Brendan Sorsby's Exit + Message Board Madness

Description

In this episode, we react to the latest and likely final twist in the Brendan Sorsby saga, as the now-former Texas Tech quarterback backs off his NCAA lawsuit and turns his attention toward the NFL Supplemental Draft. After weeks of legal maneuvering, Big 12 pushback, public statements and fan frustration, we try to make sense of how the situation became untenable, what it means for Texas Tech, and where the Red Raiders go from here with Will Hammond now back in the spotlight.

Then, with preview season still a few weeks away, we open the window into the weirdest corners of college football fandom with help from the Message Board Geniuses social feed. We dig through offseason fan brain at Texas Tech, Florida State, LSU, Washington, Oregon and beyond, touching on conference realignment fantasies, private investigator hypotheticals, Lane Kiffin's housing situation, recruiting angst, national title expectations and one Auburn thread that probably should not have made it onto a college football podcast.

Plus: a new logo is on the way, Ty's voice is still recovering, Dan pitches an “immersive college football experience,” and things end with an unfortunate discussion of fermented Japanese green plums.

Transcript

Ty Hildenbrandt [00:18]: Dan Rubenstein, welcome back to The Solid Verbal. It's a college football podcast. You may have heard of it, sir. Welcome back. How are you?

Dan Rubenstein [00:27]: Full disagree. It's an immersive college football experience. Podcast just sells what we're doing here so much shorter than it needs to be described. So, yes, this is an immersive college football experience. Can we fit that on the new logo?

Ty Hildenbrandt [00:43]: I mean, you're the logo designer, not me. We do have a new logo coming out.

Dan Rubenstein [00:47]: That's true.

Ty Hildenbrandt [00:47]: To peel back the curtain a little bit for anyone who's interested, it should be dropping at some point next month, around the time when we start rolling out previews.

Dan Rubenstein [00:55]: I'm very excited for that. A new video look too. I think we're going to digitally alter ourselves to just not look jacked, but like, wait, has Ty secretly gotten a little ripped? That's the filter we're going for.

Ty Hildenbrandt [01:09]: No, no, absolutely. I don't really know how to follow that up, but please hit follow or subscribe if you have yet to do so. If you're new here, we've got a bunch of new people coming under the tent. All are welcome. As always, if you are a superfan of what we're doing, Verballers.com is our Patreon, the best way to help support the team. We have our merch store, which you can find if you just go on out to our website, SolidVerbal.com. You'll see it at the top.

And we've got a great newsletter that drops every Tuesday. Our guy Tyler has been killing it with original content here over the last couple of weeks, really over the last year, but certainly over the last month, month and a half or so. He's been putting out original stuff on new coaches.

Dan Rubenstein [01:40]: Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [01:52]: Quarterbacks, sort of the relationship between the two. There's been a lot of really good stuff. I've genuinely enjoyed it. That is also free, SolidVerbal.com/newsletter. Dan.

Dan Rubenstein [02:03]: Yes, absolutely.

Ty Hildenbrandt [02:05]: Shall we get into news?

Dan Rubenstein [02:06]: Let's.

Ty Hildenbrandt [02:12]: I don't know if you can hear it in my voice. My voice is still not back to 100%.

Dan Rubenstein [02:16]: You're all right. I think you're totally passable. You are a seeing-eye single of audio quality.

Ty Hildenbrandt [02:23]: I'm just not going to do my normal screech, and I probably should, once this is back up to snuff, record myself screaming the breaking news bit and just incorporate it into the sound so that I don't have to do it organically.

Dan Rubenstein [02:39]: I'd like it if we could employ some kind of DJ or producer to really go for it with our sounds moving forward, as we overhaul some of our visuals, where it's just like, I think that will take us to the next level of being awful.

Ty Hildenbrandt [02:59]: All right, solidverbal@gmail.com.

Dan Rubenstein [03:02]: Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt [03:02]: Is the email address, if you were ever so inclined. I want to be our house DJ.

Dan, we got news later on Monday that Texas Tech quarterback, if only for a moment, Brendan Sorsby was going to be backing off of his NCAA lawsuit, and he would be entering the NFL Supplemental Draft. This, of course, is a huge about-face in this saga that has unfolded over the last few weeks and months.

You may recall Brendan Sorsby got into some hot water, right? It came to light that he had placed something like $90,000 worth of bets spanning a bit of time, dating all the way back to his previous stops, some of which were, yes, betting on college football, including his own team. So there was a whole thing that went into that. We discussed it at length here on the show.

When we last left this story, Sorsby had won an injunction whereby he'd have to sit out two games and then could play the remainder of the season. I should say, that was met pretty swiftly with a lot of pushback, both from teams within the Big 12, from administrators within the Big 12, and from other teams that were suddenly pushing back on even trying to schedule Texas Tech. There was a lot of pushback in light of this decision.

And it eventually came, I guess, to a breaking point, a mutual parting of ways, as has been reported. But my hunch is that the legal gravity and some of what was being filed, maybe which we can detail here, simply made the situation untenable. And Brendan Sorsby is, I guess, going to try and make his way to the NFL now. Just a huge 180, given all the reporting that's gone on out there again over the last few weeks and months.

This is something that I think we're going to be talking about for a while, certainly as we get into the season, and most assuredly when we start previewing Texas Tech in about a month or so.

Dan Rubenstein [05:11]: Yeah, I don't think it's a thing that we're going to be talking about for a while. I just think we're all going to move forward.

Ty Hildenbrandt [05:19]: Well, what I mean by that, and somebody suggested to me that this could be a fantasy thing, which I don't think we'll make it that, but I understand where the person is coming from, is this tends to be one of those stories that people feel the need to repeat and repeat and repeat, even if it's just in passing. Like, Will Hammond got the job because dot, dot, dot.

