Welcome to the solid verbal ull that for me, I'm a man, I'm forty.

I've heard so many players say, well, I want to be happy.

You want to be happy for dake Eda State?

Is that woo woom?

And then and tie Big Ten Preview Part three TWA twa TI.

We made it all the way through parts one parts two in the can go back and listen to them to get the big picture, can tender tears and emerging storylines.

Go back and listen to part two so you can hear us talk about Ohio State and Oregon and Michigan and Iowa and a bunch of other teams.

Today we've got the balance of the conference.

Nine teams left, which means Penn State, USC, Nebraska, Rutgers, Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, Washington, and Michigan State.

Great nine to go in this enormous college football power conference that is still known by its original name, the Big Ten, which is a little bit outdated but still at least has some charm to it.

How are you, my friend?

Are you ready?

I'm ready, I'm excited.

I'm enthusiastic.

You did forget to mention that if you want to hear our twenty twenty four Notre Dame preview.

I did it in about seventeen and a half seconds on part one.

I know you did it, and that.

Do not lead people astray.

These are, in many cases ardent supporters of this show.

There will be a much longer Notre Dame preview coming up after that.

I thought it was pretty thorough and people are going to list Notre Dame people.

Not every Notre Dame person is going to hear my seventeen and a half second preview and say, look, Notre Dame deserves a lot more than that.

But it wasn't bad.

It wasn't bad.

You would love it.

If you only had to put seventeen seconds into Notre Dame, you would love it.

I want more.

I want more.

I crave more Notre Dame.

You know that about me?

I do know that.

Do you crave more?

Big Ten?

I'd love more Kenny Wiggins because you're in the danger zone the Big ten.

Ooh, so look you know the drill by Now hit follow, hit subscribe if you like the show.

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Yes, okay, we got nine teams left.

We're recording all three episodes in one day.

Both of our voices run a little bit ragged, great, but we are going to power through this.

We're going to do it with professionalism, with poise.

You act like what we do is hard, like we are crossing like the ninety one mile mark on the Ultra marath on.

That is audio podcasting in temperature controlled rooms.

Right, this is our Willis Reid game.

I feel like I've been studying this though for an eternity, because there are eighteen teams, that's true, put it so many hours of research into this and the fact that we've made it to part three is definitely redeeming.

Where should we start?

Where would you like to start our coverage?

Here?

Today, Let's start with the Pittsburgh Pirates and turn around here for and e Vans like first and foremost.

Okay, where are we starting?

Let's start with Penn State.

Can we do that?

Would that be so bad to do?

I got my Roar Lions roar shirt on.

Man, I'm ready, Okay, I'm ready for this Penn State season.

The over Unders ten and a half, they were ten three year ago.

Very very good team for sure.

The frustration, of course, with Penn State.

It was more of the same, right and great against everybody on the schedule except for the best teams on the schedule.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling tended to.

That's the siren call for all things Penn State.

It's at least been that way for the last couple of years.

I view twenty twenty four as perhaps the most pivotal year since James Franklin has got to Penn State.

Wow it is, Okay, it is, and.

It's for many of the reasons that I have described all throughout this offseason.

Penn State benefits, perhaps above all else by the new system, with the expanded playoff.

They benefit perhaps more than anybody else with the new divisionless structure of the Big Ten.

The schedule for Penn State is spaced out pretty nicely.

It gives them padding in between the headlining games, and this is a team that's got a lot back.

Penn State should be a playoff team this year, full stop, okay, full stop.

In my opinion.

If they are not in the playoffs, this is a huge disappointment.

So the conversation in twenty twenty four begins and continues with James Franklin's two new coordinators.

One Andy kotel Nikki, who's hired away from Kansas, was kind of the higher of the cycle on the offensive side, and Tom Allen got fired from Indiana, but still a damn good coach in his own right, especially as it relates to defense.

He is coming in.

He's going to take over for Manny Diaz who went to take over the duke job.

Both of them, in my view, excellent hires.

I love it.

I'm ecstatic to get both in the same cycle.

Each guy, though, is in a little bit of a different situation.

Sounds a little counterintuitive.

I granted, I feel like Tom Allen's got more pressure on him because probably.

The defense needs to stay at an elite level.

If they're going to make any kind of serious run at this thing, and they lost some difference makers to the NFL, let's be clear about that.

Tom Allen needs to step in, needs to hit the ground running in this defense.

Maybe can drop off a little bit, but can't drop off too much.

Is your guy DDS still there?

Dds?

I'm about to talk about Okay, sorry about to talk.

Don't get don't get ahead of your premature DDS ing.

Yeah.

Notably on defense for this Penn State team, Tom Allen is making a little tweak, little tweak, okay, playing.

More of a four to two five this year.

Functionally, what does that mean?

That's d Yeah, Functionally it means that they're swapping a linebacker for a safety, hybrid safety, the lion position, whatever they call.

Everyone's got a name for it now right.

I think it's a smart move, especially since they're moving Abdul Carter from linebacker to edge rusher.

That creates a really.

Good situation I think on that defensive line.

I am very.

Excited about the combo of Abdull Carter and Deny Dennis Sutton.

I was so confident in Deny Dennis Sutton a year ago that I botched his name happen.

It is not Danny Dennis side is spelled d A and I he says it.

Deny, yeah, deny you the opportunity.

We are denying all these other Big ten teams the opportunity to get a leg up on this defense.

Beyond that, the top four defensive tackles are back.

They're very deep up front.

The danger on this defense starts in the trenches.

Their line should be ferocious.

If they're in danger at all on the defensive side, it's probably at corner where they had a lot of turnover.

Because Kaylin King and Johnny Dixon Daikwon Hardy all went pro this year.

They bring in aj Harris from Georgia Jalen Timber from Florida to help plug some of those gaps.

I could see it taken a little bit for those guys to mesh.

But they're backed up by a really good set of safeties.

And the good news is that there aren't a whole lot of high flying offenses, at least not in the early part of the season.

On the schedule, They've got, like I don't know, a month and a half to before they play a team like the USC which, as we know in la USC has built more to take advantage of that.

But as long as.

Tom Allen isn't doing the full College Football twenty five simulation of the defense, yeah, this is.

Gonna be a beast of a unit.

They're gonna be real, real good.

That goes without saying, the key to this entire thing is offense, and it wasn't.

Bad last year.

I don't mean to imply it was a bad offense, but it was very underwhelming, let's be clear.

So what Andy cotel Niki can do with this offense is going to decide how the whole thing goes.

He's a super creative mind.

His work at Kansas should be in the freakin' loove.

Yeah, Kansas was nowhere before Lance Leipoldt got there, and through lippoled Andy cotael Niki, they turned into a really good offense, especially a really strong running team, which is what I like about this higher.

I would love to see Penn State build the whole day and playing out of Nick Singleton and k Tron Allen, who are their two star running backs.

And just go for there.

Figure it out from there, but start with the running game, build it around those two dudes, and then we can work in more receivers, more passing schemes for Drew Aller, etc.

Etc.

But that's I think that's the teeth of the offense.

Hopefully he feels similarly.

Okay last season.

That is not to say they didn't try, because they did, but they lost pretty much all of their home run threats.

This offense had virtually no explosion in twenty twenty three.

So the caveat is you got to try and get some of that pop back.

The caveat is that the line is relatively green.

They lost three starters to the NFL, so.

Good good line a year ago.

Probably still fine with a lot of talent they've recruited well, but possible danger if they take too big a step back and if they rely a little bit or try to rely a little bit too much on that running game.

That brings me to Drew Aller.

In the passing game, this is where it really hurt them that there wasn't a home run threat.

Actually, let me let mean back up.

This is where it really hurt them when they had receivers, an entire room of receivers that couldn't get open.

