Podcast(4)_POWERCLEAN (1)
Ty Hildenbrandt 00:18 Dan Rubenstein, week four is just about in the books.
Ty Hildenbrandt 00:22 What a week it
Ty Hildenbrandt 00:24 Was my great and good friend, it is a pleasure to be with you once more.
Ty Hildenbrandt 00:28 How are you doing?
Dan Rubenstein 00:29 I'm spent, Ty.
Dan Rubenstein 00:30 I'm spent physically, I'm spent spiritually, I'm spent emotionally
Dan Rubenstein 00:35 And most of that just has to do with watching Duke Clark for Florida.
Dan Rubenstein 00:40 I'm exhausted watching him.
Dan Rubenstein 00:43 Um
Dan Rubenstein 00:43 No, I I'm terrific, Ty.
Dan Rubenstein 00:45 What this is it was it was wall to wall.
Dan Rubenstein 00:47 It was what a week for.
Dan Rubenstein 00:48 It's not done, obviously, but as we record this, what a week for.
Ty Hildenbrandt 00:53 What a week four it was.
Ty Hildenbrandt 00:54 So on tonight's stream, thank you one and all for downloading, for listening, for supporting what we do, for watching it live.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00 If that is your comment.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01 Cup of tea.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02 We've got a bunch to get into.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03 We, of course, will highlight the biggest stories of the day.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07 We, of course, will highlight your reverbs, your phone messages that came in throughout the course of the day.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11 We got a bunch of bangers, Dan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13 I'm excited to play these as well
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14 We're gonna rank our Top 25.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16 You and I spent, gosh, it was like a half hour earlier on the phone trying to figure out how to make heads or tails of what we saw in week four.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:24 So for sure, we've got a lot to unpack here.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:27 For those who are watching live, we would encourage you, please, please, please, please, please.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:32 Send us a comment.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:33 Let us know what's on your mind.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:34 Let us know your thoughts.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:35 We've got a bunch that came in via social media as well.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:37 So uh let's make this interactive.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:39 Help keep us awake.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:40 It is late for all of us here.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:42 Let's share in the need to stay awake and unpack what transpired in college football week four.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:47 Give me some big picture takeaways, Dan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:49 Week four.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:50 I know you're the Oregon guy and I'm sure you have plenty to say there, but um give give me some big picture takeaways.
Dan Rubenstein 01:53 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:56 Uh the big picture takeaways for me
Dan Rubenstein 01:59 Basically we're like, hey, offense, offense, offense, offense, some more offense, and just a touch more offense.
Dan Rubenstein 02:07 That to me was
Dan Rubenstein 02:09 It was points, it was spectacular explosive plays, in some instances a surprise that there wasn't offense, but
Dan Rubenstein 02:18 You look at some of the numbers from rushing attacks, some of, you know, what like Jeremiah Smith did at Ohio State, cartoonish numbers across the board.
Dan Rubenstein 02:26 This was a week of
Dan Rubenstein 02:29 exercise on the offensive side of the ball.
Dan Rubenstein 02:31 That's what that was my takeaway.
Dan Rubenstein 02:32 What Oregon looked like with Dylan Raiola, what USC was able to do going back and forth.
Dan Rubenstein 02:36 Mentioned Ohio State, mentioned Florida.
Dan Rubenstein 02:39 Uh, you, I mean, uh, Keelon Russell and Alabama and what the running backs did in the Oklahoma State West Virginia game, Cam Cook and Caleb Hawkins, right?
Dan Rubenstein 02:48 Uh Jeffrey Overton, the like the lone bright spot for Virginia Tech, arguably.
Ty Hildenbrandt 02:52 Yeah, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 02:52 There was just
Dan Rubenstein 02:54 Explosion in week four.
Dan Rubenstein 02:56 And if you are a defensive purist, my apologies.
Dan Rubenstein 03:00 But to me, that's what I I took away from week four.
Dan Rubenstein 03:03 I don't know if you have something separate.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:04 I'm just sort of taken by how many teams were going to drop out of our top 25.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:10 You know, we kind of expected as we got into conference play.
Dan Rubenstein 03:11 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:14 that this would sort of be the case, right?