Dan Rubenstein [05:41]: Right. I think it'll be a beginning-of-the-season thing. I think Brendan Sorsby is going to be more of a trivia-answer question moving forward in the long term, just because it was all kind of over before it had a chance to begin.

I'm going to attempt to get, let's call it, 63% of the legalese correct here. The only thing that I think, you didn't skim over it, but it's just part of this whole thing, is there was a threat from, I believe, the attorney general, Ken Paxton of Texas. A threat regarding the Big 12 potentially trying to exercise its own ability to punish or discipline and cast into doubt the eligibility of somebody who they feel like had violated their bylaws.

And then the Big 12 prepared a legal document via, I think, a powerhouse law firm, Sidley Austin, I believe is the name of the firm. Basically, preparing to sue whoever and whomever, whatever, is questioning the Big 12's First Amendment right to enforce its own bylaws. And that prepared document, I think it was a 47-page document or something, put a lot of fear into Texas Tech.

And as fun as that, was it a 21-minute podcast, as you called it, the gathering of the Texas Tech minds?

Ty Hildenbrandt [07:08]: Man, man, we could talk about that later. But yeah, I did refer to the tweet that I put out last night. It did like a quarter million views, calling it a podcast, because it was a video podcast, is what it was.

Dan Rubenstein [07:19]: Great. It was. So there were legal doings behind the scenes that seemed to put even more pressure on Brendan Sorsby and his attempt to play this year. Now, this was by the Big 12, who basically had 15 of the 16 member schools behind them, saying, and we had, I think, and I want to get this phrasing correct, attorneys general.

Ty Hildenbrandt [07:40]: Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein [07:45]: From, I want to say, Kansas, Oklahoma and Utah also on board and prepared to back the Big 12 in its ability to enforce its bylaws regarding eligibility. And so the whole thing was getting, behind the scenes, pretty ugly, and a sort of growing wave of support behind the Big 12 in its potential fight against Texas Tech and the injunction that allowed Brendan Sorsby to play.

Brendan Sorsby, as you noted, had until I want to say a week from yesterday to declare for the NFL Supplemental Draft.

Ty Hildenbrandt [08:16]: Yeah, June 22nd. So we're recording this on Tuesday the 16th. The deadline to get into the Supplemental Draft is June 22nd.

Dan Rubenstein [08:26]: Right. And I think there was a fear that if they were going to start prolonged legal battles, he would not have any recourse in terms of NFL eligibility in this year's Supplemental Draft cycle if the legal stuff kept going and going and going. And so he decided, the school decided, it seemed like, and there was a statement from Texas Tech that basically amounted to, this became more and more difficult to try and navigate, and we understand and support Brendan Sorsby and his path.

Cody Campbell put out a statement that Brendan Sorsby is going to get all of the money that's owed to him with this level of timing. And everybody's moving forward. And the Big 12 issued a statement that they're now 16 strong moving forward and excited for a future together. And hopefully, everybody is begrudgingly holding hands once again.

Ty Hildenbrandt [09:20]: Yeah, the whole legal side of it, after Sorsby won the temporary injunction, the pushback was fast and furious. Initially, I heard of it, and I'm probably messing up the chronology, but initially I heard of other schools outside of the Big 12 that were pushing back in the sense that they didn't want to schedule Texas Tech. There were athletic directors, administrators reaching out to coaches and those in the know, saying, we don't want to play them. We're not going to play them as a result of this.

If they decide that this is okay, then yes, the Big 12 sort of banded together and started pushing back as best they could through the legal system. There was this challenge from the Texas attorney general. Then there were others that jumped on the side of the Big 12. That led us down this pathway now of Sorsby and Texas Tech mutually parting ways. The issue from the Big 12 being such that, yes, we are 16 strong, holding hands moving forward. He didn't say holding hands. We said that.

Dan Rubenstein [10:21]: Everybody's kumbaya. But yes, I think it was the Big 12 via this law firm asking a federal court for clarity, essentially, on its ability to sanction, under First Amendment protections, its own enforceable bylaws.

So that's where it stood. And now Texas Tech is moving forward. Will Hammond is not cleared to play in games at this moment. He's rehabbing from a torn ACL that I think he suffered in October. So he's the presumptive starter at some point. Joey McGuire has said previously, in talking about Will Hammond, that he is on track to, you know, I think he's doing seven-on-seven activity and is on track to participate to some degree in fall camp, but cast into doubt his ability to be back by week one, essentially, is I think where Joey McGuire left Will Hammond's status recently.

So they, I believe, have a Tulsa transfer behind Will Hammond in the quarterback room. But Texas Tech, although I suppose they could address quarterback in creative, if not also punishable, ways moving forward, that's what their quarterback room is now. That's where it stands.

And I think you mentioned there were a couple of, we talked about this, there were a couple of quarterbacks still lingering in the portal. I want to say Jake Garcia, who's sort of well traveled.

Ty Hildenbrandt [11:43]: Oh, no, still around, man. He's still around.

Dan Rubenstein [11:48]: I think, what, Mizzou, Miami, Michigan, somewhere in that range of teams. Yeah, there are a couple names floating around in terms of maybe pure depth plays. Who knows? But yeah, Brendan Sorsby on to the Supplemental Draft, Texas Tech on to a now thinned quarterback room.

Ty Hildenbrandt [12:06]: I think it's probably best for all parties to just sort of go this route.

Dan Rubenstein [12:11]: That seemed the way for me, especially because, look, I don't know how much schools were going to actually cancel matchups in various sports with Texas Tech. I want to say Michigan volleyball did. That was the one I saw. Michigan volleyball had canceled a matchup against Texas Tech.

