June Q&A: Summer Loves, Cignetti vs Saban and Portal Panic

Corrected transcript.

Ty Hildenbrandt 00:18 Dan Rubenstein, happy June to you, sir. Welcome back to the show. How goes it?

Dan Rubenstein 00:25 It goes pretty well. School year is ending for the little monsters. Very excited for summer and getting warmer and jumping into bodies of water and all that summer brings. Excited for this Q&A episode, excited for a couple of upcoming episodes that we booked today and recently. So, zero complaints and Got a bunch of good questions, which I'm very excited for. And I don't know. I don't really have much else beyond just like I had, I fell victim, not victim. I Took a little bit of saffron in my tea today after hearing that it's really good for mood and it's really good for focus. And I got to tell you, the placebo is working at the very least.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11 Okay, you're laser focused is what you're telling me.

Dan Rubenstein 01:13 I'm feeling juiced. I'm getting that. This saffron's not cheap, but I put a few threads in my tea and I'm ready to roll.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:20 Well, welcome back to you. Welcome back to the Verballerhood. I am Ty. He is Dan. SolidVerbal. com is the website. Redirect all your friends there if they're looking for a college football show Verballers. com. V-E-R-B-A-L-L-E-R-S. com. That is our Patreon, which you can sign up for for free. And on occasion, like earlier today, we will make a post available to all. So it's not always just for the people who are paying $5 or $10 per month, getting all those perks, such as the ad-free episodes, bonus content, ads. Like I said, ads completely removed from the episodes, but get the episodes a little bit early, Discord, so on and so forth. But on occasion, we will put a post out there. and ask for questions on the Verballerhood, which is what we did today. We got a bunch that came in, sort of a short notice thing, but the Verballerhood never disappoints, and we've got a bunch here that I think we're excited to get through. If you hear anything throughout the course of this episode, that you just I don't know, doesn't set right? something you want to add, you can always reach out to solidverbal@gmail. com. We read all of those emails. And of course, last but certainly not least. Hit follow, hit subscribe. If you've done that, please leave us a star rating or a review, Dan Rubenstein.

Dan Rubenstein 02:36 Yes. By the way, it was the end of the flag football season as well. I'll give a full recap to our playoff loss at the end of the episode.

Ty Hildenbrandt 02:44 I want to come back to this at the end of the episode.

Dan Rubenstein 02:46 Okay, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 02:46 Yeah. I really do.

Dan Rubenstein 02:48 I learned a lot about myself in the process as just an observer. I was not a coach. Nobody asked for my opinion, nor should they have. I have some thoughts. Continue.

Ty Hildenbrandt 02:56 You have some thoughts. Do you just want to dive in? Should we just dive in? Dan Rubenstein, once a month or as often as we can in the offseason, we like to pay sweet homage. to the fine Verballerhood that so graciously writes in, sends us their thoughts, their innermost feelings as it pertains to college football. And I should add I'm not sure when the next Q&A episode is going to be because, as you know, earlier this morning I started drawing up the spreadsheet, capital T, capital S. And by that, I mean the preview spreadsheet. When you and I are going to put all of this stuff together usually starts up in July. We got to figure out exactly when we want to start it up in July. I can talk to you after this. But it's getting a little bit bigger in the window, Dan. It's going to be here before you know it. We're already drawing up plans. And as a result, I don't know, we'll do the next Q&A. It might not be till August.

Dan Rubenstein 03:54 That's true. That could be.

Ty Hildenbrandt 03:57 We really received a bunch of questions that came in. I want to start with this one here. Thomas says, as we look forward to magazine and preview season, which teams are becoming your summer loves? The teams that you are getting overly excited for, but may fizzle this fall. Who do you think will pass the test of time like Danny and Sandy? Okay.

Dan Rubenstein 04:25 By the way, do you know how many years since Grease came out in the theaters for this kind of reference to happen in 2026?

Ty Hildenbrandt 04:32 Uh, 50.

Dan Rubenstein 04:35 We're nearing 50, Ty. Look, I know we're not exactly the ones to comment on dated references with our nonstop Seinfeld references from 1997.

Ty Hildenbrandt 04:46 Yeah, and emo and pop punk stuff. Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 04:49 That people are dressing in baggy jeans à la 1999 through 2002 because it's been so long that this is now just a style that has come back in a retro way, that you could turn on an oldie station and hear the Foo Fighters, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:01 I hate it. I can't get over the baggy jeans thing. I can't get back into it. I mean, not that I should at my advanced age, but as I look around when I'm out amongst the people.

Dan Rubenstein 05:12 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:17 I saw it this weekend. Kate and I were away for a few days, and it's just baggy jeans everywhere. I don't, when did this happen? How old am I?

Dan Rubenstein 05:23 When you were sitting in ninth grade English in whatever it was for you, 1997 or something. and somebody were to come to you from the future and say in the mid-2020s, you know what look is going to be absolutely killer?

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:38 This, I don't know.

Dan Rubenstein 05:39 Literally everybody in your class wearing Silvertab, right? Was that the brand? I think it was.

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:47 JNCO's not a sponsor, could be.

Dan Rubenstein 05:49 Yeah, yeah. In any case, it's a dated reference, but we appreciate dated references. So thank you. Summer loves, Ty.

Ty Hildenbrandt 05:55 Summer loves

Dan Rubenstein 05:55 Who, going into the season, can you not help but think is going to raise that the hair on your arms this season.

Ty Hildenbrandt 06:03 All right. So look, Thomas, who asked this wonderful question. Thank you for your ongoing support. We appreciate it. Look. I have not done the full deep dive on these teams yet. I have, I think, given some clues along the way as to which teams I have read about and studied up on at least a little and feel pretty good about going into the season. This is not to say these teams are competing for a conference title. This is certainly not to say these teams are competing or anywhere on the periphery of making the College Football Playoff. But when I see a question like this that says summer loves, these tend to be the teams that, for whatever reason, just get me going. And at a minimum, I think they're going to be interesting and are probably worthy of further discussion.

Dan Rubenstein 06:46 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 06:55 So I've got a handful here.

Dan Rubenstein 06:57 God, you're nearing fifty and accidentally saying Werther’s.

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:00 I know not a sponsor, not a sponsor could be.

Dan Rubenstein 07:01 Delightful, Ty. Got hard candy on the mind. Soon will be. Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:07 Soon will be. All right, let me start with one in the ACC.

Dan Rubenstein 07:13 Okay?

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:13 I think we agree on the Cal Golden Bears.

Dan Rubenstein 07:16 Yes. I don't know why, but we do.

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:19 I think we both agree on the Cal Golden Bears. I am talking myself into Louisville as something of a summer love. I am still not sold at the quarterback position. However, I do like the schedule. I do like the fact that the conference feels wide open outside of Miami, a bunch of teams grappling to try and get into that second tier. I think Louisville and Cal for me are the ones that I keep coming back to in the ACC.

Dan Rubenstein 07:47 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:48 In the Big Ten, I'm already well on the record with Washington.

Dan Rubenstein 07:53 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 07:54 Love the Washington Huskies this year. Can't entirely articulate why, but I am into Demond Williams Jr.

Dan Rubenstein 08:03 I think we would say just purely on vibes, UCLA?

Ty Hildenbrandt 08:07 Definitely.

Dan Rubenstein 08:08 I was going to say UCLA for the Big Ten. I'm with you on the Cal thing as well. Continue.

Ty Hildenbrandt 08:13 I'm also into USC.

Dan Rubenstein 08:19 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 08:19 And I would say to Thomas, this is not necessarily a team that's completely off the beaten path. Obviously, USC is. going to be first and foremost as part of the college football conversation. USC has a murderer's row, a gauntlet, if you will, of a schedule. And they've also got a really good team.

Dan Rubenstein 08:37 Would it be early June if there weren't a prominent college football talker not in love with USC? Okay, I'm just making sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 08:47 I'm not in love in love with USC. I'm not in love-in-love, but again, if my barometer here is, are they interesting or are they not interesting? USC is very interesting to me this year.

Dan Rubenstein 08:59 Okay. Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:00 So I put USC in this conversation.

