Way-Too-Early CFP Preview: Who Makes the Semifinals & Wins The National Championship

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel break down the details of the SEC vote that could get LSU expelled from the league. Plus, they tackle college football’s timekeeping problem, Michigan’s decision to stick with Bryce Underwood as QB1 and the mounting pressure on Dabo Swinney. 0:00 - Welcome 0:30 - SEC puts LSU on notice with expulsion vote 5:56 - Will the SEC pass the self-governance test? 15:36 - LSU & SEC: Can they close the gap? 21:14 - NCAA sets new ‘standard timing protocol’ 30:19 - Michigan sticks with Bryce Underwood at QB1 34:54 - Timekeeping fixes: Tenths of a second? Light up goal posts? 41:52 - Dabo Swinney under fire after LSU loss? 47:30 - Game preview: Ohio St vs Texas 54:34 - Game preview: Oklahoma vs Michigan 59:07 - Game preview: Alabama vs Kentucky 1:03:03 - Game preview: Arizona vs BYU 1:06:37 - Game preview: Arizona St vs Texas A&M 1:09:45 - Game preview: Tennessee vs Georgia Tech 1:13:48 - Deep cut game: Boise St vs Memphis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel recap Ole Miss’ win over Louisville and Notre Dame’s dominant performance against Wisconsin. Plus, they look ahead to Ohio State vs Texas and discuss the latest 24-team College Football Playoff talks and a potential SEC-Big Ten scheduling partnership.   0:00 - Welcome 0:30 - Bad games, blowouts, and controversy! 7:47 - Ole Miss defeats Louisville, secures win 17:38 - Notre Dame steamrolls Wisconsin 24:19 - What’s the best college football book? 32:21 - The best night in Baton Rouge 38:56 - Ohio St vs Texas is the perfect early-season matchup 46:24 - CFP talks to enter into negotiating window 49:36 - SEC, Big Ten talk scheduling partnership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan Wetzel and college football writers Max Olson and Bill Connelly break down Michigan’s wild win over Western Michigan, including the clock sync issue that gave the Wolverines another shot at a Hail Mary. Then the guys run through more of Week 1’s biggest games before wrapping up with their way-too-early Heisman picks and “Say Something Nice.”   0:00 - Welcome 0:30 - Michigan defeats Western Michigan on a Hail Mary 6:26 - Michigan’s Bryce Underwood underwhelms in first game of the season 13:53 - LSU trounces Clemson in Lane Kiffin’s debut 27:23 - UCLA rushing attack helps defeat Cal 32:57 - Oregon trails by 10 to a comeback and defeats Boise State 36:13 - UMass shocks Rutgers at home to win 38:23 - Auburn sneaks by Baylor to win 41:22 - Miami trounces Stanford 45:43 - Colorado narrowly defeats Georgia Tech 49:35 - Small sample Heisman winners for the week 53:17 - Say something nice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel look ahead to college football’s opening weekend, revisit some of the biggest early-season upsets and make the case for teams to “cowboy up” and play somebody Week 1 next year. Plus, the crew breaks down Clemson vs. LSU, what’s at stake for Clemson and whether Dae’Quan Wright Zxavian Harris will take the field for LSU. Then the guys run through the Week 1 slate of games and reveal which teams they think will come out on top. 0:00 - Welcome 0:30 - Week 1: Shockers are coming 3:39 - Week 1: It’s time to cowboy up & play somebody 7:17 - Remember these big opening weekend upsets? 13:45 - Inside the lore of College GameDay 19:08 - SEC, Big Ten to go big on opening weekend? 21:57 - Clemson vs LSU: A defining test for Clemson 27:16 - Clemson vs LSU: Will Dae’Quan wright & Zxavian Harris play? 34:11 - Clemson vs LSU: Who wins? 37:19 - UCLA vs Cal: The game flying under the radar 44:40 - Wisconsin vs Notre Dame: A game worth watching 49:38 - Baylor vs Auburn: All eyes on DJ Lagway 54:47 - Who wins? Boise State vs Oregon 56:55 - Who wins? Miami vs Stanford 59:46 - Who wins? Louisville vs Ole Miss 1:02:24 - Who wins? SMU vs Florida State 1:05:53 - Deep cut game: Tulane vs Duke 1:08:31 - The great Pabst heist: Thieves swipe $70k in beer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel dive into college football’s latest eligibility fight as LSU and Lane Kiffin test the limits of whether former NFL players can return to college. Veteran NCAA attorney Tom Mars joins to break down LSU’s options and the risk of SEC penalties and what the case could mean for college football. Plus, the crew discusses where the sport should draw the line on eligibility, contracts and player movement.   