But Texas Tech, I don't think was, even if they put out that, as you called it, episode one of that podcast, I don't think they truly want to be seen as a villainous enterprise. Everybody argues about everything, but then having the fan bases of 137 teams look at Texas Tech as the downfall of Western civilization, I don't think, as much as they've tried to say the right things, I don't think the university is fully comfortable positioning itself in that way.

Ty Hildenbrandt [13:04]: No, I mean, so the 20-minute and two-second podcast, I'll call it that, that they posted via their official social media channels like a week ago, that was some creative wording. That was a lot of PR speak. And even though I kind of side-eyed it when I watched it, they weren't exactly using language that, in my opinion, stirred up that much animosity, right?

They were very much trying to take the approach of: we support the player, we recognize that a gambling addiction is a serious thing. We're helping him get the help that he needs. We don't want to crush his dreams. They were trying to position it a little bit more softly. I don't think most people bought it, frankly. I don't think it was the greatest offense. I don't know if there was a good defense, but they weren't coming at it from the standpoint of trying to promote more conflict. It was just sort of, I thought, a lame excuse.

Cody Campbell, though. Cody Campbell, I think, put a little bit of a clown nose on himself with the way that he has handled this. He was much more of a villain.

Dan Rubenstein [14:17]: I agree.

Ty Hildenbrandt [14:19]: Throughout this whole process, very much defiant, very much took the approach of, hey, if he's eligible, we have no choice but to play him. Very much, if you are looking for a reason to dunk on Texas Tech, he gave you those reasons with how it seems he approached this whole thing.

Now, he came out with another statement, and I think that was a little bit more softly worded, but at least initially, he was very much the target of much animosity out there around college athletics, which is interesting given the fact that Cody Campbell has very much been in the limelight for other reasons, against other conferences and super leagues and media rights and all these things kind of worming their way through Congress.

So it was a bit of a 180 for him as well, just in terms of a PR image and his Q rating, if you want to call it that. So, yeah, I think all of it kind of looks bad, but the Cody Campbell side of it, to me, was what really stuck in my craw as like, oh, okay. He positions himself as the good guy in one light, but then this comes about and it's, I don't know. You kind of question intentions at that point when you see some of the other wording.

Dan Rubenstein [15:36]: Yeah, and obviously he has had some official titles within Texas Tech and has been an advocate, obviously, for the bill that there's an attempt to push through Congress regarding changes and hopeful changes to college sports. It does seem, and I'm totally open to being corrected here, of the big money involved behind the scenes at big or semi-big places, however you want to qualify it, he seems a lot more vocal and a lot more comfortable pointing to himself as a leader of Texas Tech football while not actually being a leader of Texas Tech football, or at least the wink-wink, nudge-nudge kind of leader, right?

We know there are big names at many schools behind the scenes. But Cody Campbell fashions himself as the scenes. And I don't know whether, obviously, Texas Tech fans are into the idea of enthusiastic money, as they should be, right? That's the name of the game right now. And every program would take that kind of commitment.

But it's certainly different with regard to how Texas Tech is viewed, to me. That there's just this guy saying, yes, I'm in charge. I'm going to buy us an offensive line. Yes, I am the guy in charge of this program, in as many words. And this is where we are. This is what a lot of people seem to want out of this sport. But it's different. It's certainly different, especially when the light has never been brighter on Texas Tech and the attention has never been sharper on the program. It's where we are. It's a really sterling example of where this sport is right now.

Ty Hildenbrandt [17:32]: Yeah, I mean, I'm not willing to give people a pass necessarily on this whole thing. On a certain very human level, I kind of understand not really knowing how to approach this because it's just atypical. And I hope we don't see more of this. But I can just imagine behind the scenes a bunch of guys looking at each other, like, what do we do now? How are we supposed to respond to this? What is the best way to handle it?

Hopefully they learn from it. I don't think some of the verbiage that I heard was handled all that well, but it seemed as if they at least arrived at a point where they realized this was untenable. And whether or not they were hoping to crush young Brendan Sorsby's dreams or not, this was probably the only outcome that was going to make sense in the long term.

So look, by no means are we legal experts here. And certainly, if you have something more to add to the conversation, solidverbal@gmail.com is the best way to reach out and let us know your thoughts. I would actually welcome much of the Verballerhood to chime in with this.

For as much fun as I think we've had with Texas Tech and the kind of renewed effort to go out there and get high-priced talent, that is the game now. I know many of the Texas Tech fans that listen to this don't always appreciate that, but it warrants mentioning. And so we bring this up not to dunk on Texas Tech, certainly not to dunk on Texas Tech or anybody, but it's just the only newsworthy thing right now, frankly, and we had to address it.

Dan Rubenstein [19:16]: I mean, you don't want to talk about Oregon getting themselves a five-star receiver literally as we began this show?

Ty Hildenbrandt [19:21]: I don't. I really don't.

Dan Rubenstein [19:22]: You shouldn't want to. Hopefully this serves as a worthwhile transition, Ty. The whole situation puts Texas Tech fans in a really weird spot.

Ty Hildenbrandt [19:36]: I think so. I think it does. And I'm actually glad you brought that up because that's where I was going to go next with it, the fan reaction. Because when I bring out our email address and I tell people, hey, write in, let us know your thoughts, I can just judge from the people in our Discord and the Verballers that we've already heard from that there, I can sense the conflict.

You're a fan of a team. You want your team to do well. Texas Tech has clearly got the wind at its back to a degree now, won a conference championship, made the playoff, got a first-round bye. But we don't have to talk about what happened in the playoff.