They got no separation all year long.

Only so much you can do.

That's not to say some of it wasn't on Drew Aller.

He's still relatively green.

I've talked at nauseum on this show about how he picked up the quarterback position later.

He hasn't been playing it since he was ten years old.

He's still learning to play this position.

Some of it's on him, most of it's on the receivers not getting open.

So what happened in the offseason?

They all left.

They all left.

All the receivers are gone.

Yeah, they all left.

This is a bad receiver room a year ago.

It's basically a brand new receiver room this year because something like five guys transferred out.

The top target appears to be Julian Fleming, who transfers in from Ohio State.

Otherwise it's Harrison Wallace and Cadence Saunders, who were very lightly used a year ago.

Tyler Warren is back at tight end.

I like him a lot.

Whether it's these guys, whether it's somebody else.

Lower on the depth chart, it is essential that somebody else step up.

Somebody else needs to step up.

And become a reliable target.

There needs to be more of a supporting cast round hour.

Maybe it's Nick Singleton or k Tron Allen in the passing game.

I don't know, maybe it's Tyler Warren.

Here is where we are relying on that creativity for many cotail Nikki to unlock this passing game because last year under Mike Irositch in a system that felt more rigid, for whatever reason, it did not click.

It needs to click.

Let me say one more thing about Drew hour pff I mentioned this too.

Pff posted something on their site about how Drew Aller is one of the most disrespected quarterbacks.

Looking back in twenty twenty three, he had a twenty five to two touchdown interception ratio.

Objectively, that's very good to my eye.

He never fully looked comfortable.

I don't know if that's a processing thing.

I don't know if it is truly fair to throw the receivers under the bus the way I just did, But I think it bears mentioning that another year in this system, hopefully with a better offensive coordinator, gives Drew Aller the seasoning that he needs to maybe get to that five star potential.

He was good last year.

He wasn't great.

He wasn't a five star last year.

Right, a more flexible system.

I am hopeful can get him there.

Three arts per attempt against Michigan.

He was good against everybody, just not the best teams on the schedule.

I would appreciate how safe he was.

Not safe, but like clean.

Responsible two interceptions, right, he was a respond But here's the thing, Dan, if you come in and maybe this is the part that wasn't fair to Aler, Okay, when you come in as a five star.

People look to you to win games.

They look to you in a game like that Michigan affair, or Ohio State or any of the bigger teams on the.

Schedule, even at home.

No head coach against Michigan, for sure.

But if the running game isn't working and isn't giving you the pop, that's when people look at the five star quarterback and they say, go win the game for us.

Yeah, and he.

Was not able to do that because he was not ready or did not have the skills, or did not have the receivers.

But the passing game was not good enough for that.

So they got to fix that.

They got to get better.

They don't need to necessarily be the Mike Leech air raid this season, but they have to offer a second pitch this is a great schedule.

Oh yeah, this is a great It feels like this should be a playoff team with this It's well balanced, there's enough firepower on here to be taken seriously, but yet good buffers after all the big games.

There's a five week stretch between the middle of October and early November that I think decides this season.

At USC then a bye an at Wisconsin home against Ohio State home against Washington.

That's the stretch right there.

West Virginia to open up the year is tricky, and it's on the road.

And a weird early kick too.

Right then, Yeah.

I'm not as concerned because I think Penn State should be good enough at stopping the run, and certainly, as I said in the defensive line that stopping West virgin and just run should be something that they can handle.

But West Virginia is a good ball club.

We'll know, like pretty early on what this defense looks like against a good power rushing team.

I'm not out here saying I'm gonna throw all my money on over ten and a half.

I'm just saying, as somebody wearing a Penn State shirt and somewhere around here has a diploma hanging on the wall that if they're not making the playoffs this year, it is supremely disappointing and I don't know what that means for James Franklin's future.

Yeah, and I feel weird saying that because he's had a lot of success there and I had nothing against him, truly, But this is the year.

This is the year to make that playoff and getting a home game at Beaver Stadium is on the table.

That would be awesome.

They've winter rised the stadium now, they've talked a lot about that.

They're in the throes of this major renovation to the football stadium.

This is the year to.

Kind of lay it all out in the line and and get the most out of what I think is a really exciting class that came in, you know, back in twenty twenty two.

They have one team on their schedule in Ohio State, which is at home in Happy Valley, that looks to be a surefire top ten twelve to fifteen team.

One team now somebody might surprise obviously, USC or Wisconsin or Washington.

Somebody's going to pop up and offer more of an obvious threat than where it sounds seems to be right now.

But as it stands now, maybe it's West Virginia.

Who knows as it stands now, in terms of talent, in terms of situation, in terms of pop it's only the Buckeyes right now.

No, can't lose to Michigan if you don't play Michigan, Right Dan, it's there for him.

Yeah, there's a reason why they're ten and a half, is tied with Oregon and Ohio State as the best in the conference.

It's because the schedule works, the team is good, the coordinators that they went out and god are good.

There's a ton of talent across the board.

This should be a year that Penn State gets in the playoffs.

So I don't know how many teams ultimately get in from the Big Ten, but my hunch is at this point, if we're assuming three, seems reasonable Penn State would be the third.

Would you rather be like a Penn State fan this year or a Michigan fan this year?

I would rather be a Michigan fan because my team would have just won the national title.

That's true, and expectations are always high at a program like Michigan, but there is a little bit of a grace period and exhale a little bit.

Yeah, you can exhale a little bit, and there's a grace period whenever you lose that much the coach, all the players, et cetera.

You can take that step back and you still want the team to play well.

You never want to lose to Ohio State, but you've already gotten to the top of the mountain Penn State.

I'm fearful that it's going to feel like we get into week twelve and again we're banging our head against the wall, wondering what could have been.

I would probably feel better about Penn States here as a Penn State fan than I would feel like for isolating in a vacuum as a Michigan fan than Michigan's here because similarly built.

But we think there's more passing upside with Penn State and Aler even after not all on him.

A twenty twenty three that really saw some struggles going downfield consistently, which disappointing I'm sure for Penn State fans, But with this schedule, like you should be as you are brimming with confidence that the best of Penn State should be able to make the playoff this year.

Hey, look, this is not to say it's an easy schedule.

It's the thirty fourth toughest schedule right now, per Bill Connolly.

Right, but in terms of home road splits and missing Oregon and Michigan, yeah, home road splits are good.

It's also not a USC schedule, which maybe we can talk about next right, Like it's it's one of the easier schedules in this conference.

And truly on display is this new setup and how it could benefit Penn State, right, got to take advantage of these opportunities.

They don't come around all that often at your Minnesota Golden Gophers, though, tay Yuma.

I am a little bit fearful of that game.

I'm serious all the Minnesota stuff.

I'm not just paying lips.

I under I had serious about Minnesota this year.

Arguably Minnesota's biggest modern win was over Penn State's true in minneatures.

A few years.

I got to get I got to get one of those cool Minnesota shirts and wear it.

Okay this year?

Yeah, fair enough, All.

Right, let's talk about USC now, newcomer to the conference.

USC is fascinating, right because a lot of people, myself included, are going into this season thinking, how are we not going to see the same old Lincoln Riley USC.

How are we not going to see some offensive fireworks and defensive embarrassment?

You know, it's the same story every year USC.

Just wait, they're loading up, they hit the portal wisely.

You know, it's still Lincoln Riley offense.

We still have promising receivers to watch.

Like, what is it going to be that's different about this year's USC team.

Well, they're playing the Big ten, that's different.

The truth is, I think they were smarter about how they approached the portal on defense than they were in previous years, like going after some big names, but not necessarily proven names in the way that they have this year.

Now.

They were fortunate in that Washington State and Oregon State's rostered were Pilford and some of that was done by USC.