0:00 - Welcome 0:30 - Week 0: Weird and absolutely reckless 5:42 - Week 0: FCS vs The Group of Six 10:21 - Week 0: FCS matchups in the spotlight 17:21 - Week 0 no more, college football moves on 24:03 - Lane Kiffin & SEC in talks over eligibility 30:21 - Tom Mars, veteran NCAA attorney, joins the pod! 32:22 - Tom Mars weighs in on SEC eligibility 37:41 - Is the Big 12 federal case a blueprint for the SEC? 43:34 - LSU vs SEC intraconference transfer rule 47:20 - Tom Mars: Not interested in taking on a losing case 48:02 - Is LSU’s NFL player gamble worth it? 58:17 - Revisiting the Charles Bediako uproar 1:05:04 - What should the eligibility line be? 1:10:17 - Balancing contracts and player movement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel set the stage for the College Football Playoff picture. They discuss whether the 12-team format is the sweet spot, identify how many teams have a legitimate shot to win the national championship and then make their early CFP predictions on unexpected teams to crash the field, who makes the semifinals and who could win it all.   0:00 - Welcome 0:30 - Preseason AP Poll vs. CFP reality 6:00 - Who’s in, who’s out of the CFP? 8:30 - Is a 12-team CFP the sweet spot? 20:50 - How many teams can win it all? 34:41 - The unexpected teams to crash the cfp are… 41:52 - CFP semifinals: Early picks for who’s in 43:43 - Penn State cocaine trafficking ring exposed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel break down the Big 12 heading into the season. Is Texas Tech’s rise good for the conference and can Houston emerge as a legitimate contender Plus, the crew weighs Utah’s changes of making a run, Arizona State’s loaded wide receiver room, TCU’s sleeper potential, and the wild cards that could shake up the Big 12 race.   0:00 - Welcome 1:55 - Oklahoma St. Eric Morris vs. an armadillo 9:44 - Is Texas Tech’s rise good for the Big 12? 17:53 - BYU freshman WR Legend Glasker turning heads 19:54 - Can Houston emerge as a Big 12 contender? 29:58 - Utah: Big 12 contender or spoiler? 35:37 - ASU has the Big 12’s best WR room? 46:05 - TCU: The quintessential Big 12 sleeper? 48:16 - Arizona, Baylor & Oklahoma St: Big 12 wild cards 53:43 - Coach Prime at Colorado: What’s next? 58:10 - Final word on the Big 12: WVU, ISU, Arkansas St, UCF, Cincinnati, KU, Baylor, Kansa St Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel continue their SEC preview with the biggest questions facing the conference this season. Can Missouri crash the SEC title race? Can John Sumrall turn things around at Florida? And which programs are poised to make a leap?   0:00 - Welcome 1:08 - Can Missouri crash the SEC title race? 2:26 - Can John Sumrall get Florida back on track? 4:52 - Can South Carolina make a major leap? 9:34 - Can Pete Golding keep Ole Miss among SEC elite? 11:19 - Can Will Stein immediately win at Kentucky? 16:23 - Can Alex Golish end Auburn’s losing skid? 24:46 - Can Vanderbilt keep rising without Diego Pavia? 31:40 - Can Ryan Silverfield revive Arkansas? 33:17 - Is Kamario Taylor going to be an SEC breakout quarterback? 37:38 - Who’s your favorite player to watch throw? 39:09 - Which coach gets fired by Halloween? 44:55 - SEC must-see games 49:39 - Does the SEC end their championship drought? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel preview the SEC heading into the 2026 college football season. Has the conference lost its place atop the sport or is the SEC ready to reassert its dominance. The crew breaks down whether Georgia’s offense can deliver another SEC title, Arch Manning’s chances of leading Texas to the top, pls can Ole Miss contend without Lane Kiffin and can Lane Kiffin win immediately at LSU?   0:00 - Welcome 0:30 - Has the SEC lost its place atop college football? 9:54 - Can Georgia’s offense deliver another SEC title? 13:59 - Can Arch Manning lead Texas to an SEC title? 20:00 - Is Oklahoma ready to win the SEC? 23:09 - CFP debate: Can SEC teams lose three games? 28:57 - Can Ole Miss contend without Lane Kiffin? 38:24 - Can Texas A&M return to the CFP? 42:32 - Can Lane Kiffin win big immediately at LSU? 56:59 - Can Alabama reclaim its place among the SEC elite? 1:03:22 - Can Tennessee contend with a new quarterback? 1:09:39 - SEC title game: Who gets there and who wins? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete Thamel, Dan Wetzel, and Ryan McGee wrap up their ACC Conference Preview by asking the question: Who survives the season? They break down the pressure facing Bill Belichick at UNC, Mike Norvell at Florida State and Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Plus, can James Franklin revive Virginia Tech? Could Cal or Pitt shake up the ACC race? What’s ahead for Duke, Wake Forest, Syracuse, and Boston College?   0:00 - Welcome 0:56 - Belichick, Norvell or Dabo: Who survives the season? 4:24 - Will Belichick return in 2027? 5:00 - UNC’s portal plan: What went wrong? 18:23 - Can Mike Norvell survive another losing season? 24:04 - ACC exit plans and landing spots 28:32 - Is Dabo Swinney under pressure at Clemson? 36:28 - Can James Franklin revive Virginia Tech? 41:20 - Can Cal make noise in the ACC? 42:47 - Can Duke & Wake Forest do it again? 44:56 - Can Pitt enter the ACC title race? 47:07 - Syracuse & Boston College: What’s ahead? 51:19 - What is proper post-hunting etiquette? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices