection committee got right and what they got wrong with the final Top 25 of the season. In the second segment the discussion turns to the cancellation of the Rose Bowl and what it means for the shape of future postseasons. In the third spot John introduces a discussion about the Coaches Poll and where Group of Five coaches voted for Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina. The final two segments break down the New Year's Six games and the two College Football Playoff semifinals.
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John and Zach are both back this week with a fully loaded episode. The opening segment begins with a broad overview of the 2020 bowl season. After the first break the discussion turns to a debate about the merits of Ohio State, USC, and the Big Ten and Pac-12 in a year where both leagues played fewer games. The third segment digs into the flagging hopes of Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina to make noise in the national discussion and what Group of Five teams must do. The last segment offers a three-part look at every conference championship game against the spread.
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After technical difficulties sidelined the Saturday Blitz Podcast over the past few weeks, the show returns for a discussion about national championship narratives. With John still out of commission, Zach highlights the national championship selectors besides the College Football Playoff in the opening segment. After the first break, Zach welcomes new Saturday Blitz co-expert Chris Peterson to the show for an interview. In the final segment, Zach returns to break down the latest batch of College Football Playoff rankings released on December 8.
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In this week's episode, John and Zach open off with a look back at the Bowl Championship Series. Thinking first about why it was so reviled at the time of its existence and how perspectives have changed over the six-plus years since the last BCS championship game, the conversation then shifts to what a BCS-style ranking might look like in 2020. After the break, the podcast returns with our weekly look at five key games against the spread from the Week 11 slate.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss the return of Pac-12 football, going over sleepers, overrated teams, and whether anyone can emerge as a College Football Playoff contender out of the league. After the break, the Tailgater crew returns to offer up picks against the spread for five big Week 10 games.
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This week John and Zach sit down to discuss surprises from the opening weekend of Big Ten football, and expand into a discussion about Graham Mertz's positive COVID-19 test and what Big Ten protocols might mean for the Badgers as well as the long-term ability to get in a full season. After the break, the discussion continues with takes on Halloween candy and a look at the top games against the spread on the Week 9 slate.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss the long-awaited return of Big Ten football to the fall slate, breaking down the biggest games in the league in Week 8 along with a broader look at how the league might fare in the College Football Playoff race. After the first break, the conversation shifts to a broader look at whether anyone can emerge undefeated after a weekend where several perfect records fell. In the final segment, we look at the five biggest games of the week and make our picks against the spread.
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This week, John and Zach open with a critical discussion about what is going on in the Big 12 this season. After Oklahoma's back-to-back losses and a home loss by Texas, does anyone stand a chance of coming out of the Big 12 and playing in the College Football Playoff this season? After tackling that question, the crew turns its attention to the shifting situation in the Group of Five as the Mountain West returns and key contenders stumbled in Week 5. The final segment dives into tailgater food and drink choices before picking five key games against the spread for Week 6.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss the chaotic AP Top 25 as several top-10 teams fell and the poll welcomed back Big Ten and Pac-12 teams. After going over how AP voters felt this week, the conversation shifts to a deeper discussion of the SEC's return. In the final segment, John and Zach offer up their food and drink suggestions along with some picks against the spread for key Week 5 games.
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John returns with Zach this week to discuss his Hurricane Sally experience on the Gulf coast before the crew dives in to talk about the Big Ten's return, the Sun Belt's rise, Miami's resurgence, and the postponements and cancellations already piling up around the country.
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Zach flies solo for this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast to discuss the opening of the 2020 college football season. The first segment highlights the big stories from Labor Day weekend for FBS teams, before shifting to discuss season openers for Power Five programs in the ACC and Big 12. In the final segment, Zach dives in to discuss the impact of the season start on the millions of fans whose teams are not playing this fall.
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After briefly looking at the FCS Kickoff, John and Zach wrap up the final episode of the 2020 conference preview series with a look at the SEC. Included in the discussion is a team-by-team breakdown along with a look at each division race, a discussion about the impact of players opting out, and whether the champion will wear an asterisk in the history books.
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John returns this week to break down all things ACC with Zach. The podcast dives into the conference's position in the AP and Coaches Polls before diving into three segments breaking down each of the 15 teams playing for the ACC title this season, concluding with John and Zach's picks for the order each team will finish in the league this year.