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:17 Teams have played in many cases three cream puffs.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:21 It's really tough to gauge who's good and who isn't good.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:24 It's even tough to gauge the quality of a win.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:27 And I found myself, I know you and I both were in the same position grappling with that very question, how much do we value a win over X versus a win over Y?
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:38 And we will get into that
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:39 the deeper we get into tonight's show.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:42 But this is where the rubber starts meeting the road.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:44 This is when you can start trusting stats.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:46 This is when some more data actually goes a a good long way towards giving us a hand.
Dan Rubenstein 03:50 I hope so.
Dan Rubenstein 03:51 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:51 So I am excited to get into this with you and uh much, much more.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:56 Again, if you are watching, please give us a shout.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:58 Let us know what's on your mind.
Ty Hildenbrandt 03:59 Dan, why don't we start with Florida 52, Ole Miss 28?
Dan Rubenstein 04:05 Let's
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:05 Woohoo!
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:08 The Florida Gators, baby.
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:09 I told you I was in on Florida before it was cool to be in on Florida.
Dan Rubenstein 04:14 This is true
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:14 And they have been like, I wasn't so sure after what we saw a week ago.
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:19 Granted, they scored 44 points against Auburn.
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:22 They did let Auburn back into that game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:25 So I was like, all right.
Dan Rubenstein 04:25 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:26 What are we going to see here when they go up against an Ole Miss team that clearly can play offense?
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:33 Florida might be for real, Dan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 04:35 Florida probably is a top 10 team at this point in time, yeah?
Dan Rubenstein 04:39 Look, I mean if we're going to consider Ole Miss's season with a
Dan Rubenstein 04:44 A decently impressive win over Louisville, which we now obviously have to reconfigure a little bit, but not really.
Dan Rubenstein 04:50 I think Louisville's a pretty quality team, even with their their loss to uh
Dan Rubenstein 04:53 Gio Lopez and uh in Wake Forest today.
Dan Rubenstein 04:57 Uh their win over LSU obviously in a in a hugely emotional spot.
Dan Rubenstein 05:01 Um
Dan Rubenstein 05:01 But what Florida was able to do today against Ole Miss and I may have liked Florida more than you going into this week's game.
Dan Rubenstein 05:11 As we began our preview, I was like, I love Florida, I love Florida, Florida.
Dan Rubenstein 05:14 Um, look, the takeaway here is Florida has, and Florida fans, I know this is new, an offensive coordinator worth a damn.
Dan Rubenstein 05:24 And that that guy's name is Buster Faulkner.
Dan Rubenstein 05:27 Uh Aaron Philo was very good.
Dan Rubenstein 05:28 The rushing attack was terrific.
Dan Rubenstein 05:30 You you know this if you watched any part of this game.
Dan Rubenstein 05:32 The back and forth in this game, getting into the second half and third quarter, it was a like a reasonably low scoring game, you know, all things considered with what the game turned into for a long time.
Dan Rubenstein 05:43 I don't know how you come away with anything but super being super impressed with Trinidad Chambliss and his individual effort, both as a runner, a red zone threat, somebody taking chances downfield.
Dan Rubenstein 05:55 But the story here, I mean, it is clearly the Gators, what their ceiling may or may not look like.
Dan Rubenstein 06:00 They have defensive issues to clean up for sure, but they can get after the quarterback.
Dan Rubenstein 06:04 And they can back up whatever issues they have on defense with a a pretty superb and balanced offense, arguably the most improved offense in the country through this portion of the season.
Dan Rubenstein 06:14 Um, you know, I don't know how much you trust the numbers four weeks in
Dan Rubenstein 06:17 But the story here is with so much uncertainty around the sport and who is like Capital A actually good.
Dan Rubenstein 06:26 Florida's trending in that direction four weeks into the season, and I I love novel, and we really haven't seen this recently from the Gators in this way.
Ty Hildenbrandt 06:37 The thing that I kept com well, I have three flags that I want to plant on the Florida side of things.
Dan Rubenstein 06:41 Please do
Ty Hildenbrandt 06:42 Um because I feel like this was the game that gave me the strongest emotional reaction.
Ty Hildenbrandt 06:49 The first thought that I kept thinking as I'm watching this game is Florida is a legitimate SEC contender.