Dan Rubenstein 09:03 Tell me what not like I'm just trying to understand you as a person after all these years. We've been doing this for a long time. When you say not in love-in-love, if USC were a young lady and you were a single young man and you were you were trying to figure out plans on a Friday night between you and USC,

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:16 Right. Right.

Dan Rubenstein 09:22 Is it a group date? Are you going to a movie? Is it a nice dinner? Are you going for a walk?

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:27 It's got to be casual. It's got to be something casual because when I say not in love-in-love, what I think I'm referring to is I like the look of USC. I'm not yet sure of its personality.

Dan Rubenstein 09:40 Would you bring USC to a wedding as a date?

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:42 No, no.

Dan Rubenstein 09:43 Would you introduce USC not to family but to friends?

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:46 No.

Dan Rubenstein 09:47 Be like, oh, yeah, this is USC. I've been seeing USC.

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:49 Uh, to friends, maybe to friends, but it's it's a personality conversation, I think.

Dan Rubenstein 09:54 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 09:55 I don't want to put USC in a situation where, if there isn't a good personality,, then suddenly I'm putting that on display before my friends and family.

Dan Rubenstein 10:06 Would it be fair to say more rooted in lust than love?

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:10 I think so. Yeah, I think so.

Dan Rubenstein 10:11 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:12 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 10:12 All right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:13 I'm a man. I have simple needs, Dan. You know how it is.

Dan Rubenstein 10:16 Okay, just making sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:18 Over in the Big 12.

Dan Rubenstein 10:20 Mm-hmm.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:21 Houston.

Dan Rubenstein 10:23 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:23 Love me some Houston. Over in the Big 12.

Dan Rubenstein 10:25 Well continue.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:26 Hold on. I'm not done yet.

Dan Rubenstein 10:28 Continue. Sorry, I was going to continue with Big 12.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:28 Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State.

Dan Rubenstein 10:30 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 10:32 Over in the Big 12, I'll throw another one in there, Arizona. I feel like the Big 12 is going to be especially wide open. At the time of recording, Brendan Sorsby is still trying to go through the legal machinations of trying to gain some form of eligibility back. I'm not going to pretend as if I know what the odds are of that. It doesn't seem promising. But we will wait until we get official word from the powers that be on that one. Certainly, if he does not play, it does, I think, knock Texas Tech down a few rungs on the ladder.

Dan Rubenstein 11:09 Buddy, it's not looking good.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:09 They still

Dan Rubenstein 11:11 It's not looking good for Texas Tech.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:12 I know. I'm just I'm giving us an out here in case something changes.

Dan Rubenstein 11:16 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 11:17 And all I'm saying is without Sorsby, Texas Tech still probably has the best roster in the Big 12 and is still probably The favorite to win that conference, but things shift pretty dramatically. And for a conference that always feels very wide open, This would definitely add a little bit more spiciness to that as we enter the 2026 season, which is why I'm throwing out three teams that I think are interesting for a variety of reasons.

Dan Rubenstein 11:43 I think those are good answers. Obviously, yes. I think you can fall more in love with potentially a newly single team in the Big 12 if Texas Tech doesn't look as perhaps obvious. And I think Texas Tech should be very good, likely without Brandon Sorsby. I don't know what that means within the Big 12. We're also making a lot of assumptions about a team who has been good for a year, right? Or like excellent for a year and are turning over a bunch, especially on defense. So. Assumptions aside, I think that second and third tier of the Big 12 becomes a lot spicier. Teams you mentioned. I mean, look, BYU, Utah, BYU's been knocking on the door. Utah, a lot has changed, but a lot is back and returning. For Utah, I'm with you with the ACC teams. I'm with you with the Big Ten. I made mention of Iowa. Now, a lot has to happen at quarterback because I do enjoy their schedule. A lot has to happen along that defensive line. But assuming a Phil Parker defense is up to the task is not a crazy a Phil Parker defense.

Ty Hildenbrandt 12:47 A Phil Parker defense

Dan Rubenstein 12:50 Nick Eliotti defense. Yeah. You have to progressively become more and more Jesse Palmer as you.

Ty Hildenbrandt 12:57 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 12:57 A Gus Malzahn offense.

Ty Hildenbrandt 12:59 Right.

Dan Rubenstein 13:01 No, I think those are all worthwhile. Is there a team in the SEC that you're just kind of in love with?

Ty Hildenbrandt 13:06 Florida.

Dan Rubenstein 13:07 And Yeah, you've mentioned them before.

Ty Hildenbrandt 13:08 Florida. Yeah, I'm in on Florida. I think Florida is going to be better than people realize.

Dan Rubenstein 13:12 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 13:15 And again, not to say they're going to win the SEC.

Dan Rubenstein 13:18 Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 13:18 I don't think that's likely. But it's actually slim pickings for me in the SEC in terms of Teams that are summer love caliber. A lot of teams here I don't like, but Florida is one that I do. I keep coming back to it. If I could throw like one or two other ones out, North Dakota State, maybe that goes without saying, but we got a question about North Dakota State that maybe we can get to in a little bit. They're super intriguing to me, as is UNLV.

Dan Rubenstein 13:51 Is North Dakota State intriguing in that their story and new situation is intriguing, or there's something about the roster and schedule and ceiling that you see, obviously, in June, that that's what you're potentially summer loving.

Ty Hildenbrandt 14:06 The answer is yes to both.

Dan Rubenstein 14:08 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 14:08 I think North Dakota State could win the Mountain West and could end up in the playoff.

Dan Rubenstein 14:14 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 14:15 Which would be a crazy story, provided they're eligible.

Dan Rubenstein 14:15 UNLV, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 14:18 I don't even know where it stands there, but those two I threw out, and you know, I Boise State's interesting to me as they are every year. I don't know if that really qualifies as a summer love in the way that Thomas is asking here, but always interested in Boise, especially since

Dan Rubenstein 14:31 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 14:38 At the time of recording, it seems as if they would be odds-on favorite to make the playoff out of the G6.

Dan Rubenstein 14:43 Yeah. Okay. Memphis is interesting to me just because of the turn recent turnaround efforts of Charles Huff. New head coach. They're interesting to me and worth paying more attention to as we get into preview season. I'm still just, I've got a soft spot for Jason Eck in New Mexico. And yeah, I'm definitely an Eck-head. There's been, and we have a question about this as well. I've never really been all in on Minnesota. But there is a little bit more buzz about Drake Lindsey as, like, a, I don't know what tier we're talking about, but maybe a third- or fourth-tier quarterback in next year's draft just because of some physical traits. So I'm willing to say Minnesota could intrigue me the more I dive in Big Ten wise. And Yeah, it's just going to be like in the Big 12, especially, who is the team, or I guess it would have been Arkansas last year in the SEC, who's going to play even if they're not great. Who's going to play the highest percentage of their games in an entertaining way? Like, is Baylor going to lose a bunch of games 40 to 37? TCU with a new quarterback? Avery Johnson in his 37th year for K-State with a new coach. That's one of those things where I'm like, I'm willing to fall in love with that kind of wild card, albeit briefly, and not introducing them to anybody special in my life.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:08 Where do you want to go next? Guy, another question in mind.

Dan Rubenstein 16:10 Absolutely, I do. Okay, this is sort of, I would say, this is much more like, oh, you have to meet family, you have to like really go in. Which three teams are most likely to make their first College Football Playoff appearance this year, Miles? We get this question every so often. Obviously, the 12-teamer eliminates Quality answers with this kind of thing. I have both Holy War teams.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:39 Okay, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 16:41 Look, if there is somewhat of a vacuum atop the Big 12.

Ty Hildenbrandt 16:42 Yeah, no, it's it's it's a good answer. It's a good answer.

Dan Rubenstein 16:45 BYU has been very close and in that conversation these past couple of years. Utah has The quarterback has the track record of building up a roster, has continuity at head coach as they make their transition. Not continuity at head coach, but continuity of the figurehead within the program. I mean, look, if you're going to say you're kind of in love with USC, at least you have to tip your cap to somebody who, to a team that is in that top 15-ish conversation, that's trying. To turn over every rock and cross every T, dot every lowercase j, trying to find a defensive coordinator and playmakers on defense. They could figure out how to sneak in if they maybe get a little bit of gauntlet luck. Louisville is a potential answer. A lot depends on quarterback there, but schedule's not horrible.