Dan Rubenstein [20:10]: Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt [20:10]: But you always want to root for your team. You want your team to do well. This just sort of snuck up on a lot of people.

Dan Rubenstein [20:15]: And you want to dig in when you feel as if maybe your team is being unfairly villainized, your program is being unfairly villainized. You know, any other program would try to do just the same things that Texas Tech is trying to do, in both standing behind their quarterback and making every effort to get him eligible. It puts them in a weird spot where the school would be the ones to say, look, this is an unusual spot, and we're going to err on the side of helping him as a human, but not trying to rock the boat in terms of how we view eligibility and how we view players wagering on their own teams. And hopefully use this for good to educate players about some of the threats and pitfalls of gambling on sports, if it's even allowed in your state.

Obviously, there are NCAA rules prohibiting gambling on college football and your team and so forth. So they could have done that. They decided to dig in and support him in his lawsuit. And so now there's obviously the, I guess, perceived unrest between Texas Tech fans and the way they feel like they've been mistreated by the Big 12.

I saw a lot of references to, like, how dare you treat your bell cow of a program like this? Texas Tech has been the bell cow for about an hour and a half of the Big 12. So the emotions are running high, obviously, because we are in the moment right now. But yeah, I do feel for Texas Tech fans who, you know, they feel this allegiance like we all do for our favorite teams. And it would be weird to say, yes, I have paid all this money for season tickets and merchandise. I'm a generational, you know, it's passed down from generation to generation, this Texas Tech fandom. But now that everybody's villainizing us, I'm going to turn my back on my favorite program. Like, I don't know. I understand the conflict.

Ty Hildenbrandt [22:13]: I understand the conflict there. And I think if I were a fan, my first reaction would probably be, my disgust would be directed at the people who brought Sorsby in the first place. Like, why didn't they do their homework?

Now, we addressed this on a previous episode. There are so many guys in the portal, right? There's such a limited window.

Dan Rubenstein [22:33]: Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [22:35]: During which you can now actually go out and get guys to sign with your program.

Dan Rubenstein [22:37]: And that, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [22:38]: It's so compressed and nobody has the staffing that they need to do PI work on every single recruit out there. So of course, there are going to be some instances that slip through the cracks. But as a fan, you don't always have that kind of organizational perspective.

I think that would be my initial reaction. Like, why didn't they do their homework? Why did they sign up for this? Whether that's fair or not. Again, solidverbal@gmail.com is how you can write in. Let us know your thoughts on the matter. I'm sort of glad that we can kind of turn the page on this now.

Dan Rubenstein [23:14]: I just want to talk about Texas Tech football without talking about Brendan Sorsby, right? And without talking about Sidley Austin. You know, I'd much rather focus on the particulars of players who are there and will be contributing, and I think that's more worthwhile.

Ty Hildenbrandt [23:30]: Was it the second half against Utah, the Will Hammond game?

Dan Rubenstein [23:34]: I believe so. Will Hammond, I think, had a lot of the support of his offensive line. They were pumped to rally behind him. He was, I believe, the starting quarterback when they did lose to ASU last season. So he had sort of an up-and-down time in relief of Behren Morton. But obviously his upside, I think, is more athletic than as a polished passer at this moment. But everybody develops.

Ty Hildenbrandt [24:00]: And you know what?

Dan Rubenstein [24:01]: But yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [24:01]: That would be fine.

Dan Rubenstein [24:03]: Sure.

Ty Hildenbrandt [24:03]: That would be fine because, one, I think what they were looking for with Sorsby was somebody who could give them a little bit more of a dual-threat capability. Will Hammond certainly does. Now, he's recovering from a pretty serious injury. So his mobility, we'll have to wait and see on that front and find out what his health status is as we get a little bit closer to the season.

But he does bring that to the table, and maybe giving him more first-team reps will help him sort of catapult his skills forward. And if you can get to the Behren Morton level and then a little bit more, I think Texas Tech is all the better for it.

Secondly, and I know this has sort of flown under the radar a little bit, I know we've talked about it here time and again, I'm not totally convinced that Brendan Sorsby was like a slam dunk, just as a quarterback. As a quarterback, you know, probably better than what they had.

Dan Rubenstein [24:59]: Right.

Ty Hildenbrandt [25:03]: Yeah, I mean, definitely a different type of quarterback than what they had.

Dan Rubenstein [25:03]: Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [25:06]: But I feel like a big part of the conversation with respect to the transfer portal, as we get into preview season talking about guys that move to new teams, is you don't always know who's going to hit. And they don't always hit. Even big-name quarterbacks don't hit. I'm not certain that Sorsby would have been that dude, even if he gave them a little bit more in terms of physical tools.

Dan Rubenstein [25:30]: Yeah. I mean, look, Brendan Sorsby, it seems, would have, and they brought in some receivers in the portal this cycle, but it seemed like he would have a better offensive mind behind him, probably a better offensive line in front of him, perhaps deeper, more interesting receivers to throw to, and without question, seemingly a better defense to support him and the offense's efforts.

And so it seems like he would have been put in a much better position to succeed than the position he was in in Cincinnati. So nothing's a slam dunk. But it seems like he was, in terms of that roster and the coaching staff, in a better position to thrive than he was at Cincinnati.

Ty Hildenbrandt [26:15]: All right, so that is the news. Brendan Sorsby is not going to be playing college football this year. Brendan Sorsby taking his talents to the NFL. We'll see what happens on that front. Very curious to see if anybody takes a risk on Sorsby now, given all this news. But Lord knows there are plenty of teams in the NFL that need quarterbacks. Maybe one of them will take a flyer.

Dan Rubenstein [26:33]: It's true. I saw he was being looked at as a Jaxson Dart type. Athletic and fearless, and, you know, hasn't had the best Novembers, I don't believe, but their schedule has gotten tougher there.

Ty Hildenbrandt [26:39]: Really? I don't know about that comparison, but okay.

Dan Rubenstein [26:47]: And Jaxson Dart wasn't perfect for Ole Miss. I'm not telling you he is of equal quality.

Ty Hildenbrandt [26:54]: I know.

Dan Rubenstein [26:56]: I'm saying the style of his game, if you were to make a comp, that's what he was.

Ty Hildenbrandt [27:01]: I don't know if I'd make that comp.

Dan Rubenstein [27:02]: I mean, are we pretending Jaxson Dart is an All-Pro?

Ty Hildenbrandt [27:04]: I don't know if I'd make that comp.

Dan Rubenstein [27:06]: Is Jaxson Dart lighting the NFL on fire?

Ty Hildenbrandt [27:06]: What? Jaxson Dart was pretty good last year.

Dan Rubenstein [27:09]: He's fine.

Ty Hildenbrandt [27:10]: He was pretty good last year as a rookie, yeah, with nobody around him.

Dan Rubenstein [27:12]: Okay. Okay, also true.

Ty Hildenbrandt [27:15]: I don't know if I'd draw that comparison, but okay, listen, fair enough. Wish him well. Hope he gets the help he needs. Hope he's able to go on and prosper.

Dan, let's take, while we can here in the middle of June, before preview season heats up, this occasion to open up the window and peer into the fan bases around college football.

Dan Rubenstein [27:40]: Would love that.

Ty Hildenbrandt [27:44]: You may recall our good friends out at Message Board Geniuses. You can follow them on Twitter at @BoardGeniuses. For our money, the best of the best out there among college football social media.

I still, to this day, and we have yet to bring them on the show or go on their show or anything.

Dan Rubenstein [28:01]: Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:08]: We do need to have a conversation at some point about how they manage this because what they're doing is God's work, frankly.

Dan Rubenstein [28:14]: Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:15]: Board Geniuses has a portal into all of the weirdest message board postings around college football from time to time.

Dan Rubenstein [28:15]: Look.

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:25]: Whenever you or I feel the need, we peruse their social media account and we pick out some of our favorite screenshots to discuss here.

Dan Rubenstein [28:31]: Oh, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:35]: So these are not ours. They do the hard work.

Dan Rubenstein [28:39]: Hard work.

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:40]: Unlike some others on social media, we do not.

Dan Rubenstein [28:42]: Is it Command-Shift-4? Is that what it is on a Mac?

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:44]: I think that's what, and then you just have to drag the little handles.

Dan Rubenstein [28:46]: Okay. Yeah, you have to drag, of course.

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:47]: Yeah. But somebody's doing that work or sending it to them.

Dan Rubenstein [28:50]: Somebody's doing it. Somebody's receiving tips from the message board dungeons.

Ty Hildenbrandt [28:57]: So credit where it's due. Unlike some on social media, we like to pay homage to the people doing the work here.

Dan Rubenstein [29:04]: This is true. Look, if you were to tell me that an art gallery in my area was having a Message Board Geniuses exhibition.

Ty Hildenbrandt [29:13]: Yes.

Dan Rubenstein [29:13]: I would be in line to that opening night premiere, having the little toothpicks with little cubes of cheese. I would be an art appreciator, enthusiast.

Ty Hildenbrandt [29:27]: A connoisseur, aficionado, patron.

Dan Rubenstein [29:28]: How about a patron? I would be a patron of the arts if there were a Message Board Geniuses exhibition at a gallery near me.

Ty Hildenbrandt [29:37]: Let's keep it real here and let's continue talking about Texas Tech. This was a post that was surfaced by our friends at MBG. The title was, “ACC Time.” Here we go. Here we go. Where's my sound?

“Just waiting for Cody to buy us into the ACC ASAP. We even have our own travel buddy, SMU. I bet we could bring the Zonas and Kansas, Kansas, with us too.”

Dan Rubenstein [30:00]: Mm-hmm.

Ty Hildenbrandt [30:05]: It's really funny that this post came to light because I'm going to be honest, this was my first thought.

Dan Rubenstein [30:08]: Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [30:10]: My first thought when I saw that the Big 12 was banding together against Texas Tech, I was like, you know what? Conference realignment over the last five years, granted, a lot based on money, but much of it has seemed rather illogical. It wouldn't be completely illogical for Texas Tech and the money men behind it to have a vendetta against the Big 12 because of how they felt it was collusion, as Cody Campbell put it, and to try and see if they could find an exit over into another conference, whatever that might be. So I actually saw this and I was like, you know what? It's funny. I also completely get it.

Dan Rubenstein [30:54]: I mean, it's also funny because the ACC itself and its long-term prospects are sort of, we did a teetering episode, teetering teams, the ACC's teetering on the brink. And if they're being looked at as the dream destination to show the Big 12, that's not great. That's not exactly Valhalla right now with the lawsuits that now are settled between Florida State and Clemson and stuff.

But it is pretty funny that the ACC, which had to, in a Hail Mary football term, add Cal and Stanford and SMU, is looked at as the safe dream state of Texas Tech. I don't know, man. That's great. That's where they've landed.

Ty Hildenbrandt [31:39]: I mean, they'd easily be the second-best team in the ACC if they were to move over this year. They're not going to move over this year. I know that, but so much of the conversation around the ACC has been.

Dan Rubenstein [31:46]: Right. Not happening.

Ty Hildenbrandt [31:52]: Who's in that next tier down from Miami? Texas Tech would be right there.

Dan Rubenstein [31:54]: Right. Yeah, I don't think you want to pay the exit fees to just play, all due respect, Wake Forest and Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Like, you've got to be paying money to get to the Big Ten or SEC. I'm not sure the ACC is that destination. Continue.

Ty Hildenbrandt [32:13]: Speaking of the ACC, my favorite fan base right now is Florida State.

Dan Rubenstein [32:14]: Yeah. They're in a tough spot.

Ty Hildenbrandt [32:21]: Florida State's in a tough spot. Quote, this is from Warchant, our friends over at Warchant: “I should hope Florida State is investing $300,000 to $400,000 per year.”

Dan Rubenstein [32:34]: Of course.

Ty Hildenbrandt [32:34]: “On a private eye to check Mike Norvell's activities. If they managed to dig something up that warranted firing for cause, that would be a fantastic 100x ROI.” Business term, Dan.

Dan Rubenstein [32:49]: Yeah. I mean, there's down bad, and then there's down bad.

Ty Hildenbrandt [32:53]: I mean, the next post here on the list is titled, “What If We Just Move Down to FCS?” This is the state of play right now in the Florida State world.

Dan Rubenstein [33:00]: Yeah. Florida State and, didn't our friend Bud Elliott, he doesn't do his Florida State show anymore because the entire ecosystem, not ecosystem, the entirety of the Florida State short-term outlook was too much of a bummer, that they felt like their show would be too much of a bummer, if I was reading that correctly?

Ty Hildenbrandt [33:18]: Well, yeah, and I'm paraphrasing here. I remember when Bud posted about it.

Dan Rubenstein [33:23]: Yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [33:23]: But like, really good friend of the show, Bud. Haven't talked to him in forever, but obviously very good at what he does and a Florida State person. He was like, we put a lot into this show, and it became apparent that we're putting more into this show than the football program is or than the administrators are putting into the football program. Something like that. And so until that seems a little bit more in balance, we're going to evaluate how often we do this thing.

Dan Rubenstein [33:52]: Oh man. That's just down bad across the board. Hope for the Florida State fans in all of our lives that they can become competitive soon.

Ty Hildenbrandt [34:04]: LSU. I like this one.

Dan Rubenstein [34:11]: Please.

Ty Hildenbrandt [34:13]: There seems to be concern that Lane Kiffin has yet to buy a house in Baton Rouge. Someone says, “This has been a concern of mine too. Him not buying a house says a lot about what his intentions are,” Dan.

Dan Rubenstein [34:28]: Oh, are you questioning the accountability and seriousness of Lane Kiffin's commitment to literally anything?

Ty Hildenbrandt [34:34]: I mean, I'm not. The poster here is, though.

Dan Rubenstein [34:36]: Right. Look, everybody eventually talks themself into and out of Lane Kiffin, right? That's just the gig of rooting for a team that has aligned itself with Lane Kiffin. I don't think this is an appropriate reaction right now because he's got a lot on his plate, right? He jumped into the program and has been recruiting nonstop, also been finding new players and hitting the portal, hitting boosters, doing everything he can to get this LSU team seemingly to the point that they can compete for a national championship sooner rather than later.

So, I don't know. I'm sure there's a lot on his plate. And a lot of these guys are living out of hotels and renting before they actually buy a house. I think this is likely jumping the gun, but here we are in June, and you've got to be worried about something.

Ty Hildenbrandt [35:28]: Speaking of jumping the gun, if you are an LSU fan, what is your expectation?

Dan Rubenstein [35:30]: Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt [35:34]: Mindful of the fact that we haven't done previews yet.

Dan Rubenstein [35:35]: He'll buy a house. My expectation is that he buys a house.

Ty Hildenbrandt [35:37]: Okay, what about the football team?

Dan Rubenstein [35:38]: No, I know.

Ty Hildenbrandt [35:39]: Because listen, they made headlines all across the board by going out and getting Kiffin. It was the guy they wanted. Clearly, there's a commitment to spend. It was a bit of a circus, but I think you sign up for that when you go for Lane. But realistically, realistically, this is a team of transfers. Realistically, this is a situation where the schedule is always going to be the gauntlet in the SEC.

And realistically, I don't know if anything over 9-3, based on what I've seen at least initially when I'm doing my homework, I don't know if anything over that is a truly realistic expectation. Doesn't mean they can't get there. It doesn't mean they won't get there because they have a lot of good players. But I'm just wondering what the cutoff is if you are a fan of the team. They get to, let's say they finish 8-4. What is the reaction from the fan base to that?

Dan Rubenstein [36:43]: I think, usually speaking, obviously, they're spending like they want to win a national championship in year one. I think generally speaking, if you were to eliminate the most irrational fans on either side of the spectrum, the hope for a new coach is that they can plainly see what needs to be addressed in terms of what needs to be improved, and that there is a good-faith effort, if everybody's healthy, to double down, in LSU's case, on whatever it is. Finishing the game. Obviously, the offense and the running game last year. The offensive line has been kind of a nightmare recently.

That if you see relatively early returns, that the obvious things that needed to be fixed have been fixed or are on the path to being fixed, then you're pretty excited because you know that with the talent level on this roster, if you don't do anything really, really poorly, LSU is going to win a ton of games. There's just always going to be that level of talent there.

On a national championship level, TBD this year. But right, if the offensive line clearly looks better or the offense is shape-shifted in such a way where the offensive line doesn't need to be perfect, if they're playing tempo, if they're getting the ball out quickly, if they're creative about how to get the running game out to the perimeter, whatever it is, so that you're not counting on having an all-NFL offensive line, then I think people are going to be pumped, right?

That you sort of enhanced strengths and masked weaknesses in a way that helps you win SEC games. I think that's the expectation, eliminating either side of the most extreme spectrum of just like, hey, this is too much. This is too soon. They're never going to be able to fix it. Or, all is better and fixed now that Lane Kiffin is in town. I think that's the expectation that's reasonable to have about Lane Kiffin. That's what I have, that the obvious flaws need to be addressed early and often.

Ty Hildenbrandt [38:35]: I just don't think there's a lot of runway. And that's what gives me my cause for pause, our favorite pet charity.

Dan Rubenstein [38:39]: No, of course.

Ty Hildenbrandt [38:42]: You know, they've got Clemson at home to open up in week one. They should be better than Clemson.

Dan Rubenstein [38:47]: Mm-hmm.

Ty Hildenbrandt [38:47]: Clemson, I think, has bigger questions than LSU at this point. But week three, on the road at Ole Miss, that game's going to be nuts. Week four, home against Texas A&M. Like, the first half of the year, though many of these games are winnable, there are definitely a few potential losses in there that I think could sort of be a fly in the ointment.

And then the deeper you get into this thing, I mean, they close out the year on the road at Auburn, home against Alabama, home against Texas back-to-back weeks, then they're away consecutive games, Tennessee and Arkansas, to close this out.

So this is not to say it is the toughest schedule in the SEC. I think, all things considered, it's spaced out reasonably well. But there are a lot of really, really good teams on this thing. And if it's going to take you a couple of weeks to get things in order, and who knows where Sam Leavitt's at right now with his recovery from his foot. I mean, he'll be out there, but there are just so many new things that need to come together. Not everybody's Curt Cignetti that can pull it together so quickly.

I think Kiffin has a track record for being able to assimilate a bunch of new pieces quickly and obviously have success right away. But this is the added layer of the expectations, is what I think makes this really interesting.

We got one here from a Washington fan, Dan, that I wanted to ask you about.

Dan Rubenstein [40:13]: Oh, okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt [40:14]: This is Dawgman, Montlake Monty.

Dan Rubenstein [40:16]: Mm, a classic of the form, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [40:19]: Yeah, Montlake Monty says, “The only way that Oregon gets a recruit over UW is by paying double. Nothing else to sell recruits on at UO.”

Dan Rubenstein [40:25]: Oh, of course. Sure. Okay. Look, on a certain level, I am the wrong narrator here to talk about the Washington fans' viewpoint on Oregon. Obviously, they look at Oregon with a good amount of disdain because of the attention they feel like is unfairly heaped on Oregon, and the idea that Oregon is amassing all this talent that Washington is unable to only because of money, only because of the flashiness, not because they have anything else to offer.

But on a certain level, I kind of feel for Washington in an empathetic way because they've been through it in similar ways to how Oregon's been through it, right? Losing generational coaches, right? You have Kalen DeBoer having all this success and leaving after a couple of years. You have your time high on the hog with Chris Petersen and then replacing him with an absolute disaster of a Jimmy Lake era. They've been through it.

And while Oregon's also been through it with the end of Mark Helfrich and then Willie Taggart, Mario Cristobal leaving after some success and going to Miami and thriving, Oregon not only found their guy, but found their guy who isn't leaving, at least as of yet. Whereas that would be something that you could hang your hat on as a fan of a team rooting against Oregon, like, oh, it's a stepping-stone school or something.

And not only does Dan Lanning not take other jobs, but they print shirts with his reasoning for not taking other jobs where he says that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the tracks. They have these “The Grass Is Damn Green in Eugene” shirts.

And so Washington fans, from what I can tell, see the energy, see the attention, see the recruiting, and their response tends to be like, well, as a university, it's not a more esteemed place. There's more to do. Seattle's a more interesting place than Eugene. Why would anybody choose? The idea that somebody would rather be playing for a school that has had more success these past couple decades and that has been a more national brand these past couple decades while they've been alive is nearly incomprehensible to some Washington fans.

And this is the offseason, and so these are the things that occupy every fan's mind. Why would they choose that school? Our school is so much cooler and better and more interesting. I kind of feel for it, man, you know?

Ty Hildenbrandt [43:04]: What is the conversation like on the text thread between you and Geoff Schwartz with regard to Oregon and their expectations for this coming season?

Dan Rubenstein [43:14]: He is more settled on the idea that Oregon's going to win a national championship. Not necessarily for this year. He was like, it's going to happen, right? He is at peace with the idea that Oregon's going to win a national championship, that there's too much continuity, that the recruiting has been too good, and that there have been bad breaks, in his estimation, in the estimation of Oregon fans, some of these seasons where they get close, but not all the way there. This year or one of these years, it's just going to happen because they'll put themselves in a position, and when the time is right, they will finally capitalize.

And look, we saw with what? Arsenal? They were that team. They were that squad.

Ty Hildenbrandt [43:58]: I don't know if you want to compare yourself to Arsenal, but okay.

Dan Rubenstein [43:58]: We saw with the New York Knicks. Well, they just won the EPL, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt [44:01]: They did win. They did win.

Dan Rubenstein [44:04]: The New York Knicks, nothing since the '70s?

Ty Hildenbrandt [44:07]: 1973. It's been 53 years.

Dan Rubenstein [44:09]: Yes. So maybe there is that pixie dust in the air for those teams who have gotten close but haven't been able to do it. So I'm too hurt to believe fully again, but I'm sure by the time the season rolls around, or at least by the time November rolls around, if they're looking very strong, I will find myself ready to be hurt again. There's no doubt about it.

Ty Hildenbrandt [44:33]: I will close out with this one, Dan, and I actually don't want an answer to this, okay?

Dan Rubenstein [44:35]: Yeah. Oh, okay.

Ty Hildenbrandt [44:39]: I don't need you to answer this.

Dan Rubenstein [44:40]: Oh man, that makes me really want to answer it.

Ty Hildenbrandt [44:42]: I know it does, but this one from Auburn Sports from Ghost, titled, “How Many Dumps Do You Take Per Day?” You can just leave it there.

Dan Rubenstein [44:52]: Do we think that's construction related? Do we think that's like, these guys are working on a construction site, and maybe we have some backhoe loader operators, something like that?

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:03]: I don't know.

Dan Rubenstein [45:04]: Are you a one-er?

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:04]: I don't know.

Dan Rubenstein [45:07]: Are you a two-er?

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:08]: I'm not answering the question. I said I don't want an answer. We do not need to answer this question.

Dan Rubenstein [45:12]: Ty, we're all humans.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:12]: This is a college football show.

Dan Rubenstein [45:14]: Do you know what the name of the book is?

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:14]: This is a college football show.

Dan Rubenstein [45:16]: What's the name of the book for children, when we're talking potty training, Ty? I think it's Everybody Poops.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:21]: Everybody Poops, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein [45:22]: Everybody Poops, Ty.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:24]: Okay.

Dan Rubenstein [45:25]: And here's the only thing I'll say in response.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:27]: Please don't. Please, we don't need the response.

Dan Rubenstein [45:29]: Sometimes three to five is the answer given by Ghost, I think is the user on.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:30]: We really, we, somebody did say three to five, yeah.

Dan Rubenstein [45:38]: If it's more than four or five days a week that you're taking three to five.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:41]: Okay. Please no.

Dan Rubenstein [45:45]: I think maybe you reevaluate dietary choices. Or, I mean, look, it's either a lot of fiber. Maybe Ghost is doing a lot of.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:45]: We're going to lose people. I mean, that's a lot of fiber.

Dan Rubenstein [45:55]: Weightlifting and fiber, and maybe HIIT training.

Ty Hildenbrandt [45:57]: I don't know if that's three to five, though.

Dan Rubenstein [45:59]: Have you ever done HIIT training, Ty? The high intensity? I'm just saying, there are ways where you can supercharge this effort.

Ty Hildenbrandt [46:03]: I don't know if that's going to do three to five.

Dan Rubenstein [46:10]: I have not found myself, unless I'm under the weather or have eaten something particularly aggressive.

Ty Hildenbrandt [46:15]: All right. I said I don't need you to answer.

Dan Rubenstein [46:18]: Ty, we're humans.

Ty Hildenbrandt [46:19]: I understand everybody listening to this knows we're human, but we don't need an answer.

Dan Rubenstein [46:22]: I did, by the way, not a sponsor, could be, I suppose, I haven't used it yet, though. I was given a supercharged fermented Japanese green plum.

Ty Hildenbrandt [46:32]: Oh no.

Dan Rubenstein [46:32]: Which is apparently like a performance enhancer for those who might be bloated. And I haven't had to use it yet.

Ty Hildenbrandt [46:37]: Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein [46:40]: But if you look online, people are saying this thing is rocket fuel.

Ty Hildenbrandt [46:46]: Great.

Dan Rubenstein [46:47]: Like, it sort of finds caverns in your body that need excavation that you didn't even know were there.

Ty Hildenbrandt [46:51]: Okay. All right. Yeah.

Dan Rubenstein [46:55]: Like, you know when National Geographic discovers the islands with inhabitants that have never seen modern man, kind of, or modern technology, and they always just end up killing them, right?

Ty Hildenbrandt [47:02]: Right. Yeah, yeah. Right. Unfortunately.

Dan Rubenstein [47:07]: You're like, yeah, we went to this island to the people, they got murdered. I think this fermented Japanese green plum is doing that with your inner workings. They're discovering lands that even Magellan didn't have the wherewithal to find. So, yeah.

Ty Hildenbrandt [47:24]: On that note, yes. Yes, you should do it.

Dan Rubenstein [47:27]: I'll report back if and when, right? At the top of a show.

Ty Hildenbrandt [47:32]: You should eat it or whatever, drink it, whatever it is.

Dan Rubenstein [47:34]: It's tiny. It's like the size of maybe, like, a very big, it's smaller than a golf ball, smaller than a standard large plum or whatever. It's not small, and it's small enough, though, that it's weird where they say maybe don't take more than half at a time.

Ty Hildenbrandt [47:51]: Well, you need to down that thing and then hit record, and we'll see how long it takes for you to start feeling some grumbles.

Dan Rubenstein [47:56]: I was told you take it before bed and wake up and drink some warm water. And that will, that should be the timing.

Ty Hildenbrandt [48:02]: Okay, all right.

Dan Rubenstein [48:03]: But you never know, Ty.

Ty Hildenbrandt [48:05]: Never know, never know. Go and follow Board Geniuses out there on social media.

Dan Rubenstein [48:11]: Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt [48:11]: Thank you for all the fine work that you guys do. We appreciate it.

We'll be back next week after I return from my travels to Seattle. Go USA.

Dan Rubenstein [48:22]: Yes.

Ty Hildenbrandt [48:23]: We've got previews coming up here in about a month or so. If you've made it this far, God help you, but please hit follow or subscribe so that you do not miss any of the episodes.

If you've got anything to say, solidverbal@gmail.com. Dan, why don't we let the fine people go?

Dan Rubenstein [48:40]: All right.

Ty Hildenbrandt [48:41]: With that guy over there, Dan, for myself over here, Ty, we'll catch you all next week. Meantime, stay solid.