CFB Lunch Break: Michigan, LSU, Coaching Trees, and More

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThis episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can hear a preview. If you’re not a paid subscriber, you can get a weeklong free trial.Alex Kirshner and Richard Johnson take a bunch of live questions from Split Zone Duo subscribers and discuss college football offseason news: * Maryland losing a basketball coach to the Big East is a sign of what’s coming in college sports’ new economy * Is the SEC the next flashpoint for intra-athletic department funding over House settlement revenue share dollars? * How about the blue-blood men’s basketball schools like Kentucky and Duke? * How will this new era affect the service academies? * Do we believe that NIL has ruined the NCAA hoops tournaments? * Does Richard believe in Florida’s offensive play-calling apparatus? * What is Alex’s problem with Wisconsin? * Let’s talk about Georgia Tech’s defensive line * Frank Reich to Stanford* Pac-12 realignment musical chairs * The Athletics’ horrible treatment of Sacramento, and thoughts on torpedo bats Producer: Anthony VitoAlso this week from Split Zone Duo

Rodger Sherman joins Alex and Richard for a checkup on all 18 teams in the beefy Big Ten, as our Offseason Vibe Check series rolls on:* Ohio State won the national championship. That’s pretty good! Both the team and coaching staff are about to look a lot different.* Penn State faces its "national championship or go away” season* Washington is very hard to figure out* Michigan might have had the best non-OSU run of any team in the country from Thanksgiving through Signing Day* Purdue welcomes Barry Odom to a difficult gig* Nebraska has a notably quiet offseason as Dana Holgorsen, a late-season hire from 2024, tries to fix the offense* UCLA starts more or less from scratch, again* Iowa makes a portal addition to be very excited about* Wisconsin makes portal additions to be less excited about* Indiana has a chance to avoid a massive decline (?)* Minnesota needs to replace wideout production but has an intriguing QB* Oregon just keeps on chugging on the trail* Maryland is lining up a major recruiting win but needs to keep it together, not just through Signing Day but well beyond* Michigan State’s talent acquisition is going in the wrong direction* Rutgers shows encouraging signs* USC faces a truly make-or-break year* Illinois and Bret Bielema are change agents for CFB’s rules* Northwestern gets the full Rodger explanationProducer: Anthony VitoHosts: Alex Kirshner, Richard JohnsonGuest: Rodger Sherman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAndrew Luck fired Stanford coach Troy Taylor after off-field investigations of his conduct came to light. In this episode for SZD subscribers, Alex and Richard discuss the circumstances of Taylor’s firing and Stanford’s challenges:* An investigation timeline going back more than a year* Stanford’s decision to stand by Taylor until there was public heat* How this mirrors Northwestern’s firing of Pat Fitzgerald* Andrew Luck’s role as the key decision-maker for Stanford* Alex wonders if Stanford is even a good job anymore* Richard is very confident that it is NOT* Stanford’s unique challenges in a post-House settlement world* Recruits’ fading or nonexistent memories of the days when Stanford was one of the best programs in the country* Why the college sports industry will be watching Luck as GMThis episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can hear a free preview. You can sign up for a weeklong free trial at https://www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The NCAA had complete control of college football TV. The association decided which games the public could watch, and where, and when, and how much money every school would earn as a result. Then came a new group called the College Football Association, an outside TV deal, and a lawsuit from two schools, Georgia and Oklahoma. What happened next, at the United States Supreme Court, created the fundamentals of how all of us watch college football today. Jay Willis is the editor-in-chief of Balls and Strikes, an independent outlet that covers the Supreme Court. (He’s also a big Cal football fan.) Jay joins host Alex Kirshner to dive deep into NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, the case that destroyed the old world of college football TV and created a huge mess in its place. As we’ll learn, that took a while to clean up. Producer: Anthony Vito This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comDan Lanning signed an extension with Oregon that makes it impossible for all but a few teams to hire him away, and most of them aren’t college. Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, and Alex Kirshner discuss what his contract says about the evolved pecking order in the coach carousel. After losing both Willie Taggart and Mario Cristobal to Florida schools, has Oregon now ascended to be poaching-proof from everyone except the NFL, Ohio State, and Georgia? We run down some hypotheticals about LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, FSU, and Clemson. Hosts: Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, Alex KirshnerProducer: Anthony Vito This episode is for SZD subscribersYou can get a free trial of our paid episodes to get lots more shows like this. Meanwhile, everyone can hear a short preview of this show.

Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football senior writer Mike Craven discuss the state of the offseason in Conference USA, a league that was spicier than most of us expected in 2024:* Jacksonville State loses the braintrust behind a conference championship and will now be completely different* WKU’s run as the cradle of coordinators continues* FIU tries an ultra-Floridian approach* Sam Houston restarts with Phil Longo, who has school ties* Kennesaw State is just trying to be in less disarray* Liberty overhauls in the portal as it looks to bounce back* UTEP is quietly building something intriguing under Scotty Walden* Middle Tennessee emerges from a Year Zero* New Mexico State deals with broader athletic department turmoil* Louisiana Tech continues to ride it out* And the league soon adds a couple of new members, Delaware and Missouri State. We’ll get to them in season previews. It’s not time yet.Meet the Offseason Vibe Check: It's not a 2024 recap, and it's not a 2025 preview. It's a check-in with every team in every FBS conference about what's been happening since Thanksgiving. How was the postseason? How was the coach carousel? How was signing day? How was the transfer portal window? And is anything else going on around your program?Producer: Anthony VitoElsewhere in Offseason Vibe Checks* SEC* Sun Belt* ACC* Big 12 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAlex and Richard take subscribers’ college football questions in this live recording, conducted on the Substack app on Tuesday. We call it CFB Lunch Break, because we’re taking CFB questions at lunchtime:* How we feel about player wearing #0 and single-digits* The winner and loser from the ACC’s settlement with Clemson and FSU, which keeps the ACC together for at least a bit* What’s the real reason that spring games are on the decline?* Talking through Eddie George’s move to Bowling Green* Whether George is now in the Ohio State long-term candidates pipeline* San Diego State’s stagnancy as it heads to the new Pac-12* Does Dan Lanning warrant “f—ing football coach” status?* Why Lanning’s extension with Oregon is the realest extension ever* Fanbases with the MOST REALISTIC expectations* How long Indiana fans will (or won’t) tolerate a return to the old days* If we think about college football in the middle of the nightHosts: Alex Kirshner, Richard JohnsonProducer: Anthony Vito

Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football senior writer Mike Craven discuss how the offseason is going for every team in the Big 12 Conference: * Arizona State keeps a playoff core almost totally intact * Arizona is in the danger zone after Brent Brennan’s first year* Baylor is once again ready to contend for the league * Oklahoma State is in uncharted waters * WVU and UCF both do some fan service * Kansas swaps out coordinators and has a QB injury to monitor* Why Houston coach Willie Fritz is nicknamed “novocain”* Iowa State needs to win in the portal at wide receiver * Colorado is still acting very much like Colorado* How much should we buy into the hype of Texas Tech’s NIL-driven offseason renaissance? Mike tells us* Kansas State has its best recruit in program history* Cincinnati is relying a lot on Scott Satterfield’s evaluations * TCU has the best recruiting class in the Big 12 and could be rising again * Utah’s coach-in-waiting situation could get a bit weird, no? * BYU has an offseason of turnover and near-turnover at the top Meet the Offseason Vibe Check: It's not a 2024 recap, and it's not a 2025 preview. It's a check-in with every team in every FBS conference about what's been happening since Thanksgiving. How was the postseason? How was the coach carousel? How was signing day? How was the transfer portal window? And is anything else going on around your program?Elsewhere in Offseason Vibe Checks* SEC* Sun Belt* ACC This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The Offseason Vibe Check series continues with the ACC, as Rodger Sherman joins Alex and Richard to talk about the state of the league. It's not a 2024 recap, and it's not a 2025 preview. It's a check-in with every team in every FBS conference about what's been happening since Thanksgiving. How was the postseason? How was the coach carousel? How was signing day? How was the transfer portal window? And is anything else going on around your program? * Pitt finished on an 0-6 run but has continuity in some important spots * Florida State makes wholesale changes after going 2-10 with one FBS win over Cal by five points * Jake Dickert takes over at Wake Forest after Dave Clawson stepped away without making it all about him * Virginia Tech’s make-or-break year approaches* Cal adds some funny culture fits * Belichick’s UNC is talking funny about operating like an NFL program* SMU appears to be building on its playoff season * Duke might be in the best shape of its football life * Syracuse recruits a massive class as Fran Brown tries to build * “We’re all on in Georgia Tech, right?” * Clemson steps into the transfer portal at last * NC State’s party might be over, but give Dave Doeren a chance* Miami gets itself involved (of course) in a major legal matter * BC and UVA make quarterback swaps * Is Louisville about to have a highly drafted NFL QB to recruit off of? * Palace intrigue at Stanford involving Andrew Luck (!) More from SZD and Rodger We love Rodger’s newsletterWe also loved having him on this episode (for subscribers, with a free trial!) about the unbelievably grim history of Kent State football: Elsewhere in Offseason Vibe Checks* SEC* Sun Belt This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAlex and Richard take live and pre-submitted subscriber questions in this quick episode to start off the new month. Topics include: * Biff Poggi’s return to Michigan* The tough job ahead of Pitt’s new AD* Brian Kelly’s make-or-break year * Colorado State continually being just short of being something* The first 100 days of the Belichick UNC administration * Gary Pinkel’s underrated career * Nebraska canceling a Tennessee series and the Big Ten either retreating from tough non-conference games or setting up for more of them * The concept of a Tulane-LSU-Saints football road trip * How many coaching trees can we really name right now? * A quick preview of SZD’s offseason plans Random historical show note: Here’s Colorado State’s pitch to the Big 12 from 2016, which Matt Brown and Alex dug up for SB Nation. Producer: Anthony VitoA bunch of fresh podcasts from SZD In case you missed any of these: * Our special on why Kent State’s football program is always bad, and what can be done about it if anything. Featuring Rodger Sherman! * Anatomy of a coaching carousel: 2001. Diving deep into the ramifications of one coach hiring cycle with our co-host emeritus Steven Godfrey * Offseason Vibe Checks: The state of the SEC * Offseason Vibe Checks: The state of the Sun BeltStay tuned for more this week Offseason Vibe Checks will roll on with the Atlantic Coast Conference. Not a subscriber but want to try it out? We love to hear that and are offering a week’s free trial. Subscribers: Any thoughts on this format? Let us know. We’re eager to hear what you think.