Ty Hildenbrandt 17:35 Schedule's not bad. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I saw this question from Miles and

Dan Rubenstein 17:40 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 17:41 it occurred to me that it was very similar to the question that we just answered from Thomas.

Dan Rubenstein 17:46 Right, it's it's a continuation, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 17:47 Sort of a continuation. So I think not to be anticlimactic here, but some of my answers probably apply for teams that Could be first-timers in the playoff. Now, I'm not expecting Cal, but I think Louisville's a very good answer.

Dan Rubenstein 18:01 Sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 18:03 You know, I'm not necessarily expecting Washington. But USC is an interesting answer to me. I'm not expecting UCLA. The Big 12 remains wide open. You could just as easily say BYU and Utah as you could Houston and Arizona. And especially if the whole Sorsby thing goes the way I think it's going to end up going, that really does change the complexion of the Big 12 and it potentially opens up the door for a bunch of new teams.

Dan Rubenstein 18:31 Yeah? Okay, reasonable. Next question.

Ty Hildenbrandt 18:36 Next question, Dan. Let's stay here with Nate. Speaking of the Brendan Sorsby stuff, he says Brendan Sorsby and Chaz Coleman are two possibly huge busts this Transfer Portal season. How could teams fail to vet these multi-million-dollar investments? Is HR/slash/admissions/slash commonsense totally out to lunch? Thank you, Nate. All right. I don't know the answer to this one, Nate, to be honest with you.

Dan Rubenstein 19:06 So, to sort of level set, or whatever the term is. Brendan Sorsby, declared ineligible, has gone to rehab to seek treatment for a gambling addiction after the story came out that he wagered on a ton of sports, including

Ty Hildenbrandt 19:18 Correct.

Dan Rubenstein 19:23 games featuring his own old team in Indiana, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 19:27 Correct, correct.

Dan Rubenstein 19:29 And this is a big no-no per the NCAA. And I don't believe any athlete in any American sport has been able to come back from wagering on their own team. I don't believe. Perhaps I can be corrected.

Ty Hildenbrandt 19:41 Well, we've certainly not seen it in college football to this extent. So this is definitely breaking new ground in a really serious way.

Dan Rubenstein 19:45 Right. Yes, and he is filing an injunction and trying to get eligible and I just, it's really difficult to see it happening, especially when it seems the crux of the case is You know, we screwed up, our side screwed up, but also the NCAA is very old in the way that it is approaching this kind of topic. Like, okay, good luck. The Chaz Coleman thing is murkier. I don't think we have any official answer on his status at Tennessee beyond Josh Heupel saying he's been away from the program dealing with personal issues and has not been with the program in some time. The transfer from Penn State, who was super highly regarded as a young edge-rushing phenom. So the question here is, and we've talked about this a little bit. How are these huge programs not doing further investigation into these types of seven figure potential investments?

Ty Hildenbrandt 20:45 I don't think it's that they're not, but I think there is a lot more volatility just in this age bracket. And I'll use Chaz Coleman as an example. I'll be honest, I don't really know what's going on there. But even dating back to his time at Penn State, I heard things like he's homesick, he's from Ohio. Most recently, I was sniffing around on some of the Tennessee message boards, some people talking up lingering concussion issues. Personal issues, just sort of vaguely worded personal issues. I have no idea what's going on with Chaz Coleman. Genuinely, I don't. But Chaz Coleman's a young man. And if there is an element of being homesick or just anything going on in his personal life, that would Lead him astray from the football field on a temporary basis. These things tend to pop up very quickly. It's not like you're dealing with a 27-year-old veteran in the NFL that maybe has a little bit more together. Like, this is very much. The time in a young man's life when you're trying to figure out everything. So I don't think it's fair to say that they haven't done due diligence on any of these guys. I think what bigger picture comes as a result is something you and I discussed when we were in person like a week or two ago up in New York. At what point do some of these investments start becoming more impractical for the people funding them? What is an actual return on investment? if you are a booster, if you're putting money into helping pay for high price talent, and at what point is it no longer worth it? And I feel like more stories like this will emerge. Maybe not the gambling thing with Sorsby, but there will be plenty of instances in this new world where you've got. A big name guy just does not pan out. You sunk a ton of money into him, and that is going to make some of those boosters and some of the money men and women a little bit more leery about doing it the next time. I think that's what ends up coming as a result of this. But I don't know to what end you can ever do full due diligence like you would if these guys were going pro into the NFL. It just seems like it's almost an impossible task. I know everybody around college football is trying to like staff up. Certainly, the big teams are trying to staff up and have the resources on hand that they need to make better decisions with regard to the portal and whatnot. It's just such a volatile age bracket. I don't know how you fully sniff everything out in advance.

Dan Rubenstein 23:20 Oh, you don't. Okay, so a couple of things. We are dealing with human beings, so there's just going to be a certain amount of risk involved when you're dealing with 19-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 22-year-olds, whatever. that there is something that you are going to be unable to unearth about their past or even like if there is something or if there is nothing to unearth, that can change. Human beings are Volatile, right? They seem fine one year. They're not so fine the next year, right? This is all of us. So that's sort of an impossible detail. The other thing is. When NFL teams or NBA teams or whatever are vetting potential draft picks, they're the ones in control. They're the ones with the leverage. Am I willing to take you with the 19th overall pick, or should we pass based on something that we have dug up in our personal investigations, our medical investigations, whatever? Like, we don't love that you have. All of these back issues that are popping up with all these physical. We don't love the interviews that led us to believe that you are not a hard worker or that you're a bad teammate or something. Like, we don't love that, and we have options, we're going to move on. Texas Tech, at quarterback, had a returning quarterback recovering from a torn ACL. They made the decision that they wanted to go all in once again on the portal. They wanted to spend. Obviously, they're going all in on high school recruiting as well, or at least selectively all in with high school recruiting. And so they needed a quarterback. And there were all sorts of names that came up along the way with like Sam Levitt and Drew Mestemaker, guys like that. And I think there was what? There was a personal connection with Brendan Sorsby, I want to say, with his girlfriend transferring in or playing volleyball or something. These facts are hazy to me at best at this point with Texas Tech. So this came out. The gambling stuff came out, I believe, because an online sports book flagged law enforcement who flagged the NCAA. So if you're Texas Tech, with every single one of your potential transfers, you're hiring deep like investigative firms to find out Potentially, that a quarterback for Cincinnati is wiring money to relatives so that he can place out of state bets. Like, there's just, that's a big ask. And we're also talking about a world in which Even if guys are behind the scenes making it known that they're entering the portal at some point before the portal opens, minds get changed. You're dealing with a very short window to do a bunch of background work. And also, if Texas Tech, once again, this is something we discussed, is spending and behaving in a manner in which they are trying to again win the Big 12 and go to the College Football Playoff. There's going to be some risk involved. And there are how many quarterbacks potentially available in the portal that get you into that conversation? Right? Three, four? How many teams have money that are trying to stock up at quarterback? Like all of a sudden, you're just bidding war with Oregon, LSU, and all these other teams that potentially are looking at quarterbacks. I don't know, man. It's awfully risky. And so there's just going to be an element of like, yeah, we're swinging for the fences and we're hoping we get a fat pitch. And This is just the price of doing that kind of business. And the Chaz Coleman thing, how many potential And I just know this is what he was, you know, the terms that were surrounding his name were like, you know, young coming off of a freshman season, potential All-American edge rusher. Right. Somebody that young that performed at a high level as a rotation guy for Penn State was being looked at by major, major schools everywhere, and you could have a potential game changer along with your new defensive coordinator who has experience with him. There are just chances you have to take, and you're just like, okay, maybe he wasn't in a great place last season for whatever reason, but like you invest based on potential growth physically and as a human or something like that. So. I just don't know how much can be done. Are you supposed to vet every maybe transfer that could be available? I mean, I guess that's the job of all of these personnel departments and GMs and heads of whatever behind the scenes. But it just seems like too daunting an ask to fully nail down who a player is and the risks associated with that player. You're just going to have to hope for the best in most of these cases.