With Oregon State with big linebacker, big safety, they strengthened the secondary and I think smart ways.

But they also decided not to bring back Alex Grinch.

That's a first step to how you're going to be different this year.

Alex Grinch, We'll get there a little bit.

Going to the Wisconsin defense to help out.

He's i think a co coordinator and safety's coach.

Which is where his background has been.

USC is in an interesting spot.

I'm not positive how they're going to get after the quarterback, but I can appreciate some of the beef along that line.

I think it's Nate Clifton coming in from Vanderbilt.

He was their most productive defensive lineman next to Bear Alexander by far the MVP of this USC defense.

They now have a little bit more linebacker depth next to Mason Cobb, Eric Gentry, and I think the secondary is going to be fine.

I just think in terms of pure bodies who can challenge for a Big ten title, USC in a numbers way is not there on defense, at least not yet.

And the problem still with USC in building up that roster is they're not successful on the recruiting trail.

They're just not.

They have not weird built up.

It's a little bit weird, and you know Trojan people.

And Lincoln Riley has talked about it a little that they've taken a while to get their like nil situation in order and different having different factions, but he has adamant that things have improved there.

But Lincoln Riley recruited a bunch of good defensive players to Oklahoma.

Is he in the hot seat?

Should he be in the hot seat.

I think it's right for us to ask the question.

He's doing a lot of money, there's a lot of hype around him still, But if he doesn't deliver this year with even more attention being on USC entering the Big Ten, I think it's a worthwhile question.

They've been flat out embarrassing on deep for the entirety of his time there, and so you can only be embarrassing at that price doing something for so long.

So yeah, I think it's worth a conversation if they're not remarkably better, markedly better this year on defense on offense this year, their line was disappointing last year.

They lose one of their tackles he transfers to Oklahoma.

I believe the right tackle, who I don't think was particularly effective last year for the Trojans.

Not many people along this line were effective.

They're left tackle scoots over to center.

They're bringing in some more youth along the line.

I think they're gonna be okay.

I really like the running back they brought in from Mississippi State, Woody Marx.

I believe.

I think the receiver room is really impressive, right, it's Deuce Robinson, former five star Jacobe Lane, Zachariah Branch, Makai Lemon, like there are actual dudes in this receiving room.

The question then, is what is the offense?

If footprint look like, how is we assume Miller Moss, what is he going to look like?

Not just in a bowl game against Louis but against a much more difficult schedule than USC and USC's offenses used to and alluded to this a little bit last year, but like, they were a five hundred ish team last year during the regular season and they built up that record.

I think they lost their final five of six.

Those early wins you're talking about, like crazy bad Stanford, crazy bad Nevada, crazy bad Arizona State, Like they built that up.

The wins that they did have sort of unimpressively in terms of opponent quality.

So they're going to need to take a big step forward this year as compared to last year on both sides the ball.

Even with the offensive success with having Caleb Williams.

Their schedule this year is as I pull up my legal pad and that legal pad, I love this thing, ty, I think it was on with it on my second page.

Yeah, my legal pad has it takes longer to get through, but I like it.

They're at Washington, Nebraska, at UCLA and Notre Dame to finish out the year, so they're gonna need to get better by then.

They open with LSU in Vegas.

Tie.

Now, I also use defense.

There's a lot of work ahead of it as well.

They have Utah State, They're at Michigan relatively early on before they host Wisconsin, so there are a lot of defenses on this schedule.

There's a lot of offensive firepower on this schedule, and it's I won't say relentless, but I think the floor is going to be higher this year as compared to where the PAC twelve was these past few years, past couple of years with Lincoln Riley.

Okay, I like them, I actually do.

And I said this before.

They're like, I don't know if they're going anywhere other than ten and two or five and seven.

Like I think Miller Moss either has it or he doesn't.

I'm not super confident on Jade Mayava, but like the depth is going to be concerning near the end of the season.

I really believe that they host Penn State, which will be interesting that stretch though near the even like Rutgers coming across the country.

It's it's not a gimme if you can push USC around a little bit on each side of the ball like a crazy injured Utah with Bryce and Barnes went into LA and beat him last year.

I think there's just there's a lot here like the stretch at Michigan, Wisconsin, at Minnesota, Penn State, at Maryland, Rutgers.

I'm just reading a list of teams right now.

At Washington, then you get to buy before Nebraska, Ucla, Notre Dame.

I don't know if this team is built for man, I really don't, and I think the defense will be improved.

I think the offense might even have a chance to be improved.

What would you consider a success for Danton Lynn as he comes in, because he was kind of like the big highre and you know it made headlines that he was hired away from UCLA to to run this operation.

Now you got nine starters back off a defense that I won't play my mister Softystown or mister softy sound.

We're already pretty deep into this conversation, but you're kind of soft.

What really bistically speaking, Is it a points per game thing?

Is it a line of scrimmish thing against the run?

Like, what is it specifically that you'd be looking for?

And if we got.

Six weeks into the season, you'd be like, oh, yeah, this is better.

No conversation about USC's defense, right, it's not just a you know, overflowing with praise about Like if we're just not talking about USC's defense collectively as a college football universe, I think that's a huge step forward.

You could also say that the same thing that Brian Farrence he had got held in front of him.

If USC can allow twenty five ish points a game, I think they were around thirty four to thirty five last year.

If they can do a reverse Brian, yeah, that's a success.

USC fans would take that in a heartbeat.

So that would put them at around sixtieth in the country from last year's numbers.

That'd be great.

Last year there were one hundred and twenty first at thirty four point four, right, that's USC.

So well, if Miller Moss works out, he was accurate.

He threw a bunch of touchdowns against Louisville and the Holiday Bowl.

If he works out, they're gonna win a bunch of games.

If the defense is okay, they're gonna win a bunch of games.

And I think the defense and it's not just Danton Lynn, right, it's Eric Henderson up front, a bunch of NFL experience, Matt Enz, the North Dakota State coach, coaching linebackers, Doug Belk, who was at Houston super well regarded as a secondary's coach.

I think the defensive coaching staff is really good.

I just I don't think they've built up the actual roster, both through recruiting and in the portal, enough to make me feel good about the defense fully on this schedule.

Okay, let's talk about Nebraska now, let's do it.

Five and seven last year under Matt Ruhle.

I think as I went back through, it.

Was way better than I expected.

They were five and three headed into November.

They lost four straight to Michigan State, Maryland, Wisconsin in Iowa, all by one score, mind you.

With no offense.

Basically yeah, no offense.

They were a dreadful half team.

They were one hundred and fourth in SP plus offense, sixth in SP plus defense.

They needed a quarterback, they needed better line play, and I am hopeful that they are going to get both.

Okay, this season, the reason.

That they're over under a seven and a half is because Vegas thinks maybe they did find both.

Again.

This is what Matt Ruhle does.

This is why we like the higher.

This is what this dude does.

He builds methodically from the inside out.

It's not always sexy, but that is the template, and he's done it more than once.

He is doing it again.

I think he is doing it quicker at Nebraska because now he is coaching in the era of the transfer portal and nil and you could patch holes a little bit quicker than he could when he was down at Baylor.

Now the whole line is back.

They only added skill talent to the roster, and they've added Dylan Rayla to the mix.

I do not want to make this whole preview about Dylan Royola.

It's gonna end up being a preview about Dylan Royola.

Okay, Dylan Royola was the top quarterback this cycle.

Do you know how exciting that is for Nebraska?

Huge?

Yeah.

No, not just to get a guy like that.

Obviously, if he plays well, that's great, that's what your hope is.

But if you get one guy like that, and if he builds excitement around the program, it makes it so much easier that you can get other.

Guys like that.

This is not the easiest place in the world to recruit, too, they all know that, but getting a guy at this caliber, I know he's a legacy, but getting him to come there.

