WEBVTT
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I've never been of the mind that even Texas Tech with Brandon Soresby was definitively the answer.
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But I also think there's sort of like a thick middle crust in the Big 12 where if just a few things go one way or another, um, to your point earlier, we could see some surprise teams sort of take a leap.
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Hello and welcome back into Open for Business.
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I am John Kurtz, and I am very pleased to be joined by my friend Ty Hildenbrand, who you may recognize.
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He has one half of the dynamic duo that is the solid verbal, a college football podcast that you should all be listening to.
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I've been listening to it for over a decade now.
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And uh there's a lot of things that I want to talk to you about here, Ty.
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You brought up the Big 12 and how important it is.
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And it's it's clear that this is, you know, they have a couple other big opportunities uh which will be coming fewer and far between.
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But Oregon, you know, goes to Oklahoma State.
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Texas AM is gonna host Arizona State, which those will be interesting, but they're you know 14 and a half, 18 and a point, 18 and a half point favorites, at least uh in terms of early lines right now.
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Like Big 12 in general, what where do you feel like the league is at this year?
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And what are the odds that it can take a step forward and perhaps win one of those games, win a playoff game?
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Uh, you know, whether that's gonna be like a 5v12 or actually beat another P4 team in the playoff.
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Like, how likely do you think it is that the league is gonna stand here 365 days from now and feel like it's in a better spot than it is right now?
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Well, I'm I'm curious to get your sense for the league, because from my standpoint, I mean, you you obviously cover the Big 12 a lot more closely than I do, but just from afar, as I've been doing all my research here in the preseason, it feels to me like the league is deeper.
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And this isn't to say it's all the same teams that are kind of building at the same rate, but it just feels like I could ask questions about most of the teams in this league and maybe squint and see a way where they could be a plucky team come November.
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Not to say they're gonna contend for the title, but certainly teams that could contend with those contending for the title for a moment in time, given situational um, you know, the way situations break down, injuries, the things that happen late in the year.
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So that that's my sense.
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Is that yours?
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I I would totally agree.
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I I was doing an exercise yesterday where, well, I I think and predicted this, I think somebody from the bottom half of the league is gonna have a shockingly successful season.
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Yeah.
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And I was trying to put together the bottom half of the league, and I was like, well, a half is eight teams, but I only really could get to seven that I think qualifies like what I would put as bottom half of the league teams, because there are so many.
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You start getting into that like five through eight, and it's like, you know, I don't all these teams, depending on where you look, like Oklahoma State might be your number eight, and then some people have them in the top 25.
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So I totally agree with that.
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I think um one answer that the league is gonna have to put forth is like how do you replace Kyle Whittingham, Chris Kleiman, Mike Gundy, Matt Campbell.
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Um, so I'll be I'll be closely watching that.
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But really, the problem is I'm with you on the depth.
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The problem is up at the top.
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And I think if if Brendan Soresby and Parker Kingston's situations would not have happened, I would feel really good that this league has a chance to take that step forward and do this.
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Because I, you know, I mean that Oregon game, maybe it's not fair to call it deceiving, right?
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But I mean, if Tech had anything at quarterback, any kind of upside at quarterback, anybody who could run the ball in the red zone, I think that winds up being like a at least like a 10-point game, perhaps a one-score game.
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You know, I mean, so I think that would have changed the narrative quite a bit, and I thought Soresby was going to do that.
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I like Will Hammond.
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I like what we saw against Utah last year from him, but that will that will be a question mark.
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So it's it's still the top end, but BYU's been building, and Texas Tech's been building, and I do think that they're so young in like the infancy of the rise that they've had of these programs that year over year they they could continue to get better and better.
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I think there's a gap between the top of the Big 12 and the tippy tops of some of these other conferences.
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For sure.
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All right.
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I think Miami is probably better than, and again, we're doing this in August, right?
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So things can obviously change.
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But if I gun to my head right now, I would probably take Miami over an eventual Big 12 champion.
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I would probably take the winner of both the SEC and the Big Ten over an eventual Big 12 champion.
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A lot can change between now and then, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the conference to the point isn't building.
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That doesn't mean that there can't be a sleeper or two that emerges from what we perceive now to be the lower half of that conference.
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And I think as we have come to know, just in the infancy, still in like only the third year of this 12-team playoff, it's it's not a stretch to believe that whoever wins the Big 12 can go into that playoff game with a full head of steam and take a team like Texas to the gun, right?
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So it I don't want to rule it out, but if I'm playing the odds, I would probably put my money on one of the champions from the other the other power conferences.
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Um, but again, that being said, John, like even like I'm looking at my list here, Big 12 schools right now.
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Iowa State's rebuilding, Iowa State lost all its players, Iowa State's got a new coach.
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I'm not expecting anything crazy out of Iowa State.
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Quite literally, every other team in the Big 12, I could point to and I could say, you know, if that goes right, this could actually be a really, really interesting season for them.
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Even like West Virginia.
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Yeah.
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I'm not like super crazy about, but they get Cam Cook at at running back, reunited with uh Rich Rodriguez, right?
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That team I think is gonna have a lot better depth.
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Like there are things that I think you can point to with most of the teams in this conference where it it's not too hard to squint and see the path for them to at least be interesting in the latter stages of the season.
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So though I might not pick them to win multiple playoff games, I'm still pretty confident that the league as a whole is really gonna show out and give us a fun three or four months of football.
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Yeah, look, West Virginia I'm actually pretty high on.
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I think Rich Rod is is actually building something there.
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Uh up at the top, I mean, are you still are are you in line with everybody like tech and BYU and then a gap?
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I've been saying tech, BYU and Houston as the top tier and then a gap.
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Like where do you see the the top part of the league?
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Yeah, I I tech, BYU and Houston, I think is is sort of where we're at on our show.
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Um I I I'm never how can I put this?
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I've never been of the mind that even Texas Tech with Brandon Soresby was definitively the answer.
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Interesting.
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I mean, I think he was better than what they had, but there was a little bit of like, I need to see it before I'm willing to believe it, with him being the starting quarterback at tech.
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Obviously, we're not going to get that this year, but I think they'll be able to run the crap out of the ball.
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I think they've got a really good running back room at a good line in front of those guys that should at least power them a good chunk of the way through the season.
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And the same is true, obviously, for BYU.
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We just spoke of that a moment ago.
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Houston's interesting though, because it just you get the sense when you watch Houston play and look at the way that Willie Fritz is building that roster that the dude just knows what he's doing.
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You know, there's not really wasted effort there.
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Even when he goes out in the portal, he gets what he needs, he brings it back.
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Um, and it seems like he's able to spin some gold out of it.
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So I trust in his coaching ability, probably more than most things in the Big 12.
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Yeah.
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I'm I'm really high.
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One of these guys who's really high on Oklahoma State as well.
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I think they're gonna surprise some people.
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Um, TCU's another one, Arizona, if they can play defense the way they did a year ago.
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Like it's a lot of ifs.
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I would definitely still go with those three at the top of the Big 12, but I but I also think there's sort of like a thick middle crust in the Big 12, where if just a few things go one way or another, um, to your point earlier, we could see some surprise teams sort of take a leap and at least be in the hunt late in the season.
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So you're okay, you're on the the Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins, Wyatt Young, hype train there, and still water.
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You think they'll have enough enough defense to get to what what's like the barometer there?
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Are we talking like eight plus win season for them?
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I could see it.
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Yeah, I could see it.
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I don't know if I'd want to put money on it, but I could yeah, I could absolutely see it.
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I think the offense will be very good because that's just sort of what Eric Morris does.
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And the combination of those three guys, Mestamaker, Young, and Hawkins, should give them more than enough firepower to score some points in this conference.
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I happen to think their defensive line, which I know was a question earlier this year, I happen to think that it should be pretty solid this year, and that could help power a defense that's not going to be spectacular.
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It's certainly not going to be Texas Tech from a year ago, but functional, good enough to keep them in games, good enough to at least keep an offense that I think will have a lot of firepower in games late.
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I think they can be good enough to do that.
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And in a conference that feels so wide open, why not?
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Why not?
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This is a coach with a pretty good track record for building offense, if nothing more.
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Um so yeah, defense, defense is where I think we need to see it happen.
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But I'm of the mind that with what they brought in, they might be able to hit the ground running a little, a little bit better than uh maybe we expected when we first saw it.
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Put you on the spot a little bit here.
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A couple of the first-year head coaches, Eric Morris is one, but that I think are in similar positions.
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You could argue Morgan Scalley's taking over something that's a little more ready-made now.
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But Morgan Scally and Colin Klein, right?
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They're both alums.
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They're taking over from one a legendary figure, another in Chris Kleiman, who it's probably not like legendary status, but did a pretty damn good job in taking over for a legend at K-State.
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Sure.
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And both taking over for guys that they worked under.
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Uh, who do you expect will have a bigger first year as a head coach?
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If I'm betting right now, I'd probably say Morgan Scally, but I'm I'm really encouraged by Colin Klein.
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There's something about that situation that to me I think is really appealing.
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Um I am particularly interested to see what the interplay looks like between him and Avery Johnson, because Avery Johnson's still there as I look, I'm singing to the choir.
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You knew all about this, right?
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But um I'm I'm really curious to see what kind of system he puts around Avery Johnson and if he's finally able to get the most out of him.
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Because this is desperately, desperately a team that is in need of Avery Johnson to finally assume that mantle and become the prince that was promised.
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I believe that Colin Klein can do that.
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Uh and I'm excited to see whether or not he can do that because this does not on paper look like a bad Kansas State team to me.
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It's definitely a Kansas State team that's a bit in transition, but there are still enough pieces on that squad that I think make them supremely interesting going into this Big 12 season.
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So longer term, uh longer term, I'm really interested to see what K-State looks like once we get sort of beyond the Avery Johnson era and Colin Klein gets a chance maybe to you know build with uh a full roster of all of his own guys from both the transfer portal as well as the high school ranks.
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For the moment, though, I think there are more pieces in place on the Utah side.
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Um, it it does hurt to lose what they lost, I think, on the coaching side, not just Whittingham, right?
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But yeah, um I I think that's gonna be a bit of an uphill climb.
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I don't think we can assume that it's going to be exactly as good as it has been in the past simply because there's a fair amount back for Utah.
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But um short term, I bet would be Utah.
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Longer term, though, I I think it's more of a toss-up between Utah and K-State.
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Man, I need you to tell this to our ThreMaw audience, man.
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I take I take a lot of flack on the ThreMaw podcast for picking K-State eight and four.
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I I know the schedule's easy, guys, but uh I want to ask you.
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So, I mean, I'm sure you watched a lot of Texas AM last year, probably more than I did.
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Like, Marcel Reed, who who is the in a vacuum, like the better quarterback, Marcel Reed or Avery Johnson?
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Like, how much faith should there be that, hey, Colin did this with Marcel last year, so he could take Avery Johnson and turn him into whatever you think that's gonna be this year?
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Avery Johnson's just been so inconsistent.
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And even though Marcel Reid has also been somewhat inconsistent, um, I don't feel like he has been as prone to like the blow-up play.
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Like when I play golf, I have a couple blow up holes every round and it ruins the score.
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Avery Johnson has a couple of those football moments that I feel like if you're a K-State fan, have to drive you up a wall.
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And so his, I think, first job will be trying to get that out of Avery Johnson.
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Let's get past that, be a little bit more responsible.
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Hopefully, you can surround him with a better support net where it doesn't feel like he has to go out there and play hero ball.
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Um, and if he can do at all with Avery Johnson what he did with Marcel Reed, which was for the most part curtail some of those lesser qualities, highlight what he's good at.
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Marcel Reed, obviously very mobile with the football, could put defenses on skates.
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I think Avery Johnson's got a lot of that same skill set, but it is a matter, I think, of breaking some of those habits that have really gotten in the way of more success.
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To what end he can do that, just step foot on campus, you know, a few months ago, that part remains to be seen.
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But certainly his work with Marcel Reed, I think, is is a promising sign if you're a K-State fan.
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So I look right now, I take Marcel Reed, but I am curious to see if Colin Klein can do something similar now with Avery Johnson.
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And I'm gonna put you through the same exercise with two two different coaches again, because these are two guys that have now left the Big 12.
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But between Kyle Whittingham at Michigan and Matt Campbell at Penn State, who would you take short term like this year, 2026, who would you take long term out of that to have more success?
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Well, so Penn State has a much more favorable schedule this year than Michigan.
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And I think that that has to factor in somewhat.
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I don't know if the highs of Penn State are quite as high as I think they can be on the Michigan side.
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Um and so I would say if I am picking a roster, I probably pick Michigan's roster over Penn State's.
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That said, I think that Penn State, more likely than not, is gonna finish with a better record than Kyle Whittingham.
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Bigger picture, long term, that to me is a toss-up.
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Um, we don't know how long Whittier's gonna be at Michigan, right?
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He certainly still has a youthful quality to him, but he is not the youngest coach in college football.
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So we're gonna have to see how this goes in year one.
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I think a lot depends on Bryce Underwood.
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And does he take a step forward?
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What do they ask him to do in that offense?
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Can he grow as a passer and become more of a complete player?
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Um, provided they're able to do that with him.
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I think the short-term success would probably be on the Michigan side as well, just because there are questions about what happens next year for Penn State or quarterback, right?
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Is it is it one of their backups now on the roster?
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Do they go a different direction?
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The transfer portal, you know, that we'll just have to wait and see on that front.
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So I think it's close.
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I would probably favor Michigan.
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I'm saying this as a Penn State alum, mind you.
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So don't let don't say it too loud.
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But yeah, gun to my head, I'd probably go Michigan by a nose, um, both in the immediate and in the medium term, just because I think the roster is better right now.
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Uh, self-indulgent question to end here, because one of my favorite things about you and Dan is that you're not afraid to reference uh pop punk music from the early 2000s.
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Uh so I'm not sure if that is that that's you too, right?
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That's not all, Dan.
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Oh no, Dan's better.
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Dan's a little bit more like knowledgeable about you know, the the his his pop punk knowledge is far deeper than mine, but yeah, we we share a common affliction.
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Okay, all right.
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So like top three pop punk albums of all time.
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I mean take off what take off your pants and jacket, right?
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Like I'm trying to think of what else I would I would go with.
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Um maybe would go Fallout Boy from under the cork tree.
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Yes, gray one.
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Probably up there.
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Um I think it's underrated, but um certainly not lost on people of our ilk, but um maybe it's just because I saw them in concert now that I'm old, but uh Ocean Avenue, that whole album by sort of underrated as well.
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Yeah, I could I could probably list off a dozen here just off the top of my head, but three that come to mind that I that I think of as some of the the great ones, at least in my sphere.
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Hey, I love that.
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I love that.
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So you were you were jamming out to Ocean Avenue in uh in PA.
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I was, yeah.
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They they stopped by here in Bethlehem and uh it was a bunch of millennials rocking out.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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That's what's funny when you go to these concerts these days, man.
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I'm like, we're getting old.
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We're getting they're on the way down, which means we get them, we get to see them cheaper and at smaller like hometown venues.
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Yeah, oh yeah.
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You know, which on one hand it's like, okay, maybe maybe the nostalgia um has finally come back to benefit us in the sense that um we get to see these guys cheaper tickets, a little grayer, but the music is the same and uh kind of takes us back to a moment in time.
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Yeah, and maybe have a seat so you can sit down there and yourself.
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Yeah.
00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:52.640
Yeah, definitely do.
00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:54.880
Hey, go listen to the solid verbal, everybody.
00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:59.200
Like I said, it's been my favorite college football podcast for like over a decade at this point.
00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:00.559
Ty, great to chat with you.
00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:02.000
I appreciate you making some time, man.
00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:02.720
Thank you, John.
00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:03.759
Anytime, man.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.200
I've never been of the mind that even Texas Tech with Brandon Soresby was definitively the answer.
00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:17.839
But I also think there's sort of like a thick middle crust in the Big 12 where if just a few things go one way or another, um, to your point earlier, we could see some surprise teams sort of take a leap.
00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.239
Hello and welcome back into Open for Business.
00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:26.320
I am John Kurtz, and I am very pleased to be joined by my friend Ty Hildenbrand, who you may recognize.
00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:31.679
He has one half of the dynamic duo that is the solid verbal, a college football podcast that you should all be listening to.
00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:34.719
I've been listening to it for over a decade now.
00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:37.520
And uh there's a lot of things that I want to talk to you about here, Ty.
00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:39.679
You brought up the Big 12 and how important it is.
00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:45.920
And it's it's clear that this is, you know, they have a couple other big opportunities uh which will be coming fewer and far between.
00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.399
But Oregon, you know, goes to Oklahoma State.
00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:58.560
Texas AM is gonna host Arizona State, which those will be interesting, but they're you know 14 and a half, 18 and a point, 18 and a half point favorites, at least uh in terms of early lines right now.
00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:02.479
Like Big 12 in general, what where do you feel like the league is at this year?
00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:08.239
And what are the odds that it can take a step forward and perhaps win one of those games, win a playoff game?
00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:14.159
Uh, you know, whether that's gonna be like a 5v12 or actually beat another P4 team in the playoff.
00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:20.560
Like, how likely do you think it is that the league is gonna stand here 365 days from now and feel like it's in a better spot than it is right now?
00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:34.719
Well, I'm I'm curious to get your sense for the league, because from my standpoint, I mean, you you obviously cover the Big 12 a lot more closely than I do, but just from afar, as I've been doing all my research here in the preseason, it feels to me like the league is deeper.
00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:53.120
And this isn't to say it's all the same teams that are kind of building at the same rate, but it just feels like I could ask questions about most of the teams in this league and maybe squint and see a way where they could be a plucky team come November.
00:01:53.680 --> 00:02:08.240
Not to say they're gonna contend for the title, but certainly teams that could contend with those contending for the title for a moment in time, given situational um, you know, the way situations break down, injuries, the things that happen late in the year.
00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:10.240
So that that's my sense.
00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:11.599
Is that yours?
00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:13.280
I I would totally agree.
00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:22.879
I I was doing an exercise yesterday where, well, I I think and predicted this, I think somebody from the bottom half of the league is gonna have a shockingly successful season.
00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:23.120
Yeah.
00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:35.520
And I was trying to put together the bottom half of the league, and I was like, well, a half is eight teams, but I only really could get to seven that I think qualifies like what I would put as bottom half of the league teams, because there are so many.
00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:45.360
You start getting into that like five through eight, and it's like, you know, I don't all these teams, depending on where you look, like Oklahoma State might be your number eight, and then some people have them in the top 25.
00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:47.520
So I totally agree with that.
00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:57.280
I think um one answer that the league is gonna have to put forth is like how do you replace Kyle Whittingham, Chris Kleiman, Mike Gundy, Matt Campbell.
00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.759
Um, so I'll be I'll be closely watching that.
00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:03.360
But really, the problem is I'm with you on the depth.
00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:04.719
The problem is up at the top.
00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:15.360
And I think if if Brendan Soresby and Parker Kingston's situations would not have happened, I would feel really good that this league has a chance to take that step forward and do this.
00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:20.639
Because I, you know, I mean that Oregon game, maybe it's not fair to call it deceiving, right?
00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:33.759
But I mean, if Tech had anything at quarterback, any kind of upside at quarterback, anybody who could run the ball in the red zone, I think that winds up being like a at least like a 10-point game, perhaps a one-score game.
00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:38.960
You know, I mean, so I think that would have changed the narrative quite a bit, and I thought Soresby was going to do that.
00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:40.319
I like Will Hammond.
00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:45.599
I like what we saw against Utah last year from him, but that will that will be a question mark.
00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:58.080
So it's it's still the top end, but BYU's been building, and Texas Tech's been building, and I do think that they're so young in like the infancy of the rise that they've had of these programs that year over year they they could continue to get better and better.
00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:04.960
I think there's a gap between the top of the Big 12 and the tippy tops of some of these other conferences.
00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:05.680
For sure.
00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:06.240
All right.
00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:11.360
I think Miami is probably better than, and again, we're doing this in August, right?
00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:12.719
So things can obviously change.
00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:18.560
But if I gun to my head right now, I would probably take Miami over an eventual Big 12 champion.
00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:26.240
I would probably take the winner of both the SEC and the Big Ten over an eventual Big 12 champion.
00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:32.959
A lot can change between now and then, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the conference to the point isn't building.
00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:39.920
That doesn't mean that there can't be a sleeper or two that emerges from what we perceive now to be the lower half of that conference.
00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:58.160
And I think as we have come to know, just in the infancy, still in like only the third year of this 12-team playoff, it's it's not a stretch to believe that whoever wins the Big 12 can go into that playoff game with a full head of steam and take a team like Texas to the gun, right?
00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:08.240
So it I don't want to rule it out, but if I'm playing the odds, I would probably put my money on one of the champions from the other the other power conferences.
00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:14.240
Um, but again, that being said, John, like even like I'm looking at my list here, Big 12 schools right now.
00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:18.560
Iowa State's rebuilding, Iowa State lost all its players, Iowa State's got a new coach.
00:05:18.639 --> 00:05:20.879
I'm not expecting anything crazy out of Iowa State.
00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:29.040
Quite literally, every other team in the Big 12, I could point to and I could say, you know, if that goes right, this could actually be a really, really interesting season for them.
00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:30.560
Even like West Virginia.
00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:30.879
Yeah.
00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:38.959
I'm not like super crazy about, but they get Cam Cook at at running back, reunited with uh Rich Rodriguez, right?
00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.120
That team I think is gonna have a lot better depth.
00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:52.800
Like there are things that I think you can point to with most of the teams in this conference where it it's not too hard to squint and see the path for them to at least be interesting in the latter stages of the season.
00:05:52.959 --> 00:06:04.639
So though I might not pick them to win multiple playoff games, I'm still pretty confident that the league as a whole is really gonna show out and give us a fun three or four months of football.
00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:07.439
Yeah, look, West Virginia I'm actually pretty high on.
00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:10.879
I think Rich Rod is is actually building something there.
00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:16.800
Uh up at the top, I mean, are you still are are you in line with everybody like tech and BYU and then a gap?
00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:20.560
I've been saying tech, BYU and Houston as the top tier and then a gap.
00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:22.800
Like where do you see the the top part of the league?
00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:28.720
Yeah, I I tech, BYU and Houston, I think is is sort of where we're at on our show.
00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:33.920
Um I I I'm never how can I put this?
00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:41.120
I've never been of the mind that even Texas Tech with Brandon Soresby was definitively the answer.
00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:41.839
Interesting.
00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:52.720
I mean, I think he was better than what they had, but there was a little bit of like, I need to see it before I'm willing to believe it, with him being the starting quarterback at tech.
00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:57.519
Obviously, we're not going to get that this year, but I think they'll be able to run the crap out of the ball.
00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:03.680
I think they've got a really good running back room at a good line in front of those guys that should at least power them a good chunk of the way through the season.
00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.560
And the same is true, obviously, for BYU.
00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:07.759
We just spoke of that a moment ago.
00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:16.399
Houston's interesting though, because it just you get the sense when you watch Houston play and look at the way that Willie Fritz is building that roster that the dude just knows what he's doing.
00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:18.639
You know, there's not really wasted effort there.
00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:22.399
Even when he goes out in the portal, he gets what he needs, he brings it back.
00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:26.000
Um, and it seems like he's able to spin some gold out of it.
00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:33.600
So I trust in his coaching ability, probably more than most things in the Big 12.
00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:33.839
Yeah.
00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:34.959
I'm I'm really high.
00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:37.920
One of these guys who's really high on Oklahoma State as well.
00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:39.839
I think they're gonna surprise some people.
00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:45.120
Um, TCU's another one, Arizona, if they can play defense the way they did a year ago.
00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:46.959
Like it's a lot of ifs.
00:07:47.439 --> 00:08:05.279
I would definitely still go with those three at the top of the Big 12, but I but I also think there's sort of like a thick middle crust in the Big 12, where if just a few things go one way or another, um, to your point earlier, we could see some surprise teams sort of take a leap and at least be in the hunt late in the season.
00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:11.439
So you're okay, you're on the the Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins, Wyatt Young, hype train there, and still water.
00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:15.199
You think they'll have enough enough defense to get to what what's like the barometer there?
00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:18.959
Are we talking like eight plus win season for them?
00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:20.319
I could see it.
00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:21.519
Yeah, I could see it.
00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:25.920
I don't know if I'd want to put money on it, but I could yeah, I could absolutely see it.
00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:31.519
I think the offense will be very good because that's just sort of what Eric Morris does.
00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:41.440
And the combination of those three guys, Mestamaker, Young, and Hawkins, should give them more than enough firepower to score some points in this conference.
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:53.039
I happen to think their defensive line, which I know was a question earlier this year, I happen to think that it should be pretty solid this year, and that could help power a defense that's not going to be spectacular.
00:08:53.200 --> 00:09:06.399
It's certainly not going to be Texas Tech from a year ago, but functional, good enough to keep them in games, good enough to at least keep an offense that I think will have a lot of firepower in games late.
00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:08.960
I think they can be good enough to do that.
00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:11.600
And in a conference that feels so wide open, why not?
00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:12.240
Why not?
00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:16.240
This is a coach with a pretty good track record for building offense, if nothing more.
00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:21.440
Um so yeah, defense, defense is where I think we need to see it happen.
00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:30.720
But I'm of the mind that with what they brought in, they might be able to hit the ground running a little, a little bit better than uh maybe we expected when we first saw it.
00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:32.720
Put you on the spot a little bit here.
00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:39.840
A couple of the first-year head coaches, Eric Morris is one, but that I think are in similar positions.
00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:43.919
You could argue Morgan Scalley's taking over something that's a little more ready-made now.
00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:46.159
But Morgan Scally and Colin Klein, right?
00:09:46.240 --> 00:09:47.600
They're both alums.
00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:57.519
They're taking over from one a legendary figure, another in Chris Kleiman, who it's probably not like legendary status, but did a pretty damn good job in taking over for a legend at K-State.
00:09:57.679 --> 00:09:57.840
Sure.
00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:00.240
And both taking over for guys that they worked under.
00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.639
Uh, who do you expect will have a bigger first year as a head coach?
00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:12.559
If I'm betting right now, I'd probably say Morgan Scally, but I'm I'm really encouraged by Colin Klein.
00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:17.679
There's something about that situation that to me I think is really appealing.
00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:26.399
Um I am particularly interested to see what the interplay looks like between him and Avery Johnson, because Avery Johnson's still there as I look, I'm singing to the choir.
00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:27.600
You knew all about this, right?
00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:36.639
But um I'm I'm really curious to see what kind of system he puts around Avery Johnson and if he's finally able to get the most out of him.
00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:46.720
Because this is desperately, desperately a team that is in need of Avery Johnson to finally assume that mantle and become the prince that was promised.
00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.679
I believe that Colin Klein can do that.
00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:56.799
Uh and I'm excited to see whether or not he can do that because this does not on paper look like a bad Kansas State team to me.
00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:07.200
It's definitely a Kansas State team that's a bit in transition, but there are still enough pieces on that squad that I think make them supremely interesting going into this Big 12 season.
00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:26.000
So longer term, uh longer term, I'm really interested to see what K-State looks like once we get sort of beyond the Avery Johnson era and Colin Klein gets a chance maybe to you know build with uh a full roster of all of his own guys from both the transfer portal as well as the high school ranks.
00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:30.720
For the moment, though, I think there are more pieces in place on the Utah side.
00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:36.080
Um, it it does hurt to lose what they lost, I think, on the coaching side, not just Whittingham, right?
00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.360
But yeah, um I I think that's gonna be a bit of an uphill climb.
00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:48.159
I don't think we can assume that it's going to be exactly as good as it has been in the past simply because there's a fair amount back for Utah.
00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:50.720
But um short term, I bet would be Utah.
00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:54.960
Longer term, though, I I think it's more of a toss-up between Utah and K-State.
00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:58.559
Man, I need you to tell this to our ThreMaw audience, man.
00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:02.799
I take I take a lot of flack on the ThreMaw podcast for picking K-State eight and four.
00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:06.960
I I know the schedule's easy, guys, but uh I want to ask you.
00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:11.200
So, I mean, I'm sure you watched a lot of Texas AM last year, probably more than I did.
00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:18.159
Like, Marcel Reed, who who is the in a vacuum, like the better quarterback, Marcel Reed or Avery Johnson?
00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:27.519
Like, how much faith should there be that, hey, Colin did this with Marcel last year, so he could take Avery Johnson and turn him into whatever you think that's gonna be this year?
00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.159
Avery Johnson's just been so inconsistent.
00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:41.519
And even though Marcel Reid has also been somewhat inconsistent, um, I don't feel like he has been as prone to like the blow-up play.
00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:46.320
Like when I play golf, I have a couple blow up holes every round and it ruins the score.
00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:54.000
Avery Johnson has a couple of those football moments that I feel like if you're a K-State fan, have to drive you up a wall.
00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:59.840
And so his, I think, first job will be trying to get that out of Avery Johnson.
00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:02.240
Let's get past that, be a little bit more responsible.
00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:08.000
Hopefully, you can surround him with a better support net where it doesn't feel like he has to go out there and play hero ball.
00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:18.639
Um, and if he can do at all with Avery Johnson what he did with Marcel Reed, which was for the most part curtail some of those lesser qualities, highlight what he's good at.
00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:23.440
Marcel Reed, obviously very mobile with the football, could put defenses on skates.
00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:31.840
I think Avery Johnson's got a lot of that same skill set, but it is a matter, I think, of breaking some of those habits that have really gotten in the way of more success.
00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:38.639
To what end he can do that, just step foot on campus, you know, a few months ago, that part remains to be seen.
00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:43.759
But certainly his work with Marcel Reed, I think, is is a promising sign if you're a K-State fan.
00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:50.720
So I look right now, I take Marcel Reed, but I am curious to see if Colin Klein can do something similar now with Avery Johnson.
00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:57.840
And I'm gonna put you through the same exercise with two two different coaches again, because these are two guys that have now left the Big 12.
00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:09.039
But between Kyle Whittingham at Michigan and Matt Campbell at Penn State, who would you take short term like this year, 2026, who would you take long term out of that to have more success?
00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:17.679
Well, so Penn State has a much more favorable schedule this year than Michigan.
00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:21.279
And I think that that has to factor in somewhat.
00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:27.039
I don't know if the highs of Penn State are quite as high as I think they can be on the Michigan side.
00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:36.960
Um and so I would say if I am picking a roster, I probably pick Michigan's roster over Penn State's.
00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:43.840
That said, I think that Penn State, more likely than not, is gonna finish with a better record than Kyle Whittingham.
00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:48.320
Bigger picture, long term, that to me is a toss-up.
00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:53.120
Um, we don't know how long Whittier's gonna be at Michigan, right?
00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:58.639
He certainly still has a youthful quality to him, but he is not the youngest coach in college football.
00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:01.360
So we're gonna have to see how this goes in year one.
00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:03.679
I think a lot depends on Bryce Underwood.
00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:05.120
And does he take a step forward?
00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:06.960
What do they ask him to do in that offense?
00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:11.200
Can he grow as a passer and become more of a complete player?
00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.480
Um, provided they're able to do that with him.
00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:23.679
I think the short-term success would probably be on the Michigan side as well, just because there are questions about what happens next year for Penn State or quarterback, right?
00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:26.000
Is it is it one of their backups now on the roster?
00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:27.120
Do they go a different direction?
00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:30.879
The transfer portal, you know, that we'll just have to wait and see on that front.
00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.399
So I think it's close.
00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:34.000
I would probably favor Michigan.
00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:36.559
I'm saying this as a Penn State alum, mind you.
00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.679
So don't let don't say it too loud.
00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:49.759
But yeah, gun to my head, I'd probably go Michigan by a nose, um, both in the immediate and in the medium term, just because I think the roster is better right now.
00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:59.279
Uh, self-indulgent question to end here, because one of my favorite things about you and Dan is that you're not afraid to reference uh pop punk music from the early 2000s.
00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.320
Uh so I'm not sure if that is that that's you too, right?
00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:03.200
That's not all, Dan.
00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:04.960
Oh no, Dan's better.
00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:15.759
Dan's a little bit more like knowledgeable about you know, the the his his pop punk knowledge is far deeper than mine, but yeah, we we share a common affliction.
00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:17.120
Okay, all right.
00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:22.159
So like top three pop punk albums of all time.
00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:31.840
I mean take off what take off your pants and jacket, right?
00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:34.960
Like I'm trying to think of what else I would I would go with.
00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:39.840
Um maybe would go Fallout Boy from under the cork tree.
00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:41.279
Yes, gray one.
00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:42.639
Probably up there.
00:16:42.879 --> 00:17:00.320
Um I think it's underrated, but um certainly not lost on people of our ilk, but um maybe it's just because I saw them in concert now that I'm old, but uh Ocean Avenue, that whole album by sort of underrated as well.
00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:09.440
Yeah, I could I could probably list off a dozen here just off the top of my head, but three that come to mind that I that I think of as some of the the great ones, at least in my sphere.
00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:10.799
Hey, I love that.
00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:11.359
I love that.
00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:14.400
So you were you were jamming out to Ocean Avenue in uh in PA.
00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:15.599
I was, yeah.
00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:20.079
They they stopped by here in Bethlehem and uh it was a bunch of millennials rocking out.
00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:20.480
Yeah.
00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:20.880
Yeah.
00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:23.680
That's what's funny when you go to these concerts these days, man.
00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:25.279
I'm like, we're getting old.
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:30.640
We're getting they're on the way down, which means we get them, we get to see them cheaper and at smaller like hometown venues.
00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:31.440
Yeah, oh yeah.
00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:47.440
You know, which on one hand it's like, okay, maybe maybe the nostalgia um has finally come back to benefit us in the sense that um we get to see these guys cheaper tickets, a little grayer, but the music is the same and uh kind of takes us back to a moment in time.
00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:50.720
Yeah, and maybe have a seat so you can sit down there and yourself.
00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:51.200
Yeah.
00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:52.640
Yeah, definitely do.
00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:54.880
Hey, go listen to the solid verbal, everybody.
00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:59.200
Like I said, it's been my favorite college football podcast for like over a decade at this point.
00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:00.559
Ty, great to chat with you.
00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:02.000
I appreciate you making some time, man.
00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:02.720
Thank you, John.
00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:03.759
Anytime, man.