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:14 Well, and that extends to what we see on the field, too.

Dan Rubenstein 28:17 Yeah, of course.

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:18 You know, it's not just an off-field thing. It's not a personality thing, but it is also a performance thing. And we have seen that time and again. You could just throw a dart and hit like 15 examples of what we've seen over the last couple of years of big name transfers going one place, not really producing anything. And then on there, like Makhi Hughes is the name that comes to mind.

Dan Rubenstein 28:37 Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:39 Right. Just didn't get the time at Oregon. Couldn't find his way into the lineup. And now he's back with Willie Fritz. We'll see. We'll see how it goes. It doesn't always mean it's Going to be the end of the road for any of these guys either, which I think is important. And more to the point, they all are still very young.

Dan Rubenstein 28:56 And look, think about all of the programs investing and it's happening less and less, but over the years

Ty Hildenbrandt 28:57 Keep that in mind.

Dan Rubenstein 29:03 Investing in five-star quarterbacks who are toolsy and show every single bit of potential as they're seniors in high school and maybe they're in the Elite 11 and they're just. Maybe they're the son of somebody big. I don't know. And then they come in, and oh, this guy is super not ready, or he is not of this level, right? We've seen examples at huge schools all over the place that are five-star everything, in demand, you know, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, USC, take your pick. And they're just like, they end their career at. An FCS school. They end their career at a low-level, you know, Mountain West or Sunbelt school. And you're just like, man, this was the number two quarterback in the nation. And that just you know, there's just going to be that amount of risk involved, whether it's out of the high school ranks or out of the portal.

Ty Hildenbrandt 30:01 Dan, Chris has a question here that I thought was fascinating. Do you think what Curt Cignetti did last year was more impressive than anything Saban or Kirby Smart did in any given year? His roster, I don't think, was as talented as any rosters that those guys had, but he still went undefeated, still won a national championship. This is an interesting question on a couple different levels. What is your

Dan Rubenstein 30:24 So 16-0, so 12 team era, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 30:25 16-0 win a national championship, pretty much bulldozed everybody in their way in the playoff.

Dan Rubenstein 30:32 Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 30:32 What is your gut reaction upon hearing this question?

Dan Rubenstein 30:39 My gut reaction is probably yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 30:41 You think it is more impressive than anything Saban or Kirby Smart did. Okay, why?

Dan Rubenstein 30:46 I think it's likely.

Ty Hildenbrandt 30:46 Why do you feel that way?

Dan Rubenstein 30:49 Okay, so Indiana is doing this in a time where it's both easier and more difficult to build a championship roster. It was easier for some of those huge places way back when, because you were able to be deeper at a number of positions. Because you could say you're going to get your shot. Look at all of these outside linebackers who get drafted out of this school. Look at all these receivers who get drafted. Look at all these running backs who get drafted. Wait your turn. And you could start for a season and be a first-round pick. And so a number of those teams from Georgia and Alabama had that luxury that nobody has anymore. Two, why would anybody go to Indiana kind of blind with Curt Cignetti coming in and saying, you know, Google me, I'm going to win just a crap ton of games here? At a place that nobody wins, right? Nobody wins at Indiana. Whereas, like Alabama and Georgia have this legacy of building, at the very least, strong teams and being strong programs. So, you're just not going to be that magnet for talent. And Curt Cignetti was able to do that through the portal and through his own connections to former players at James Madison. It's more difficult because of the teams he had to go through, the number of games he had to play, 13 regular season or 12 regular season championship game. And then the playoff teams and games he had to go through. He went through teams that are stocked with, look, in the playoff, Alabama, Oregon, Miami, and that's after Ohio State. So you're talking about four teams who recruit through the portal and through the high school ranks on a top eight level? Okay. So just nothing but bangers on that run from Ohio State onward in terms of talent. So it's Julian Saiyan. It's first-round pick Ty Simpson. It's future first-round pick Dante Moore. And it's a Miami team that has first-round talent on both lines. And Carson Beck is drafted, and maybe future first-round pick, Malachi Tony. Like, just. Absolutely loaded. You got to win more games in a 12-team era. And the other thing is, with some of those seasons in which, especially Alabama, and this was like the conversation before where Kirby Smart talked about how, like, how much how how difficult it was going back to 2014, how much better those teams were then than the teams are now. Well, one, they were better because of that era. Two, he failed to mention the, I forget the, what was the J. J. Redick line about the NBA players guys were going through in the city, like milkmen and plumbers. In the low post, look at some of those quarterback lists from the SEC in like 2013, 2012, 2014. It's a different kind of list, let's say.

Ty Hildenbrandt 33:46 Right, right.

Dan Rubenstein 33:47 We're not talking about anywhere near NFL caliber guys for a lot of those major teams.

Ty Hildenbrandt 33:53 J. J. Redick made a controversial comment in April 2022 suggesting that NBA players from Bob Cousy's era

Dan Rubenstein 33:56 Yes. Uh-huh.

Ty Hildenbrandt 34:01 were quote plumbers and firemen, implying they were not as skilled as modern players.

Dan Rubenstein 34:04 There you go. Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 34:07 I think you could probably make that case, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 34:10 Like all due respect to Anthony Jennings LSU, perhaps, right? Like, you're just not going through the types of quarterbacks that it seems Indiana had to this season. Now, there were some Wisconsin and Purdue and Maryland and UCLA and you know, whatever. They obviously didn't have a non-conference schedule worth anything. But to do it in year two. Which Saban did in year three, I want to say. I forget if it was year two or year. No, year two was the loss to Utah in the Sugar Bowl, I believe. Yeah, year three was the win over Texas in the Rose in the national championship game.

Ty Hildenbrandt 34:47 Right

Dan Rubenstein 34:51 So I'm going to say both of those coaches, Kirby Smart and Nick Saban, all-timers, especially Nick Saban. But in terms of a year-two thing at a place like Indiana. And yes, his players were older. But as Indiana, man, I just as James Madison guys, I I just think it's almost assuredly more impressive.

Ty Hildenbrandt 35:14 It's impressive they're different though. You know, I mean, I think When I saw this question, my gut reaction was what Saban did was still more impressive because there is this element of longevity.

Dan Rubenstein 35:30 Well, no, no. I think it's more like what they did in a single season.

Ty Hildenbrandt 35:34 What they did in a single season, in the span of a single season, I would say Cignetti.

Dan Rubenstein 35:38 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 35:42 But the way that the question was worded.

Dan Rubenstein 35:46 Notes said in any given year, that anything Saban or Kirby Smart did in any given year.

Ty Hildenbrandt 35:48 Do you think what Cignetti did last year was more impressive than anything Saban or Kirby Smart did in a given year? Okay. So then, yeah, I guess I would agree with you. What we saw last year, what is important, I think, to mention here, and I know you alluded to it, a much different starting point and also a much more volatile landscape. You know, it's not just that Indiana was a doormat, one of the losingest programs in the history of the sport before Cignetti got there. But it's also that everybody else out in college football, Kirby Smart included, everyone is now trying to win this game of Transfer Portal bingo. Some need it more than others. Obviously, Indiana has relied a great deal on it. But more to the earlier question that we discussed about Brendan Sorsby and Chaz Coleman, it's really hard to hit. On that many guys and build a team that quickly. And oh, by the way, turned Fernando Mendoza into a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback on the first overall pick. So much went right for Cignetti in year two. It's hard for me to find any kind of reality where it could all hit again this year the way it did last year. It seemed like that was a perfect storm. I think Cignetti is a fabulous coach. And I think what he is doing in the transfer portal, even in the high school recruiting game, he is starting to try and build this thing towards critical mass now where it starts to recruit itself. Indiana is now here to stay.

Dan Rubenstein 37:16 Right, sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 37:17 So what he has done in such a short period of time, and we could say just within the span of the last year, it's textbook in modern program building that for sure Saban did not have to go through. Kirby Smart, I think, is still trying to figure out how to go through it at the SEC, in the SEC, and has been very successful, has maintained. a certain level of success. But Cignetti going basically from bottom of the barrel to the top of the heap is kind of crazy in the span of two years of being on the job.

Dan Rubenstein 37:50 Yeah, and you know, let us remember that Nick Saban, in talking about why he felt disenchanted with the industry. A lot of that was NIL stuff and Portal stuff. And it sort of flummoxed him as to how to Get inspired to lead men or lead young men in this era of football. And Curt Cignetti is just like Let's do it. Bring it on, right? That Curt Cignetti is thriving in an era. Now, obviously, Nick Saban is older, and right, you know, he was winding down regardless, but Nick Saban was. Had a lot of animus towards an era in which Curt Cignetti is thriving. Nick Saban could not figure out how to be as motivated as he used to be, given current constraints. And Curt Cignetti is saying, yeah, let's absolutely use this to our advantage. There's an interesting parallel there.

Ty Hildenbrandt 38:46 Davis writes in, who is the player or team you would talk about at a cookout this June to show off that you're good at your job and know your college football really well? We will be in this situation, I'm sure, before long, as we enter June cookout season. Who is the guy, though? Is there a guy, or does it depend on the crowd?

Dan Rubenstein 39:10 No, there's a guy.

Ty Hildenbrandt 39:11 Who's the guy?

Dan Rubenstein 39:12 I'll tell you, it's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, which means that you've done the research to figure out how to at least get in the vicinity of the correct way to say his name.

Ty Hildenbrandt 39:20 Yeah, right.

Dan Rubenstein 39:24 It's a three-worder. There are two of those words. You have to know how to say, or at least get in the vicinity. Three. He should be an interesting quarterback to pay attention to, especially later on on Saturday evenings as you're watching weird late West Coast ACC action. That would be my answer. Just because. You're putting in the time to learn his name. Two, he's an up-and-comer. Three, he's off the beaten path. And four, it's fun to say.

Ty Hildenbrandt 39:54 It is fun to say. And if you get it right, there's a certain confidence with that.

Dan Rubenstein 39:56 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:01 That I think sort of jumps out to people, right? Confidence is everything when you're doing ad-libbed college football podcasting at a cookout.

Dan Rubenstein 40:10 I mean, a lot of it is just correcting people. A lot of it's because people aren't paying attention to who's going where and the new coaches. And they're like, oh, Washington State. Like, nope, they lost their coach. He's going to Iowa State. Iowa State lost their coach? Yeah, Iowa State's coach is now at Penn State. Like, who's the new guy at Washington State? Like, oh, it's Kirby Moore, who is obviously has ties to the region, did a lot of good things at Mizzou. And like, so it's just the ability to connect dots and update people is probably going to be the most impressive thing.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:37 I could tell you around here, just some light discussion around Rocco Becht is going to go a long way.

Dan Rubenstein 40:43 Okay. Mm-hmm.

Ty Hildenbrandt 40:45 Because got a lot of Penn State fans that maybe are only popping their heads out as we get to the final two weeks of August. And people will at that point realize that there's going to be a new starting quarterback that in many cases they have not seen before. And so talking up Rocco Becht a little bit, of course, the best of all, Rocco's a crowd favorite here on the show. Somebody who I know an awful lot about and am mostly excited to talk about with Penn Staters. I think that's one just for me, very local to where I'm at.

Dan Rubenstein 41:20 I think it's just the yarnability, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:20 The

Dan Rubenstein 41:22 The ability to connect yarn across the sport. That's going to be the most impressive thing. I mean, unless you have a specific deep cut that you're just like. Thrilled to tell people over a mustard-soaked hot dog.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:38 No, no, no.

Dan Rubenstein 41:39 I love extra mustard on a hot dog, to be clear.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:40 Extra mustard, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 41:41 Oh, yeah. Mustard, onions, pickles. Like, I like a tang, a brininess on top of the dog, even though I'm technically retired from hot dogs.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:48 You are retired from hot dogs.

Dan Rubenstein 41:49 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:51 Bob writes in, Dan. Bob has a little bit of an issue with you.

Dan Rubenstein 41:56 That's okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 41:57 Bob says, I disagree with Dan's contention a few episodes back that Fox's desire to expand the playoff to 24 is because of lower than projected ratings. I think Fox sees an opportunity to get more ratings without significant... Uh, what is this word?

Dan Rubenstein 42:14 Diminution?

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:16 Diminution?

Dan Rubenstein 42:16 Like I don't know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:17 Okay.

Dan Rubenstein 42:18 Maybe we'll say like dilution. We'll call it that.

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:20 without significantly diminishing the product. How about that?

Dan Rubenstein 42:25 Right, right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 42:26 So any company will always want more of a salable product. That's why I agree with expanding the playoff to 24 teams. And guaranteeing a certain amount to each conference to divvy up as they wish. Imagine the SEC gets four guaranteed spots with one and two being able to sit out the usual conference championship week, then three plays six and four plays five. At home for the last two guaranteed spots of the SEC. That would do numbers and, more importantly, result in interesting games. I like more meaningful games at the end of the year. And I am in favor of expanding to either 16 or 24 teams. Okay, thank you, Bob. He was nice about it, Dan.

Dan Rubenstein 43:05 Totally nice.

Ty Hildenbrandt 43:06 My hunch is you still disagree, or the two of you have a disagreement, but how do you respond to Bob?

Dan Rubenstein 43:10 Sure. I don't think it's about the ratings as much as it is Fox wanting in on the action, right? I don't think anybody is being, and this was sort of echoed by Mike Elko, right? That I don't think anybody is being honest and forthcoming when you see everybody at ESPN saying 12 is great. Also, we are invested fully in a 12 team playoff and feel like if we went to 24, we wouldn't have As much of our fingerprints on the total product, that it would go to Fox and the Big Ten and coaches in the Big Ten, and there are coaches in the SEC too who are like 24 and an increased playoff field. But everybody's sort of speaking on their own behalf. So a 24-team playoff would be good for Fox's bottom line because they would probably get in on it. And. I just I think it's more like that a the investment that Fox made in the Big Ten, which was substantial. It was pretty huge Perhaps they're not seeing the ROI that they thought they would, even selling the Skyrizi ads and the Wegovy ads that they are. I think they're looking to increase inventory to try and get closer to recouping that money. It's not a ratings thing. Obviously, they're putting games at noon because they're seeing huge ratings there. So, nobody's looking out for the health of the sport, and that's okay. This, you know, the sport decided to sell itself out to TV, and that's where we are. I still like, I don't fully get behind the idea of like the people's support of the 24-team playoff, which is like more great games late in the season. And it's like, Okay. What does that do to the season? Like, we're looking to add a ton of inventory in January when people have more options of what they can watch, more you know, now you have NBA, NFL playoffs, NHL. Like there's just a bunch of stuff that people can choose from. We're sort of diluting the sports landscape. And the solution to making college football somehow even better is what if we got Alabama, Iowa on January 16th? What if we got Georgia, Houston? I just think there's a finite number of weeks and a finite amount of energy that people in general have. For college football. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe people will just watch anything put in front of them that's college football, but I don't know. I've always been a scarcity guy. I've always been a like, let's lock in, and we've had this conversation. Let's lock in on what teams are like on November 7th. That's way more interesting than a team playing 12 games and then. we have to not have to, but we are finding reasons why a game between number nine and number 23 is worth growing the s like doubling the size of the postseason when we can all plainly see that this is just an exercise in inclusion rather than You know, a a competitive line of thinking. I don't know.

Ty Hildenbrandt 46:36 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 46:37 I mean, this is again, I understand why they're doing it. I'm not going to like stomp my feet and say I'm going to stop watching. This is what I do. But. I don't know. We're just we're going into like kind of exhibition mode, right? It's like it'll be the first sport with postseason exhibitions. And I know people argue that the James Madison, Oregon game and the Tulane Ole Miss game, that there was sort of that element to it. But now we're saying, oh, we want more. We want more of the postseason exhibitions. Okay, we'll see how it goes. Always open to being wrong.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:20 Diminution, by the way, is the word

Dan Rubenstein 47:22 Yeah, it is a word.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:23 The act or process of diminishing. I've never seen that word written down on paper. I've seen diminutive, and I've certainly seen diminishing. But Bob, you win. I don't even have a sound here for this. What can we give him here?

Dan Rubenstein 47:38 Yeah That's pretty good.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:45 Word of the week goes to Bob for diminution.

Dan Rubenstein 47:45 Well, look, I can

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:47 That's a pretty good one. I like that.

Dan Rubenstein 47:48 I can say that Ty and I sounded like trying to pronounce it, so that counts.

Ty Hildenbrandt 47:52 It was bad. That was really bad. Yeah. A couple more here. Let's go to this one from Michael, Dan.

Dan Rubenstein 48:01 All right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 48:02 Michael's a long-timer. Michael's emailed in a bunch of times. Michael, longtime. Well on time, longtime. Michael's also a very disgruntled Arkansas fan right now. Okay. And I could feel that coming off of the words that he sent us. It used to be that when a team was rebuilding, you could squint and see the young players having some pop. And that would be the hope. And center of excitement for fans knowing that things could change down the road. I think back to my times as a student at Arkansas. In 2013, Bret Bielema had freshmen Hunter Henry, Alex Collins, Denver Kirkland. They had promising seasons as true freshmen on a 3-9 team. It was clear the rebuild was underway, which proved to be true with awesome teams in 2014 and 2015 that were led by Henry and Collins, among others. Fast forward 13 years, and I'm not sure what I need to squint at for this upcoming rebuild under Ryan Silverfield to feel some hope. and excitement. Arkansas has had massive roster churn every year since the portal opened. So it doesn't feel like I could bank on any young players being the foundation for progress over the next two to three seasons. What do I And fans of other teams with a new coach looking to rebuild, try to look for in a daunting year one to have hope for things down the road, Michael. I feel that coming off the page. You could start with defense at Arkansas. You could start with defense. They hired Ron Roberts.

Dan Rubenstein 49:35 So hold on, you're not saying That they can like, okay, here's the foundational block to look forward to because obviously he's saying you don't know what you're getting with any of these transfers or any of these new coaches, given that they're all in it together for the first time.

Ty Hildenbrandt 49:49 Right. That's right. That's right. Absolutely. But I mentioned defense, if only because of a couple of things. A, Arkansas's defense has been non-existent. It's been a huge problem over the last couple of seasons. So, if you're looking for something, just any sort of pulse, Michael, improvement on defense would be a good place to start. I would add, in addition to that, there are games on this schedule against Utah, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee. Texas LSU, among others. This is a typical Arkansas schedule. Unfortunately, for the Razorbacks, that is just a gauntlet, as we like to say.

Dan Rubenstein 50:30 Gauntlet

Ty Hildenbrandt 50:32 in the SEC. So in addition to defense and maybe the defense hopefully doing a little bit more to pull its weight One thing I always look for, and I don't care if it's a team that is very young or if it's a team with a new coach, or if it's maybe a little bit of both. But I want to see how this team is playing within games and throughout the course of the season. And what I mean by that is if they're losing to Utah by a 33 to 10 score in week two. Are they playing hard at the final whistle? Do we see marginal improvement from some of the young players throughout the course of a year? Or does it feel like it stalls out? Midway through after the first month, and then it's just sort of a slow bleed out to close out the year. I am looking for improvement in passion within games and over the course of the season. And I would say, and I don't have the data to back this up. I don't even know how I could quantify this. But I think back to like the old Notre Dame teams, back when Brian Kelly first started. I remember talking this up with you. They played in the Champs Sports Bowl at the time, I think against Florida State or Miami, I forget who.

Dan Rubenstein 51:46 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 51:48 But the way they closed out that season was, to me, very indicative of where the team was at. just culturally speaking.

Dan Rubenstein 51:54 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 51:55 And it seemed as if they had the young core of players and they had the passion to finish pretty hard. It seemingly got better. As the year wore on, you saw some names emerge. Just because you don't know the names now, Michael, and if you have to squint trying to figure out who they might be, doesn't mean they won't be there at the end of the year.

Dan Rubenstein 52:11 All right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 52:13 And so I think if I'm a fan of that team, what I am hoping for is that we see a few of these names pop by year's end.

Dan Rubenstein 52:13 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 52:21 We see a few of these names that it feels like the coaching staff can build around. And if the defense at least gives you something that you can sink your teeth into, some actual improvement, then it feels at least like it's moving in a different and better direction.

Dan Rubenstein 52:35 I am so ashamed of you. For not saying the name to look for on this Arkansas team is Peter North, after you saying you're looking for the team, for a team with, and I'm quoting Ty, the passion to finish hard.

Ty Hildenbrandt 52:49 Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it.

Dan Rubenstein 52:53 Literally 47 seconds ago, you talked about Brian Kelly at the Champs Sports Bowl and you said the passion to finish hard. Can we put that on a shirt? The passion to finish hard.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:06 You can put it on his shirt.

Dan Rubenstein 53:08 I think Peter North put it on plenty of shirts. Thank you.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:18 I just found that one.

Dan Rubenstein 53:19 Thank you. Um that's okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:21 God, Mama H is going to ask me about that now.

Dan Rubenstein 53:24 That's why I do these things.

Ty Hildenbrandt 53:24 It's okay for you, not for me.

Dan Rubenstein 53:27 I think heading into the season, you are kind of free as an Arkansas fan. There is something oddly freeing, where you shouldn't have expectations, you don't know the players, you can kind of squint and see the strategy of why they went after certain players, like higher ranked blue chip type Recruits who perhaps didn't work out or couldn't crack rotations at top, top places. Like that's what they've looked at a little bit along the defensive line. They rebuilt everything, so you can say, look, things were horrible. At least the faces are new this year, both on the sideline and on the field. And so there is a certain amount of freedom in that you are kind of just hoping for the best from your mail-order bride. You're just like, well, I hope we get along. I hope she has the same taste in restaurants as I do, and we'll go from there. Right? You just set the bar as you were referencing. Yeah, you're hurtling over 10-inch hurdles. And yes, I think what you're looking for in season is a heartbeat on defense. You can go from there. Defense is effort, defense is coaching, defense is keeping focus throughout the season. To be clear though, Arkansas wasn't far off last year from winning games.

Ty Hildenbrandt 54:49 No, they were supremely interesting.

Dan Rubenstein 54:50 I know it was eight or nine games within like a single game. They finished, what, two and ten, but they played in super interesting matchups. So maybe. You can hang your hat on a little bit of defense and winning a couple of those one-score games. So, and one of those losses, I believe, was to Memphis late. So now you hired their coach. That would be my answer because yes, enjoy the freedom from expectation or from even familiarity. that comes with rooting for a team like Arkansas this year, or like West Virginià last season, where there was so much new. At least in the summer, you get to be free. Next question. I don't know how I can top that or go beneath that.

Ty Hildenbrandt 55:31 I don't think I could come back from that, to be honest with you. Thank you for the question, Michael. We greatly appreciate it.

Dan Rubenstein 55:35 Can we answer the one? I can go through these pretty quickly.

Ty Hildenbrandt 55:38 Go ahead, Ant, go ahead. I need to like

Dan Rubenstein 55:41 We had a very pro, I think Drake Lindsey's mom emailed us or dad.

Ty Hildenbrandt 55:42 Decompress.

Dan Rubenstein 55:48 Indicating that Drake Lindsey had the best stats of the Big Ten freshmen who started from start to finish: Bryce Underwood, Drake Lindsey, and Malik Washington. Drake Lindsey did not have a particularly great year last year. But neither did Malik Washington, neither did Bryce Underwood, especially through the air. Drake Lindsey, do you know what he finished his rushing total was last year?

Ty Hildenbrandt 56:05 Maybe like two yards?

Dan Rubenstein 56:06 Couple yards. Bryce Underwood finished over 300. Malik Washington over 300. Obviously, these are quarterbacks. Rushing does not matter nearly as much. Drake Lindsey finished with a robust negative 119 yards rushing last season.

Ty Hildenbrandt 56:18 Yeah, more of a drop back passer, to say the least.

Dan Rubenstein 56:20 I want to say he had seven or eight games throwing for five or fewer yards per attempt, including I think a couple games where he averaged three yards per attempt. Again, there's some physical promise to him. He wasn't especially better against losing or winning teams. From an efficiency standpoint. So we'll see. Guys improve. And that's he's certainly a candidate. Which second-year transfer quarterback, so at the same school but transferred a year ago is under the most pressure going into their second year? I think this is a no-brainer that it's John Mateer.

Ty Hildenbrandt 56:53 I think John Mateer is a really good answer. Yeah, I was going to say John Mateer or I guess it's technically not Dante Moore's second year as a transfer.

Dan Rubenstein 57:00 No, no, he's been there for three.

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:03 He's been there for three. But Matir's got a lot to answer for, right?

Dan Rubenstein 57:07 You could look at Nico.

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:08 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 57:09 I just think Matir, if you look, he's the quarterback of a team who had defense fully locked in. And if you were to look at any one place on that roster for dramatic improvement to take them up a clear level, it's the passing game.

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:24 Yeah, I think Mater is probably the best answer. As for even other options There aren't a whole lot of options in this category.

Dan Rubenstein 57:36 No, there aren't.

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:38 You know, so Matir is definitely one that stands out.

Dan Rubenstein 57:41 Yeah, uh, next up. We have both a really good non-college football question about the movie Pressure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:51 Okay.

Dan Rubenstein 57:52 Do you know about the movie Pressure?

Ty Hildenbrandt 57:53 I don't think I do.

Dan Rubenstein 57:55 Okay. I watched the trailer, so I can weigh in on it and quickly explain it to you. Cody says, in the history of The Solid Verbal, what is your most sure thing prediction that you are grossly wrong with?

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:06 Oh my God.

Dan Rubenstein 58:08 With regard to the prediction during the season. National Championship Penn State last year

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:13 That one's up I mean, it wasn't just Penn State, it was Penn State Clemson.

Dan Rubenstein 58:16 Well, it was Penn State Clemson, but the magic of doing this show since like 2008 and being this far into the show. And I I mean, look, I was I had a season in which I was so wrong all of the time. I created a bit called The Altar of Dan because my picks were so dependably wrong every week that you would actually they were dependable I was like a dependable uh totem to use to wager and get picks right by just betting against me. Betting on, not betting on, but picking Penn State to win the national championship and have them lose to Northwestern and UCLA. and fire their coach in the middle of the year after your pick of them getting to that promised land, I think has to be I can't imagine how anybody any pick could be wronger.

Ty Hildenbrandt 58:59 Right, right. Well, here's the thing. It's one thing for them to not make The national championship game. Because we'll see it again this year. There'll be a handful of teams. Everyone Chooses their fighter, only one can be right, a bunch of people are going to be wrong. So being wrong in and of itself is not the black eye. A lot of people picked Penn State last year. Nobody expected Penn State to bottom out the way they bottomed out.

Dan Rubenstein 59:42 Right. Still made a bowl game.

Ty Hildenbrandt 59:44 Still made a bowl game. Still made a bowl game, but after the three-game losing streak in the middle of the season that threw the whole thing off the rails, I don't see any way at the start of the year you could have predicted that going down the way it did. It's got to be up there.

Dan Rubenstein 01:00:02 Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:03 I don't Penn State came to mind.

Dan Rubenstein 01:00:05 Look, I'm

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:06 I mean, I remember years back, I think I picked Arizona State. To make the College Football Playoff, but they were at least kind of a trendy pick, and it wasn't like the season was a disaster. They just didn't make the playoff. So, yeah, I was wrong. Most of the predictions are wrong that we make. But the Penn State one, it was just sort of like the low hanging fruit. A lot of people were on Penn State. Not as many on Clemson, but Clemson had a lot of fans as well. I think the combination of me picking both of them Is probably up there. I mean, I don't know if it's at the very top. I'd have to think back. But in the last five years at a minimum, I would say that has to be the answer.

Dan Rubenstein 01:00:49 I'm um I'm pretty sure I picked 2024 Florida State to either win or compete for the ACC Championship and then have them go two and ten.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:58 Oh, right, right.

Dan Rubenstein 01:01:00 And I think only one of those wins was against an FBS school.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:03 That's right.

Dan Rubenstein 01:01:03 They beat Cal and Charleston Southern. So I was pretty wrong. But that national championship lose to Northwestern and fire your coach. pretty quickly after wrong. So that's, I mean, tip of the cap to you. You you nailed it.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:23 I nailed that one. What's the other one you got? Should we close it out?

Dan Rubenstein 01:01:27 As note, this is Brendan and kind of interesting that it's from Brendan.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:29 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:01:34 So you don't know about this movie at all?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:36 No, uh nothing.

Dan Rubenstein 01:01:37 Okay. This is a movie called Pressure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:40 Okay.

Dan Rubenstein 01:01:41 Okay? As a noted weather nerd, will Ty be making a triumphant return to the theater to see the new historical drama Pressure about the weather off the coast of Normandy and the planning of D-Day? I say it's interesting because this movie stars Brendan Fraser.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:00 Is it Brendan Fraser?

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:01 Is Brendan Fraser the one emailing us? By the way, sidebar here, we are in the middle of quite a robust Renaissance.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:08 We are, yeah, to say the least.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:09 Wins an Academy Award.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:10 Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:11 I think there's going to be a new mummy, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:13 Yeah, I saw that. Kate and I have talked about that, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:17 I watched the trailer for this. I don't know if he's in, like, a bald wig type situation. He's playing some sort of, I don't know which general or which high-ranking American official he's playing.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:26 He was nominated for, what was it, Whale?

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:28 Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:29 So, yeah, has been in some like acclaimed shows.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:34 Okay, the movie pressure, as far as I can tell from watching the trailer, stars Andrew Scott, very good actor.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:42 Okay. Yep.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:43 I was on Fleabag.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:45 Yep.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:46 Like good like Damian Lewis, who is very good actor.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:48 Good actor.

Dan Rubenstein 01:02:51 Like this is like a really strong cast. Brendan Fraser, a couple other people you'd recognize. But the trailer. It's quite literally various American and other, I guess, Allied officers yelling at each other In very strong timbers about whether or not the D-Day invasion should go forward because of the weather.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:11 Has to be, has to be if it's a movie.

Dan Rubenstein 01:03:21 Over France or over the seas off of France ahead of the invasion of Omaha Beach. And at one point in the trailer, it's pretty great One of the lines yelled by an officer is, I need all of the data from all of the weather balloons Give me everything And I think the Rotten Tomatoes reviews, to whatever extent you care about those, are decently strong. Because it's probably actors, probably acting over the top, but good actors. Taking source material that I think would make for like a really good scientific American story. Really good story in Wired. A strong outside magazine feature and turning it into a feature film.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:08 Right, right, right.

Dan Rubenstein 01:04:11 And then you see all of like the top reviewers. And then you watch the reviews come across the screen in the trailer, like five star, five star, five star, and it's users from Letterboxd. That's who they're turning to. And then it was like the local Fox affiliate in Houston called it a masterpiece, which is never a good sign that it's not from the top, top publications. But I am somebody who will absolutely sit down and watch a movie about an undertold aspect of history. Like the Alan Turing movie, I think, is great with Benedict Cumberbatch.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:48 Right.

Dan Rubenstein 01:04:49 I love that movie.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:49 You're entering your History. com era of life.

Dan Rubenstein 01:04:52 100%, yes. I just think. Perhaps we have wrung every single drop out of the World War II towel at this point. Full feature-length movie on like the low-pressure systems over the south of France.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:14 I mean, it is a novel concept.

Dan Rubenstein 01:05:16 So I think you should watch the trailer and decide for yourself. I don't think it'll bring you back to the theaters, but I could see you on a Wednesday night. Kate's asleep at 8:23 p. m. and it's on Netflix, it's on Hulu or something. You just throwing it on and enjoying like an hour and 43 minutes of your life.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:33 Speaking of which, to answer Brendan's question, I don't know if this will mark my triumphant return to the theater, but I want you to know that I held out.

Dan Rubenstein 01:05:34 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:42 I held out and I won.

Dan Rubenstein 01:05:42 Oh no.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:47 Project Hail Mary on streaming. Watched it the other day. Loved it.

Dan Rubenstein 01:05:51 I finally did see it on streaming.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:51 Very, very comfortable at home. Made some homemade popcorn in the popcorn machine. Just enjoyed myself. Was able to pause it a couple of times, get up, use the facilities. Just an elevated experience watching at home.

Dan Rubenstein 01:06:09 If you can't call it elevated, it's the lowest form unless you watch it on your phone in bed.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:15 Elevated experience.

Dan Rubenstein 01:06:16 It's a good movie. I didn't okay. I think the book is probably way better.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:23 Probably. Most books are better.

Dan Rubenstein 01:06:24 Most books are better. They have the room to sort of explain more and get into character development more. I read a little bit about and watched videos a little bit about how the book differed or just went into More depth than the movie. I was like, yeah, the movie would have been better had they explored that. The relationship between Grace and Rocky more, right? But I really did enjoy myself. I thought it was a good movie. The other thing that I that threw me with the the preview, the trailer for pressure, Ty. If we can just explore this space some more.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:55 No, please. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on this.

Dan Rubenstein 01:06:58 Have you seen Band of Brothers?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:59 Yes.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:00 Okay, Damian Lewis is arguably the central, if not one of the central, characters in that movie.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:07 Correct.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:08 I don't know how you can keep splaying the same actor over World War II in various roles.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:14 Oh, I see what you're saying.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:14 I kind of choose to look at a World War II-verse, which is why I don't love Tom Hanks constantly making these World War II movies. Right, like you're you're asking me to believe that Damian Lewis is somehow involved in World War II, but not a crucial figure. I think it was Winters? In the Battle of the Bulge. I just, I don't know. Rubs me the wrong way. I think you got to cast you got to go elsewhere and respect the band of brothers casting here.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:42 Did you just call it the World War II-verse?

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:44 The World War II-verse. I don't know how you do that. Like, could you.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:51 There's a little bit of Zack Morris there, right? You just can't, it's it's tough to break free of the old role and establish yourself as something new.

Dan Rubenstein 01:07:58 Like could you imagine if there were a movie about I don't know. They make a movie about the Expos or something. You know, the 1994 Expos and that they're totally, you know, they've been wronged. I know there's a documentary about it. Weren't the 1994 Expos really good in the strike cutoff season?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:18 It was a strike year. Yeah, it was a strike year.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:20 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:20 I was supposed to go to a game. I don't think to see the Expos, but I was supposed to go see Yankees game.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:26 Okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:27 That was actually on the first day of the strike, so they canceled it. Got the money back for the tickets.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:30 Okay. So I'm making sure I'm getting this name right. So if the actor who played, let's call it Pedro Martinez, was he on that team? Pedro Martinez's pitching coach that year. I have no idea who the pitching coach was for the 1994 Expos. But let's say it was portrayed by Thomas Ian Nicholas, aka Henry Rowengartner.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:53 Right.

Dan Rubenstein 01:08:53 Chicago Cubs legend. You're like, I don't buy this at all. Like, he has served his role in the Major League Major League Baseball filmiverse. You can't ask me to believe in him now as a different figure in baseball history, fictional or otherwise.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:10 You're crossing the streams between the fictional and the real.

Dan Rubenstein 01:09:12 I just don't like it. I don't accept it. I don't know how you feel about that, or if you even care.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:20 I do care. I care a great deal.

Dan Rubenstein 01:09:22 Like casting Henry Rowengartner in a different role in Major League Baseball history.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:27 You can't even play it off like he learns so much from his pitching career that he wanted to bestow it upon Pedro Martinez because these are different universes, different timelines.

Dan Rubenstein 01:09:34 No exactly right, right. Now, if you did like a girl meets world situation, where it was a rookie of the year sequel far in the future, where it was like his daughter is a softball phenom for UCLA or something.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:43 Right, right.

Dan Rubenstein 01:09:54 And he is using his own history to help her along her way.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:59 Right. A little bit of one last job, right?

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:00 Fine

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:02 A little bit of like coming out of retirement.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:03 Totally.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:03 Yeah. Yep.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:06 But casting him as a different figure in a Major League Baseball multiverse, I'm not with it. I just think we have to draw lines and draw boundaries as a society Ty. And Damian Lewis, as a different major World War II figure, is just too far for me. That's all.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:25 I don't I have to look at the trailer for this.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:27 Watch the trailer. It's surprisingly intense, given that it's about weather. Now, obviously, the backdrop of it all is extremely important.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:37 Of course, of course, of course. Yeah, the one liner here from Brendan may be Frasier.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:42 Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:42 Not exactly reeling me in, but I will give it the benefit of at least one trailer watch to see how I feel about it.

Dan Rubenstein 01:10:49 I have no idea who directed it. I know the stars. I can read you. Yeah, it's literally just invasion perfect conditions is what they're looking for.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:58 Can we play a game with this? Can we play a game with this?

Dan Rubenstein 01:11:04 Sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:05 Can we show this trailer to our wives?

Dan Rubenstein 01:11:08 Whoa, Brendan Fraser's playing Eisenhower. What? DDE! I guess that's why he's wearing the bald wig. Oh my God. This is Brendan Fraser looks like he's Logan Thomas, his build in this one.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:26 Has there ever been

Dan Rubenstein 01:11:27 And Eisenhower is like, isn't, I mean, I know he, he's not small per se, but he doesn't, I don't think he fits the, I don't know. How tall is Dwight Eisenhower?

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:37 I don't know, but we are talking now about an actor with the range to go from Encino Man to a former president, a noted former president.

Dan Rubenstein 01:11:38 5'10.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:50 So the Renaissance is well underway. What I was going to say is, can we show this trailer to our wives, document their response to it, and then come back on the next episode and discuss?

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:03 Sure, absolutely.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:06 I'll give you mine too.

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:07 I

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:07 I haven't seen it, though. I'll let you know my thoughts.

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:09 Yeah, he was Dwight D. Eisenhower a star halfback until a severe knee injury ended his playing career at West Point.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:16 Okay. So do you think maybe you'll have a little bit of a limp in this?

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:19 Brendan Fraser looks like a blocking tight end, just physically.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:23 Yeah. Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein 01:12:26 I don't think it's a physical match, but alas, here we are.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:31 Well, thank you all for coming on this journey with us. On our June Q&A episode, if you have any thoughts, solidverbal@gmail. com, of course, hit follow, hit subscribe wherever you can, leave a rating or star review. All that stuff really goes a long way towards assuring others this is a fun show that they want to check out if they like college football. Verballers. com, V-E-R-B-A-L-L-E-R-S. com is where you can go if you want to help support what Dan and I do. You can sign up for free. And as we did with the post about this episode on occasion, we want to get your input. So you're not fully out in the cold.

Dan Rubenstein 01:13:08 Absolutely.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:11 But if you do want to support what we do, just know that it's the best way to directly help us keep the lights on. And in this case, get prepared for the season. It's getting big in the window. We're starting to drop plans. We're getting excited about it. Much, much more to come on what Patreon has in store and the benefits of being a Verballer as we head into this new season.

Dan Rubenstein 01:13:31 Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:34 Last but certainly not least, I did not mention this at the top. But would encourage everybody to go to SolidVerbal. com/slash newsletter, sign up for a newsletter. Tyler, our wonderful newsletter writer, has been doing an awesome job writing profiles on coaches and teams as we head into the new season. I find it interesting because I learn something new each time I read what he has to say. We send those out every Tuesday morning, usually around 9:30 Eastern.

Dan Rubenstein 01:14:00 Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:02 Free to sign up, SolidVerbal. com/slash newsletter.

Dan Rubenstein 01:14:05 Yeah. Well, look, Ty, as we wrap the show, I just want to commend you on your own passion to finish hard. You close the episode well. You closed it out, exactly right.

Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:14 I gotta find my Lex Steele sound. That would have been the one to play. I just don't have it at the right. It's been off the board for like an eon, but. I'm gonna have to start putting that one on here. All right. Thank you to everybody who emailed in with your questions. Again, SolidVerbal. com if you've got something else to say. Until next time, for that guy over there, Dan, for myself over here, Ty, we'll catch you all on the flip side. Stay solid.