If he does well there, if Nebraska starts winning success breed success, you will get other guys.

It will accelerate that process, that template, that formula for Matt rule.

That is what they are banking on.

That is what I am hoping will happen for Nebraska this season.

He's going to start day one.

He played in the spring.

You and I both got the vapors.

I thought he looked the part.

Yeah, just from what we could see.

You hate to put it all on a true freshman, but I'm kind of basing everything on a true freshman.

Dan if he's legit.

If you look at this skin, pull the schedule up while.

I'm vamping here, I'm right here.

I'm on it.

Could Nebraska not start seven to zero against that team, against that roster of teams?

Yeah, I mean, you're banking on a bunch of these teams being a little bit less than I think you think they'll be depending on what you think of Colorado, Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers.

Indeed, even if he's shaky, though, even if he's shaky, could they start five and two?

Sure?

Yeah, absolutely.

It seems very gettable to me.

So I look at this and I would bet almost any This is not the bet, by the way, yeah, because the over under seven and a half.

So me saying this is not exactly going out in a limb, but I would bet almost anything that Nebraska goes back to a bowl game this year for the first time in forever.

Okay, and that's progress for this team.

That is progress.

Yes, you asked me a question during a couple of different previews about what happens if the starting quarterback gets hurt.

Well, yeah, I know, I know, So okay, I don't want that to happen.

Obviously, I don't want that to happen.

Sure, is there a situation a day one true freshman starting quarterback that really worked out tremendously at a big place that you can point to.

They're few and far between.

That's that Sam Howell start day one?

Is he a true freshman he.

Took I'm blanking here on the spot, but I know enough to say that it's few and far between.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, he did.

He did start as a true freshman Sam Howel.

So, like the hope would be that this kid is just he's built different, he's different.

He's good Day one.

He comes right right into the fire and he's ready for it.

And you know, spring games only count for so much.

You look wise beyond his ears, you look like, sure, obviously can make the throws.

Physically, he seems ready, yep, But when you start seeing the live bullets fly, it's a different ball wax altogether.

That's true.

I feel pretty confident that Nebraska is going to get back to a bowl game.

I feel confident saying that because it's not just a lot back on offense plus a better quarterback.

The defense also has a ton back and they were outstanding last year.

They want at the point of attack, They're very physical.

I think that trend's going to continue, especially with Matt Ruhle.

Again, this is what he does.

And there just are many teams in the front half of their schedule anyway that I think can deal with Nebraska's defense, like maybe Colorado.

Colorado will be an interesting game.

The game against Rutgers is going to be a war.

I'll talk about Rutgers next, but I I don't have a whole lot of reason to doubt Nebraska this year.

I doubt that they're going to get the nine wins, but in terms of getting to six seven wins, I.

Feel very confident that that's going to happen.

I don't know about the over under.

I'm I don't want to like jinx anything.

You know, I'm good at that.

So if if they're held back by something, if they lose to somebody, they shouldn't.

And it's not a Riola thing, right that he is not necessarily like as expected by Nebraska fans, But he's really promising for a true freshman.

What's holding them back?

Like, who's catching the passes that scares you?

Who is you know, the skill talent?

Who is the edge rusher?

Like?

What is what is that grouping?

Otherwise other than a schedule that you are pointing to as advantageous, is the what is the gap?

Well, I mean, look, it's hard to say, based on what we saw last.

Year what to expect with what's coming back this year.

Like, I think a lot of it is inference and assumption, sure, because when you have a quarterback situation, I don't want to put on any one guy.

But the quarterback situation was very bleak last year, and as a result, they didn't get much through the air.

The line play was equally as bad a year ago.

I mean, that might have been the catalyst for at least part of why offense was so bad a season ago.

It just affected everything.

And so now coming into this year, like, I look at what they have coming back, and I feel somewhat optimistic that they're going to run the ball better.

I feel somewhat optimistic that with some of the talent that they have gotten out wide, they'll be able to pass it better.

It just seems like the talent level as a whole has been elevated, and it may not fall on any one person, but the collective, the aggregate, to quote your favorite moneyball scene, Yeah, will be better than pretty much the entirety of what had what Nebraska had an offense last season.

Yeah.

If they don't win seven games this year, I think it's a failure.

Yeah, I think seven's that number to me?

What's the under number?

Seven and a half?

Yeah, So do you have them going over I have them seven and five.

Okay, so I'm confident in seven to five, really confident a Bowl game.

I'm not confident in the over.

Well, I guess what I'm most curious to see.

I'm just thinking about your question here a little bit more.

Yeah, I'm most curious to see deep threats in the passing game.

Okay, Like they brought Isaiah and Air up from Texas.

Yeah, he's a guy that we you know, we've talked about him for three years now.

Maybe Malachi Coleman, Pops.

Maybe it's Jamal Banks who comes in from Wake Forest.

Guys who have some experience and some size, like they've just gotten better at acquiring that talent.

Yeah, think you put that around Royola.

The hope is that the whole thing gets better.

Okay, I'm excited about this.

I'm very interested in Nebraska.

I see at Iowa, at USC at Ohio State, at Wisconsin all like within a month.

I know, I know that's gonna be tricky, but I don't know, man, Like it's on a certain level.

And this is also true of Wisconsin.

We're like, yes, Nebraska's defense was very good in promising last year.

Yes, Wisconsin's defense was very good in promising last year as we expected, right, Luke Fickle Matt Ruhle, Like they have good defenses.

These are places that have recently had some pretty good defenses, and then you look at the quarterbacks they played last year.

I know, like, we think this defense is strong, but man, I all due respect to like what Illinois and Minnesota and stuff we're offering, but like both of these teams played like nine sub one hundred offenses.

So yeah, that's that's the trouble where you're just like, yeah, Dylan Ryolan a pretty good defense, You're just like, Okay, it's it's still a gamble.

I feel like I am all in on the red teams in the Big Ten this year, with the exception of Maryland.

Yeah, it sounds like it.

I'm really in in Ohio State USC Does that count Cardinal I'm.

Not really in on them, but I'm in on Nebraska, somewhat in on Wisconsin, I'm somewhat in on Indiana.

I'm really in on Minnesota.

Rutgers.

That brings us to Rutgers, the Red Goods sick.

Yeah over under his six.

I am pushing all the chip, all the chips into the center.

Every Big Ten team is winning seven eight games, Tye is tens market.

No, I'm not doing yeah, yeah, I'm not doing that.

Okay, I am all in though, I'm this is love it.

This is really bad.

This is going to come back to bite me.

Thankfully, there aren't a lot of controversial Rutgers people out there on the interwebs, and I think my assumption is that they'll just be happy I'm saying nice things about Rutgers instead of trying to dunk on them.

Seven and six.

Last year, beat Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Did they start this year?

There is a ton back.

They are thirteenth in returning production, pretty much the whole line, but most importantly, Kyle Manangai.

He is back.

He is their one thousand yard running back who could have gone pro but did not.

He isn't just their best offensive player.

He is the heart and soul of this offense through which the whole damn project is going to flow, Which really got me to thinking, he's your manang guy.

I'm a PA guy, that's true Pennsylvania guy.

When I hear Manongai, I immediately think of the Manonga Heila River, as I think everybody coast to coast everybody does, of course, western part of the state.

But I've I've been on the Monongahela on a boat.

It's a river that rolls off your tongue.

A Nonhuila has a certain grander to it, does it not?

Of course?

I mean who among us hasn't vacationed on the what did you?

Monongahla Manongahila?

Yeah?

Of course we wearn't it in geography class all the time.

Sure, it's a river known for its strength.

It's a river known for the way that it carves through the western Pennsylvania landscape.

And I would add in folklore there is a mysterious creature called the Monongahila monster that.

Inhabits the river.

Okay, it's a true thing.

I didn't make that up.

He goes, Kyle Manangai from this area of the world I.

Have he's from, I can tell you, yeah, is not Pennsylvania.

The Manongahila is way too catchy for any kind of nickname.

Mm hmm.

I'd like to start calling Kyle Manangai the Heela Monster with a G h e l A monster, part man, part legendary beast, part force of nature, part.

You don't know when this guy is gonna jump up and get you.

But the HeLa you're talking about the Heela Monster, that's g I l a.

I'm spelling it differently, Dan, you're spelling it different.

This is so interesting.

Work with me, Kila monster for this guy.

Okay, he's he's from Roseland, New Jersey, not terribly far from Orange around the corner.

Yeah, sure, of course.

Are you with me on this endeavor?

Ty?

I of course I am.

I don't understand it, but I'm here to support.

You, and I don't think you need to understand it.

It's more of an abstract concept.

Man, it's real stretch.

I'm gonna tell you that this is You really had to take me for a journey to get there.

But okay, people in Western PA are going just ape shit over this.

The Rutgers fans, the Rutgers faithful gathering at a bar in.

Pittsburgh are losing their minds at this idea.

Continue what else?

What else is there to say?

I don't schedule wise, defense wise, where are they matching up?

They?

They have a lot back in the form of Christian Dremmel out wide, who if he pops, we can start calling him the drumo tool.

That's another one.

Rutgers has a bunch of these guys.

Nis Seem Bradley who transferred in last year, but the NCAA didn't let him play.

He's eligible this year.

And now their quarterback is a thing.

Caliac Manis, so I mentioned him when I talked about Minnesota in part two.

He has to elevate the passing game more than it was last year under Gavin wims At.

He just has to.

He has to.

Okay, he can't be worse.

Gavin Wimstt was not very good as a passer.

This guy's better.

And I think that's the reason why whim's At transferred because he knows that Aithan kliak manis the Greek rifle as we call them, Greek freak on this show.

He's got to be better.

Rutgers is dangerous because they are built specifically to line you up and beat your brains in with the heel monster.

And now they've got a quarterback in caliak Manis.

Transfers in, reunites with Kirk Sharaka.

I should have had the sound on the board.

I didn't put on the board.

Thank you.

Reunites with his former offensive coordinator Kirk Sharaka.

I think they will be targeted in how they use the pass, but I think they will be better at using the pass to make this offense a little bit better.

He's also mobile enough that he can get out if they need to move the pocket.

I think Rutgers is seriously a danger if they can find a passing game.

If they can find a passing game in addition to what they're gonna do with Kyle Managai aka heel Monster in the ground, that makes this a pretty dangerous team.

If they can't find a passing game, that's a separate issue altogether.

That's the danger to themselves.

That's the danger to themselves.

But am I reading this correctly?

That they don't play Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, or Penn State.

They do not play They missed the entirety of our perceived top tier.

They do not play any of the perceived top teams in the Big Ten.

Now, each starters back on defense could finish as a top twenty defense.

I'm just saying, man, what I'm what I'm hearing is, if not now, when Rutgers the year kind of yeah, okay, I appreciate that kind of You know why shine on the Scarla Knights fotis why eight four Rutgers over over six Rutgers.

Now they do travel to Virginia Tech early, which is one of the tougher non conference games that anybody has in the country.

Yeah, but well man, it's pretty good at sc at Maryland at a retooling machine state.

You think he wants to play the heel of monster.

You think that defense is built to contain the heel a monster.

We've had a lot of people, a lot of running backs, get a lot of exercise against some recent USC defenses.

Okay, they're gonna play slow and low to the ground and be annoying as all get up.

Okay, but they're going over that six.

I thought you were gonna go something like Kyle Driver or something like that, with like a just a closer connection to his name.

I require a storytelling journey when I'm coming up with my names, much like the Duke of Hazard Allen Wizard.

Okay, fair enough, but that's like a quick little Chris Berman style nickname.

What's wrong with the heelo monster?

You just got to make a couple connections to it.

People have to appreciate the topography of Western Pennsylvania, which do it Ford in the yarn and Rutgers or this specific player.

I told this one is solid.

Wife Kate, you know I've been consulting with her on all of my nicknames.

Yeah, and she didn't say anything.

She just looked at me and shook her head.

That was part of her vows as well.

It wasn't that we talked about the Monoga Heel and the vows of course.

Yeah, She's like, that's not even It's not even in that state.

No, it isn't.

But now it is the heel monsters in the state of New Jersey.

Can't wait.

I need to rest my voice when you want to talk about next, I've been yelling too much.

I guess let's talk about who Rutgers ends their storied season against.

Which with Michigan State.

Ah.

I think Michigan State's pretty fascinating.

They lose ninety nine players to the portal.

Is that the actual number or is that just what it felt?

No, it might as well be.

I think it's like thirty eight is a lot of dudes fleeing East Lansing.

So I like Jonathan Smith as a coach a good deal.

I think he's savvy for what he does, hiring what he does, recruiting what he does in the portal.

I think he gets a lot out of his rosters.

He's shown it these past couple of years.

I like that he's a Chris Peterson guy.

There's just a lot to like about him.

Everybody I know that has been around him as really great things to say.

He's got an uphill battle this year.

I like Aiden Schiles one of the most valuable players in the portal, given what he showed as a true freshman and the eligibility he has left.

These next couple of years, they lost a lot of guys.

Yeah, this is one of the most absolute disappointing worst offenses in America last year.

Not Naden Chiles offense, not a Jonathan Smith offense.

They I think the assistants are solid.

Brian Lindgren is going to run the offense for Sparti and Joe Rossi coming over from Minnesota, is going to run the defense.

They've been aggressive in the portal, especially upfront on defense.

Numbers aren't there.

I don't think the numbers are there this year.

I think it's going to be a disappointing year.

They need a lot more offensive pop.

I think there's a little bit of promise at running back, but the receiver room needs improvement.

I just think the defense needs a full overhauling.

But there's ten starters back on defense, Like, it's not great, a fully new cast of characters.

It was a bad defense.

But yes, no, it'll be an improved team.

It will be an improved defense.

It's just a numbers thing right now.

How do you feel about this?

Over under a five?

That felt kind of high to me when I saw the number at first.

So they have Maryland early on.

But in terms of non conference FAU, Prairie View, A and m Boston College, they need to win all three of those.

Yeah, after that their stretch of Hey, welcome to the Big Ten and welcome to East Lansing.

Jonathan Smith Ohio State, Oregon A, bye, Iowa, Michigan.

With both Oregon and Michigan on the road.

Wow, If they win the three non conference games, which is a big if.

I think at Boston College for where Michigan State is, could be challenging.

But let's say they win those three games.

You add in maybe Indiana at home by then there's something there.

Maybe Purduer Rutgers at home.

You're still talking about five ish, so that number feels about right, and I think those teams are just clearly better built, even perdue in this moment.

You don't want to bet that over.

I don't think I'm betting.

I think it's a bad over.

Bill Connolly, who of course runs the projections with his sp plus metric, has them at an average of four point four wins, more specifically two point three conference wins.

So to that point, if they win all three of those non conference games and win two conference games, then maybe they get two five.

But in terms of getting over five, it seems like it's a stretch.

Yeah.

I mean it would basically take Aidan Childs being the most electric quarterback in this conference for them to go to a bowl.

To me, this year, I just think I see a lot of promise with Jonathan Smith, this coaching staff, some of the moves they made in the off season on both sides of the ball.

But to get to a bowl game, I think it's a twenty twenty five conversation.

You want to keep going.

You want to talk a little bit about Washington would love to Washington is the team, and we've had this conversation before.

They're the team I like more than I thought I would, And as I said in part one, I'm trying to just look at them for what they are instead of looking them for what they lost, because when it's a new coach and you lose like all of your starters.

It's pretty crazy.

They're dead last in returning production on offense.

It is a literal reboot.

They lose all eleven starters from a year ago.

The only two returning starters are Will Rogers and Jeremiah Hunter, and both those guys transferred in and on defense, like I said back in part one, not quite as decimated, but still just two guys back on the defense from last year's team.

Then they brought in two other guys are who are transfers, Yeah, from Arizona, who are good from Arizona.

And like I like jet Fish.

I think he's a good coach, and I think if he is there long enough at Washington, he will get them playing at a really high level.

Again.

I think they could start out four and oh this year.

I also believe they're gonna lose at Rutgers in Week four, but I'm perhaps a little too heavy on Rutgers this season.

They could they absolutely could.

I just look at this team and I see so much turnover new coach.

Even if you feel good about what they've got coming back, you know, and what they brought in via the transfer portal, I'm is like seven and five at best for me, I think that's reasonable.

I look, if their offensive line works out, which is a big if that's the endanger thing, right, danger in danger, It's gonna come down to offensive line to make because I think the defense will be all right.

I don't like the the Brennan Carroll Steve Belichick thing.

I don't know, we'll see.

I think there are enough quality bodies on this defense to make it okay.

Offense, if the line is bad, they're not gonna do much if the line is okay.

Giles Jackson, Jeremiah Hunter, Joonah Coleman like, these are guys who have put up numbers, who have been successful players for successful teams or at least successful offenses.

And I don't know if you can consider Cal with Jeremiah Hunter a successful team.

Like yeah, I like where they're at.

I really do.

It's gonna take a minute to get this line.

Jed Fish's recruiting, so you're talking about you know, twenty five, twenty six, if he's still there.

I like the direction.

I think they're pointed in the right way.

Will Rodgers is a real quarterback.

I think you're right to say seven and five feels about appropriate given what's returning.

There's still enough there that played significant snaps, especially on this defense, and that played for Arizona's much improved defense.

I just I don't hate them.

I don't love them.

I don't hate them.

I think they're gonna go to a bowl game.

The non conference schedule is now an Apple Cup situation.

It's in Seattle, but not in Husky Stadium.

It's where the Seahawks play.

They're on the road a bunch in the medy middle part of the schedule, the stretch of having you know, at Rutgers, going across the country, coming back to play Michigan, leaving again to play the Iowa defense on the road.

It's gonna be a tough November USC at Penn State, UCLA at Oregon.

But if everything is so of a bee, seven five feels about right, Maybe even a chance at eight and four, but it's definitely going to be a pretty giant step back from where they were last year.

I'm going to try my best this year to not make constant jokes about Jedfish taking the Florida job when it comes open.

They probably would appreciate that, Washington fans.

I'm going to try not to do that.

I've been doing that since the moment he took this job.

I just I want to be able to say I told you so when it happens, because I believe it will happen.

But yeah, I also don't want to beat a dead horse with this.

And to your point, let's let's appreciate Washington for what they are, not what they were what they could be in twenty twenty five.

Just yeah, I stay in the moment.

There is something about what Jedfish did at Arizona.

And now granted it was over like you know, three or four years, but there is something about the hires he had, and you know, I think it was what when he got the job, it was Don Brown who was quickly their defensive coordinator, and I think Donnie Nansen did a nice job with that defense.

And you know, it's Jedfish's offense, which skews a little bit more pro style, but like even before Noah Fafida and Jaden de Laura, like you could see the bones of something interesting even with was it Jordan McLeod the year before that, Like you're like, man, they're just converting third and fours more often than a bad team should.

And so it's a weird, backhanded compliment way of putting it.

But like, I think he's a quality coach, and I think his starting point is a lot better than what it was at Arizona.

Even though Arizona's better than Washington right now, I think that counts for something.

I think they're gonna be a challenging team that is going to if they lose, the loose to better teams.

If they win, they're gonna win because they have decent players, and I think they're going to scheme wisely.

All right, let's talk about Maryland.

Let's argue about it.

Okay, well, look, you have much more ground to stand on because I haven't done any Maryland deep dives.

But continue the Maryland deep dive.

Is this it's a good news bad news situation and I mentioned it a little bit on part one.

The good news is that it's a good front seven, and I think that's the strength of the team.

They also miss Ohio State and Michigan on their schedule, which is again a change for a school like Maryland, which is used to being in the Big Ten East and in any given year you got to play Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State.

Makes it hard for anyone to get ahead.

So Maryland is another team.

I'm not saying they're a playoff team.

I know they're not a playoff team.

They definitely benefit from a little bit more scheduling flexibility moving forward, certainly this year, certainly in the future as well.

The bad news though, is I it feels to me like the offense is starting over, and especially on the offensive line, So defensive line in front seven, relative strength, offensive line and just offense as a whole, I think is a relative weakness.

Tua Tungua Vailoa did not play for Maryland.

No, his brother did.

Though t lea Tale is a really good intro.

Though I appreciated that I caught myself a tried to recover.

I was gonna say, like Tua Tongue of Ailoa, I did it.

Probably has good memories of playing with Mike Loxley way back at Alabama.

I screwed up, all right, It's okay.

To Leah Tongue of Iiloa.

Yeah, had a decorated career.

Finally gone, leaves a huge hole at quarterback for Maryland to try and fill.

Now.

I think it's going to be MJ.

Morris who transferred in from NC State, but also Billy Edwards who you mentioned, and Cameron Edge that both those guys are in the mix as well.

Whoever plays quarterback is going to have ty Felton Caden Prather out wide, which is a pretty good tandem.

I feel okay about that.

Roman Hamsby back at running back.

I feel okay about that too.

I don't think Maryland is short on skilled position guys.

I'm just not sure that the offensive line is going to be there to support any kind.

Of step forward.

So that's my hesitation with the offense.

The line, it's a line thing.

I do think the front seven will be really good, albeit without a gravitational pass rusher.

Maryland likes to blitz.

It'll be important that they can in you getting home the way they did last year because the secondary, my man has some questions.

Okay, all right, that is my Maryland skepticism.

It is a very lumpy team.

It is good at the skill positions, but battle on the offensive line.

It is good along the defensive line and in the linebacking corps, but kind of shaky on the back end of that defense.

There are very specific ways that you can attack these this team, excuse me, and I'm inclined to say they go under this season because if you look at that schedule, again, not bad.

Feels to me like they start.

Six and oh and finish oh in six, like Syracuse did a couple of years ago.

What We've had teams that do this every year.

Yeah, but I think they come out of the gates hot and they sort of crawl to the finish line, make a bowl.

Six and six.

The first part of their schedule is pretty great.

It's great, which is why is why are you saying six and oh?

I understand six and oh.

I don't know.

I think they might by the time they yet to USC at Minnesota, getting Rutgers in Iowa at home, I think they'll have a more complete picture.

You don't like them as much as I do.

I just think they can win seven or eight.

I really do.

I don't think it's a bad team, and I feel like in part one I almost alluded to the fact that they were a very bad team because I put them in a bad but spicy tier to start, and then we change it to flawed but spicy, and they were near the bottom of the conference.

And I there is upward.

Mobility here, but it is very line dependent.

And whereas you can go out and get a transfer quarterback or running back or receiver and an edge rusher, you can't really go out and just build a line in the portal.

Dion tried it.

It didn't work last year.

Maybe it'd be better this year.

Yeah, it should be, but that's my hesitation with the offense.

I think there's gonna be some growing pains there along the line.

So no Michigan, No Ohio State, who they've given trouble to these past few years.

They do have Penn State, which they'll they always lose that game, always to James Franklin.

Go to Oregon.

Back half of the schedule here, So here's I'll read the full thing off Please Yukon, Michigan State at Virginia, Villanova, Indiana, and Northwestern.

Those are the first six games.

Okay, maybe Michigan State's a little spice with Aiden Childs.

Maybe Virginia.

You like Virginia maybe Indiana Northwestern.

Like you know, I don't think these teams are going to be a train wreck.

But again, the second half of the schedule is USC at home, on the road, at Minnesota, on the road at Oregon, home against Rutgers, home against Iowa on the road against Penn State.

Yeah, no, I think that's all correct here.

Okay, here's the other reason I feel pretty good about Maryland.

I when I'm sort of figuring out in my head, when I'm tinkering with what, Okay, what do I think about this?

What do I think about that?

I like to list out quarterbacks faced or that they will face.

It's Yukon, Michigan State A, and Chiles.

Maybe we'll see Anthony Calandra Virginia.

Maybe Villanova gave your boy Max Brosmer a lot of trouble last year.

Rosbifore knows.

It's Curtis or Ark in Indiana.

Okay, maybe it's what mikey right.

Northwestern, we'll see Miller Moss.

We don't fully know.

At USC, we'll see Max Brosmer.

I think Dylan Gabriel will be very good.

Rutgers in athan Heel, Heila Monster.

It's a heel, a monster team.

Now it's a heel of monster team.

Kate McNamara Iowa.

We'll see Penn State.

Drew Aller should be good.

Just handles off, give the ball to Nick Singleton.

That's all I know.

I'm just saying, run at seventy times a game, that'd be great.

I don't hate the quarterbacks.

Faced if I'm Maryland.

Okay, who's next, I'm going to close things out on my side with Purdue?

Okay?

Four and eight.

Last year Ryan Walter's first season, we got a comment from was it verball or Dan who said that Ryan Walters is secretly jacked.

I think he's got a I mean former player.

Yeah, younger guy.

Can he step in and play?

He looks like he could.

He's in his thirties.

Yeah, that might be helpful.

Do you remember your thirties?

Do I remember my thirties barely a while ago.

I don't even know what I had for lunch today.

Yeah.

Ryan Walter's first year, it was a pretty big step back, you know.

The Jeff bram Era was nine to eight win seasons at the close of it.

Anyway, for the last year plus, been a bit of a revolving door with transfers in this program.

Ryan Walters has seemed to embrace the portal and he's made some comments that he's supportive of it and he's trying to work it, and I believe him.

I think that's legit.

But at a program like Purdue, you're sort of at a disadvantage, and we saw it again this year with some of their players opting to go elsewhere, which I'll talk about here in a second.

But if you look back to last year, what you see in the numbers is that this was a much better team on the ground than through the air.

Even after going out and getting Hudson Card to coming in play.

That was like the first thing Ryan Walters did, went out and he signed Hudson Card, But still this was a ground team.

I think we'll continue to see the ground game be a focal point here.

I think it could be a really big year for Devin mackaby, especially with this offensive line.

I think this is OK, this is going to be a rushing offense this year.

Now, when I say really big, I'm not saying Purdue is winning eight games.

I'm just saying I think that's the focal point and I expect a good year for Devin maccaby.

Okay, Hudson card is also back.

Pretty much the whole line is back.

Devin maccabee, you know, he's back to pretty much the whole receiver room transferred out led by Dion Burks, the aforementioned good guy on the offense who left.

He went to Oklahoma.

So Ryan Walters did sort of a hot swap and replaced the transfers with other transfers.

It's one of those deals where Phil Steele tries to be nice and says, despite losing their top four, they might be more productive.

Yeah, okay, maybe, Okay.

I I feel like I need to grow the mustache to say that I don't know what to expect from this passing unit, which is why I lean a little bit more heavily on what I know they can do on the ground.

What do I think they can do in the Ground's fair?

And then defensively more of the same.

They lose their best player, Nick Scurton, who transfers down to Texas A and M, which is a huge blow.

Another situation where Ryan Walter is trying to plug holes, trying to make upgrades via the portal.

So, at the risk of oversimplifying here, this is a defense that features a lot of transfers.

They can bind those transfers with Cole Brevd, with Yanni Carloftis.

Yes, there is another right with Dylan Thieneman, who was their breakout freshman star at safety last year.

Defense will be all right.

I think defense will be all right.

The problem is that the schedule's absurd.

They have five games going into the iculous.

Look at this.

Look at the schedule.

Yeah, I have it up home against Notre Dame, home against Oregon at Ohio State, home against Penn State, the great home slate.

If you are a perdue season ticket holder, yeah, good on, good on you.

You're gonna get to see the best of college for bas to offer.

You're not gonna win any of those games, but you're gonna see some good ones come through Weslafayette produce and rebuilding mode.

Dan, they're a couple of years away, they're still trying to fully reboot.

It probably means another year where they're better in some spots and worse than others.

I don't know what to make a Ryan Walter so far.

I think there have been some encouraging signs.

I think there have been other signs that are problematic.

You can't like Dion Burk's transferring out Nick Scout and transferring out like there's there's not a great way to keep those guys if you're a Purdue.

So Ryan Walter is gonna have to hit in the portal, gonna have to get good at doing so, gonna have to take high school recruit and hopefully to another level, and gotta need to work with what he has specifically on the defensive side of the ball, to use that as something of a springboard.

That's a top I mean, look at the schedule.

I mean, what is he supposed to do.

Yeah, it feels like five losses before.

What was he supposed to do?

Yeah?

If you're Purdue and you lose guys like that, play teams like this, come on.

No.

I do think it's smart though, to say, Okay, we are going to sort of focus most of our energies on building up this defense even losing, you know, the MVP, because that's that's the start of what gets you competitive.

He made a quote and I don't remember where I saw it.

Maybe it was Brett Sianca with Pick six, who I'm going to have on one of our bonus episodes, or may have already had on a bonus episode by the time people hear this.

He pulled a quote from Walters where he equated the transfer portal to investing on Wall Street.

You know, maybe that fits, maybe it doesn't, but I think the general thrust of what Brett was getting at is this is a guy who embraces the portal and you know, understands its significance, especially at a place.

Like Purdue, which I think is right.

You don't want a guy stepping in, a young guy stepping in who is going to take an adversarial approach to that portal.

It sucks when you lose guys, but you want somebody who's willing to go out there and recruit new blood to the program as well.

So I am not willing to sell Ryan Walters yet.

I think there have been some positive signs, but this is going to be a rough year.

Well here's the other good news is when you look at where they were last year, they weren't terribly far off from being a bowl team.

They lost winnable games, whether it was giving up the lead to I think it was Fresno opening up the year.

The Iowa game was totally gettable.

They won the old Oaken Bucket game I believe last year.

Yes, and there was one other game I think it It may have been north It was either Northwestern or or Yeah, it was Northwestern late where they had a pretty decent shot at it.

So you're just like, look, everybody has these games.

Everybody loses close games, everybody has all this.

It's at least encouraging that maybe you can flip one or two of those close losses into close wins.

That's it, man.

I mean they played hard, they played hard.

Spots maybe not so much against Ohio State.

They randomly shelled somebody, was it Minnesota?

They scored forty nine against Minnesota?

Yeah, yeah, they were scoring like thirteen a game.

They're like, let's drop fifty just for all time sake on Minnesota.

And they be Virginia Tech.

It was early for Virginia Tech.

That's true.

They lost by four points to Fresno first game of the year.

Yeah, Fresno was a good team.

They gave away a lead too, and that one.

Yeah, they lost by six against Iowa.

Iowa had a great defense, but they were there.

Like, I don't feel like they gave up on this guy.

I just feel like it's a talent thing, and we need to give him more time to see what he can do.