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Zach is alone this week to discuss national championships. The first three segments walk through the history of the national championship as a construct within the sport, following up with a look about who gets to count in the discussion. The final segments argues that the national championship construct remains mythical even in the College Football Playoff era and applies it to a depleted field in 2020.
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John and Zach record ahead of the Tuesday announcements by the Pac-12 and Big Ten to cancel their fall seasons. This episode focuses on the #WeAreUnited and #WeWantToPlay athlete movements and the ramifications of those movements on the 2020 college football season.
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This week, John and Zach pause on 2020 college football preview coverage to dig into the broader situation for athletes around the country. After opening with an overview of the current state of the 2020 season, they examine the Washington Post's expose of the SEC phone call with players before breaking down the #WeAreUnited letter from Pac-12 players published by The Players Tribune.
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John and Zach return to discuss all the storylines heading into the Big Ten's conference-only season in 2020. This week's episode also features an interview with Washington State professor Scott Jedlicka to discuss his work managing the COVIDCFB.com website.
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John and Zach continue the 2020 season preview series with a look at the Big 12. This week's podcast opens with a discussion about the broader implications of lost non-conference opportunities for Big 12 teams, before pivoting in the final two segments to break down each team's chances in league play this season.
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John and Zach continue the 2020 college football preview series with a look at the Pac-12. After discussing the implications of the move to a conference-only schedule in 2020, the podcast shifts to examine the individual races in the South and the North and whether any team could qualify for a theoretical College Football Playoff berth this season.
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Zach and John return this week to break down each of the Group of Five conference races and offer their selections for who will emerge atop the race for a New Year's Six bid.
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The Saturday Blitz Podcast kicks off its 2020 college football previews this week as John and Zach look at all the FCS storylines heading into the new season, including a look at the Ivy League and HBCU races.
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In the opening segment, John and Zach follow up on the Oklahoma State situation and discuss the broader trend of campus athletes recognizing their power as public figures to effect change. After the opening break, the podcast returns to take a look at teams returning players to campus and how the spread of coronavirus among teams could impact the 2020 season.
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John and Zach tackle the issues surrounding Chuba Hubbard and Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State in the opening segment before pivoting to look at the broader impact of the coronavirus on the FBS and FCS in college football.
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John and Zach discuss the teams on everyone's radar entering the 2020 college football season that might be overrated, as well as those that don't seem to be gaining much traction in the public eye but could surprise everyone by the end of the year. The show concludes this week with a lighthearted discussion about how pets react to college football Saturdays.
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John is back this week with Zach for another edition of the Saturday Blitz Podcast, where we discuss the latest college football news in the opening segment before pivoting to talk through the ethical obligations of college coaches to speak up about racial profiling, police brutality, and protests in the wake of George Floyd's death.
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With John away this week, Zach welcomes Saturday Blitz writers Shelbie Warr and Richard Kimball to discuss their personal fandom as well as classic seasons from the past each would love to relive in its entirety.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss the possibility of Alabama-TCU on opening weekend and other contingency plans for the 2020 college football season. In the second segment, the podcast dives into Heisman winners we would love to get on a video conference.
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John and Zach dive in to discuss the recent recommendations by the NCAA related to name, image, and likeness rights before pivoting to discuss what games we absolutely want to see if only five college football games could be played in the 2020 season.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss the latest news around the coronavirus and its impacts on the 2020 season before diving into their picks for the best college football dynasties that deserve a treatment similar to ESPN's latest documentary on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls.
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John and Zach return to discuss Stadium's recent survey of FBS athletic directors about the future size of the College Football Playoff field before pivoting after the break to create their own ultimate eight-team playoff brackets from the best teams since the advent of the BCS era.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss potential scenarios for playing the 2020 season in spring 2021, offer up their choice of five games to introduce a new fan to college football, and discuss what they would cook for spring games out of their respective self-isolation stocked pantries.
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John and Zach are back this week from their respective self-quarantines to discuss the potential impacts of the coronavirus on the 2020 college football season, as well as scenarios that might allow for EA Sports to resume production of the NCAA Football video game if there is no football in 2020.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss more coronavirus news before delving into the best head coaches of the modern era who failed to win or have yet to win a national championship.
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John and Zach return to discuss the impacts of the coronavirus on the 2020 college football season, both in terms of canceled practices and how it might impact the back end of the 2020 season. The podcast wraps up this week with a lighthearted look at which coaches would be preferable to endure a quarantine alongside.
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John and Zach go into offseason mode this week and brainstorm some great potential Power Five vs. Group of Five matchups for 2020 as well as non-college football venues that would make great national championship hosts but have never hosted the game before.
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John and Zach discuss USC athletic director Mike Bohn's recent comments about possibly leaving the Pac-12, go over proposed NCAA rules changes for 2020, and look at early Heisman Trophy odds.
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In the first segment of this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast, John and Zach (hopefully) close the door on the offseason coaching carousel with a discussion of Karl Dorrell's return to the college ranks at Colorado. Following the break, the podcast turns toward a conversation about the NCAA's new proposal to liberalize its transfer rules for athletes.
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John and Zach return for a discussion on Mel Tucker's departure for Michigan State and what it says about the Spartans and Buffaloes, the Big Ten and the Pac-12, and the state of college football in general. The conversation continues after the break with a look at early College Football Playoff national championship odds before finishing with a look at some highlights among the recent content at Saturday Blitz.
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John and Zach are back this week to discuss Mark Dantonio's sudden retirement at Michigan State, recent comments on the transfer portal by Justin Fuente and Randy Edsall, and the release of Bill Connelly's returning production rankings.
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With John Mitchell out this week, Zach flies solo for a theoretical discussion about the limits of fan memory and what we retain as college football fans from the past.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss new developments in the game of coaching musical chairs around the FBS and to discuss some of the big moves and big names available in the NCAA transfer portal.
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Recording immediately following the College Football Playoff national championship game between Clemson and LSU, John and Zach break down all the action in the last game of the 2019-2020 college football season.
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John and Zach are back this week to discuss the coaching carousel in college football, talk about players who declared early for the NFL Draft, and break down the key matchups in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
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John and Zach return after a week off for the first Saturday Blitz Podcast of 2020. The duo breaks down the College Football Playoff semifinals, the New Year's Six games, and the best and worst results of the 2019 bowl calendar to date.
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This week's podcast features a double-issue of bowl previews, as John and Zach dive in for four chronological segments looking at 35 bowl games between December 20 and New Year's Day.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss the best and worst of Championship Weekend, examine the final College Football Playoff rankings and bowl games, go over the Heisman race, and make their picks for the Army-Navy Game.
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John and Zach break down the action from Thanksgiving Weekend rivalry games, talk about the coaching carousel and the positions that opened on Black Monday, and break down all 10 conference championship games in an extended edition of the Saturday Blitz Podcast.
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John and Zach return to break down the best and talk through the worst of Week 13 before turning their attention to looking at key games against the spread in the final weekend of the 2019 regular season.
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John and Zach return to break down the action from Week 12 of the 2019 college football season and get you prepared for the penultimate weekend of the regular season.
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John and Zach dive into another discussion about the best and worst of Week 11 before pivoting to examine key games against the spread in Week 12.
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John and Zach offer up their picks for the best wins and worst losses of Week 10 before turning attention to the Week 11 slate against the spread. (NOTE: This podcast was recorded before the release of the College Football Playoff selection committee's rankings.)
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John and Zach look back at the impact of Week 9 action and look ahead to Week 10 against the spread as college football heads into the last weekend before the first College Football Playoff rankings are released for 2019.
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John and Zach return to discuss the big surprises of Week 7 and discuss the key action upcoming in Week 8 against the spread.
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John and Zach break down the best wins and worst losses of Week 6 before diving into key Week 7 games against the spread.
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John and Zach discuss the action on the final weekend of September before turning their attention to the start of October college football play as they pick key Week 6 games against the spread.
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John and Zach discuss the wacky twists and turns of Week 4 before looking ahead to Week 5 against the spread and offering a mix of late summer and early autumn food options for the upcoming weekend.
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John and Zach offer their take on the biggest stories that transpired in Week 3 of the 2019 college football season and look ahead to the key games upcoming in Week 4.
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Now two weeks into the 2019 season, John and Zach review last weekend's action and dive in to pick several key games against the spread in a look ahead to Week 3.
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John and Zach break down the big stories from Week 1 action before discussing several key Week 2 games against the spread.
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John and Zach break down the Miami-Florida and Hawaii-Arizona games to pack up Week 0 before looking at Week 1 action against the spread across the long Labor Day weekend.
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John and Zach are back to discuss the 150th anniversary of college football, break down Miami-Florida and Hawaii-Arizona against the spread, and offer what they'll be eating and drinking during Week 0 action.
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John and Zach conclude the summer series of 2019 college football conference previews with a dive into the SEC, looking at each team in the East and West before offering predictions and thoughts on College Football Playoff and New Year's Six chances.
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John and Zach dive into the ACC races. Starting with the Coastal, the crew breaks down both ACC divisions before evaluating the championship game, New Year's Six prospects, and the offensive and defensive players of the year.
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John and Zach return for a discussion about each Big Ten team before making our picks for the division pecking orders and the winner of the conference championship. We also provide our selections for offensive and defensive player of the year in this week's edition.
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John and Zach dive in to preview the divisional races in the Pac-12 ahead of the 2019 college football season, complete with a look at the championship game and player of the year races.
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John and Zach dive into the first Power Five preview in this week's podcast as they break down the 2019 fortunes that might befall the various Big 12 pretenders and contenders.
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John and Zach kick off FBS previews in this week's podcast with a dive into the Group of Five. Beginning with individual looks at the Sun Belt, MAC, Conference USA, Mountain West, and AAC races, they conclude the podcast with a discussion about who might snag the lucrative New Year's Six bid this year.
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With the 2019 college football season fast approaching, John and Zach dive in this week to preview the races at the FCS level for playoff spots and the NCAA title, the quest for HBCU supremacy and a spot in the Celebration Bowl, and the anachronistic postseason-free battle for the Ivy League crown.
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John Mitchell is back with Zach Bigalke this week to discuss UConn's recent decision to move its college sports programs back to the Big East and what it will potentially mean for the Huskies football program, then offer up a list of their top five coaches of all time to begin the discussion leading up to college football's 150th anniversary.
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Saturday Blitz editor Connor Muldowney fills in for John this week.
Zach and Connor sit down to discuss Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby's recent comments on normalizing transfer rules. In the second segment they ruminate on some things they are looking forward to in the 2019 season, then talk about Connor's lifetime as a college football fan.
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Zach and John are back this week to discuss the impact of Jim Delany's upcoming retirement and the impact of conference commissioners on the sport, riff about some favorites and darkhorses for the 2019 Heisman, and then offer their opinions on the best uniforms in the game.
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John and Zach return from the Memorial Day break to discuss the ongoing Bru McCoy transfer saga, talk about the broader history of integration in college football and its impacts, and predict teams that might end up winless in 2019.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss Tommy Stevens and the impact of his transfer from Penn State to Mississippi State, before diving in more to look at the dozen head coaches in the Power Five going into Year 2 at their respective schools.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss the ongoing issues in Gainesville around the Florida Gators, then jump into talking about the hot seat for college football coaches heading into 2019 before concluding with a look at memorable fan traditions around the country.
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John and Zach return this week to discuss recent NCAA moves regarding states that allow sports gambling, then turn to highlighting their favorite non-conference contests of 2019 before concluding with a look at memorable players from throughout their respective lifetimes.
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John and Zach discuss the NFL Draft, prospects who didn't get picked by pro teams despite having eligibility left in college, and big-time coaching salaries and what they really say about college football.
1:10 - NFL Draft breakdown 28:19 - Undrafted players with eligibility 46:10 - Coaching salaries
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John and Zach return with a two-part segment looking at the big stories of spring football and the remaining spring games around the country, then pivot to talk about the upcoming NFL Draft.
Big Spring Storylines - 1:20 What's left this spring? - 32:01 NFL Draft - 49:11
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John Mitchell and Zach Bigalke dive in this week to look at teams who won their division in 2018 but look least likely to repeat the feat in 2019, discuss great longshot betting options for national title hopefuls, and talk about some of the bowl games they wish they could go back in time to see in person.
Division Pretenders: 1:39 Longshot Bets: 27:02 Memorable Bowls: 42:35
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John and Zach dive in to talk about the recent discussion in the NCAA about restricting graduate transfers and then discuss the places where they would love to watch a college football game.
1:01 - Graduate Transfers 20:42 - Epic Stadiums
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John and Zach return to talk about the recent wave of undergraduate transfers that get the chance to start playing football immediately, the recent release of gambling over/under projections for selection teams, and their three favorite victories as fans.
1:02 - Eligibility and transfers 26:30 - Over/under win totals for 2019 49:56 - 3 greatest victories
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John and Zach discuss how recent court rulings and new pro leagues could impact amateurism, talk about how the move of the Florida-Miami game could set a scheduling precedent, and reveal the three worst losses they have each endured as college football fans.
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