Anyway, that's a lot of perdue thoughts for you.

Why don't you bring us home here by talking about Wisconsin quintessential?

Who the hell knows?

Okay, Wisconsin is going to be more fun this year.

And I only slightly mean that to be an allusion to what happens to the ball after Tyler van Dyke releases it into the air.

Anything can happen, right, He's like the Kevin Garnett quarterback of twenty twenty four.

Anything is possible.

Tie.

I have not given away all of my TVD stock.

I have.

I have held a little bit for a rainy day for the kids.

For the kids, I'm going to pass it along.

So when he's holding up super Bowl trophy after super Bowl trophy, yeah, they are gonna they're gonna share trust for yeah, yeah, the little ones.

Yeah.

Okay.

Sometimes we just need fresh starts.

Sometimes we need an easy landing.

And there is something about Wisconsin this year.

We'll see on the offensive line, we'll see out running back in the post Brayleen Allen universe.

I think the receivers are fine.

I think all of these guys would be great to have, like as your number two or three guy on a really good team.

Bryce and Green?

Was it Logan Pauling.

They've got a younger guy who showed out a little bit in the bowl game named Tretch Tretch.

This is how deep I was in Wisconsin.

I was watching Tretch's vlog on YouTube.

How was it?

Bowl travels?

Pretty good?

Yeah, pretty good.

Everybody was super happy to be playing in a bowl game against Allison.

She would have called it bowl movements.

That's good, that's very good, Ty.

That's why we're in the business.

Here continue.

Luke Fickle went pretty aggressive along the defensive line and at linebacker in the front.

We'll see.

I think they're in a good actually, I think they're a pretty good shape situationally in the secondary.

I think the defense would be good.

But they're that other team that I mentioned along with who were we talking about when I when I talked about Nebraska, We're like, defense was super promising last year.

These are the quarterbacks they faced.

I think they faced nine or ten legit very bad offenses.

And it's not stat padding per se, but it's just how much of that do you trust?

I really trust Luke Fickle.

I really like where this defense can go with the guys returning, with who they've added in the portal, with the general scheme, with Luke Fickle's track record in building up a team that needed a new voice.

I like Wisconsin.

I don't love Wisconsin.

I like Wisconsin.

There's still something about TVD where it's just farther and or further and further away in the rearview mirror, where he's like, he's dealt with injuries, He's dealt with weird injuries.

The best of him we still remember as being excellent, but this is new context.

He's had like four coordinators in four years.

We like Phil Longo, I think as an offensive mind, it's certainly a different direction still than where Wisconsin was for all those years.

I'm just I'm just looking at this roster, like, where's where's that offensive pop to run a system like this?

Where are those two North Carolina backs?

Where are those North Carolina receivers?

Right where the old miss guys that Phil Longo has succeeded with?

And I just I see a roster of decent players in search of pop, in search of upside, in search of electricity, and that's still the complaint with Wisconsin.

I think they're gonna be a quality team.

I don't think they're gonna lose any more games like they did to Northwestern last year, where they just like randomly got gutted on defense and couldn't get off the field on third down.

I think they're gonna be improved.

I think they're gonna be clearly improved.

But with their schedule this year, as I bring it up, they play Alabama pretty early on, so I guess we'll have a sense it's Alabama and then a Bay and then they travel to LA to play USC.

The middle of their schedule isn't terrible, but then Penn State Iowa on the road a bye week before Oregon, they're Nebraska on the road, and their tayum with Minnesota in the rivalry game to end the year.

Like that back half is going to be tough, and so tvd's health, you know, system adjustments are going to be huge, and how deep that defense looks, especially upfront, is going to be huge with those games near the end of the schedule.

What's there over under Runder is seven.

I think it's kind of perfect.

It's not lost on me that I've been over here throwing everything in the volcano.

I know, and you're too chicken to join me.

Take a stand.

Okay, I'm gonna looking at this schedule one more time.

One, two, three, four.

I'm going under under a right, I'm going under with the volcano warts Why bird?

I just want that pop.

I like the best of Brice and Green, the best of Tretch, the best of these guys is impressive.

I'm just not there.

I'm just not I I like the idea of TVD finding this new home and thriving.

I'm just not there.

I've seen too much.

I've been hurt before, still got a little bit of stock hidden away behind, like a trapdoor or something.

I am hopeful.

That we're going to see a TVD renaissance here.

Okay, early TVD, his early work was great.

It has not gone great the last two years.

So I'd like to see him get back to what he once was.

I remember after TVD burst onto the scene, we were talking about this guy is like an NFL prospect.

Yeah, of course, some people were talking about like a first pick, potential first pick in the draft, has the size, had the arm really look good?

Just has not gotten back to that level.

So if he can get anywhere close.

That would be a huge boon obviously for Wisconsin and this offense and presumably what Luke Fickle is trying to build.

But it does take a lot of blind faith to assume that he can get back there.

His ceiling is higher than what Wisconsin has had in quite some time.

I'll say that I would agree with that.

Yeah, And when, if, and when he hits that ceiling, everybody's going to look better.

Right.

It opens up the rushing game.

It makes receivers look better, not than they actually are, but it helps receivers to hit their own potential that they're you know, catching balls in stride, that they have open field to play with.

So that's not lost on me.

I just you know, I've seen a lot.

I've seen a lot of my time.

All right, Well, Dan, that does it.

We made it, Yes, made it the full way through all eighteen of these damn teams.

Go back and listen to part one, Part two, and part three if you are just tuning in for the first time.

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Three episodes per week from now until we tap out.

Yeah, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday from now through the season until some.

Point in January.

We've got a lot to talk about here on this crazy college football season that is before us in twenty twenty four.

On the next episode, we're gonna go through Notre Dame and the other teams that we missed.

It will not be as long of an episode.

Trust me, you don't want a three part episode in which we talk about Notre Dame, Oregon State, Washington State.

And UMass.

Maybe you do.

If you do, then you're a real sicko.

All my Don Brown heads out there, all my dom Yeah, we're not going to do that, but we are going to make sure that we cover those four remaining teams are the only four we haven't talked about in some regards, So every team, every conference, we got one more episode to go, but I feel like the bulk.

Of them are out of the way now because we got the biggin and the Big ten done.

Make sure you also going out to verbowlers dot com and see what we have to offer.

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I got nothing else.

I don't appreciate that you're trying to hijack my bros Before Nos tagline for Minnesota Tayum Brohim.

We're gonna have to find out from folks whether they prefer Taiyum or bros Before.

Note.

I worked really hard on that.

I know, I can see all the boards behind you.

It's just it was a labor of love this time, and I'm I'm hesitant to put it to the side.

So people are gonna have to write in let me know what they think.

I personally prefer.

In terms of your bad nicknames, you thinking that a Rutgers running Backs last name vaguely sounds like a river nobody has heard of, and basing that nickname fully on that that is not at all geographically relevant even to you.

Western Pa might as well be three states away from where you live.

It's only five hours away by car, Yeah, exactly, only five hours.

It's cool, five short hours, same state.

Yeah, it's a full different region of the country.

Tie.

You live on the East coast and Western Pa is basically the Midwest.

Same state, Dan, We're all one here.

Pennsylvania yeah, Keystone state state.

There it is.

But that nickname was on brand for me and you know it.

Yeah that's true.

I mean look, I called Will Pauling Logan at least three times.

So thank you to one and all for bearing with us.

Two longer than usual episodes to preview the Big Ten.

But it is a bigger than usual conference.

What can we do.

We're doing our best here.

Thank you as always for bearing with us.

Please hit follow or subscribe if you've yet to do so.

We'll be back in a few days talking more college football in the meantime.

For myself, tie for that guy over there, Dan, as always, you know the drill, Stay solid, Peace,