Dan Rubenstein 06:58 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 06:59 At this stage of the game, I know we're only four weeks in.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:02 It's not they might be dangerous.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:04 It's not, oh hey, Jon Sumrall, you're ahead of schedule.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:07 That's cute.
Dan Rubenstein 07:08 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:08 This was not a fluke by any stretch of the imagination.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:11 Florida ran for over 300 yards.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:13 They gained close to 500 in total.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:15 They scored over 50.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:17 Their next four games this season are at Mizzou, who just lost, home against South Carolina, and then they've got back-to-back games, though they're separated by a bye.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:28 against Texas on the road and their neutral sight game against Georgia.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:32 This four-week stretch is pretty much the whole season for the Florida Gators.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:37 As we get deeper into this thing, outside of that run of four games, this is a team that can beat Oklahoma.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:43 This is a team that can beat Kentucky.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:46 This is a team certainly that can beat Vanderbilt.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:48 This is a Florida team that is very much for real.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:51 And I hope people are coming to grips with that in their own time, because this is where this team is at now.
Dan Rubenstein 07:54 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 07:56 It's certainly not a perfect product, but the way they're running the ball, the way they're getting efficient quarterback play out of Aaron Philo, I think is is really
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:05 Impressive thus far.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:06 So that's the first thing.
Dan Rubenstein 08:07 Yep, there's a flag.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:09 The second is of course they're 4-0.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:11 That's impressive in its own right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:13 The output just offensively has been impressive these last two weeks.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:18 The biggest accomplishment though for Jon Sumrall is not any of that.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:22 It is how quickly he has changed the culture of this Florida program.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:27 Because today, this is a team that had a killer instinct.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:30 Now, maybe that wasn't the case a week ago against Auburn with the, you know, again, the way they let kind of Auburn back into it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:37 But they certainly found another gear today against the top five caliber team.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:42 And if they are building, as it feels like they are building and gaining steam with each passing week, that is certainly something to keep your eye on.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:50 This is a team that wants to wants to bury you.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:53 And that's what they did to Ole Miss here.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:55 I love teams that want to bury you.
Ty Hildenbrandt 08:58 Not if it's playing against my team.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:00 But if I'm watching from afar, Florida's got that killer instinct this year, and I think that's my second flag.
Dan Rubenstein 09:00 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:06 The third, something you alluded to, I'm just going to reiterate.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:11 The offense actually feels coordinated.
Dan Rubenstein 09:14 It does.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:16 What are we gonna do?
Dan Rubenstein 09:16 Pretty wild.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:17 Right?
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:18 After a couple years of Florida fans screaming from on high to anyone that would listen
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:24 Trying to pry the play calling away from the dead lifeless fingers of Billy Napier.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:30 Buster Faulkner comes in
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:32 Buster Faulkner suddenly has gotten the best out of Jadan Baugh.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:35 He's building a complimentary weapon in Duke Clark.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:38 He's turned Aaron Philo into that extremely efficient quarterback.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:42 I am really impressed with the Florida Gators.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:45 I don't know how else to put it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:46 I've been on them since the very beginning.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:48 I'm glad to see that I wasn't not only was I right, but I was also early on Florida
Dan Rubenstein 09:54 Sure
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:55 And uh it's just been exciting to see.
Ty Hildenbrandt 09:56 I can only imagine what that feels like to be a Florida fan after, you know, years of frustration.
Dan Rubenstein 10:01 Yeah, it also when you look forward to the rest of the season, obviously we're a third of the way in, but uh in terms of the the circled games in the SEC
Dan Rubenstein 10:12 Cocktail parties 100% one of I guess three that may be standing out in this specific moment, depending on what Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State look like.
Dan Rubenstein 10:21 You know, the egg bowl's obviously always circled in terms of like the emotional weight of it, but
Dan Rubenstein 10:25 I guess it would be Texas LSU, Georgia Bama, and the cocktail party.
Dan Rubenstein 10:29 I I could be leaving something out, but at this point, those are the games right now that you're like, okay, those are current tent poles within the conference.
Dan Rubenstein 10:37 But
Dan Rubenstein 10:37 I I think with all your optimism around Florida, I don't think you quite had them this good this quickly, but you know, you did.
Dan Rubenstein 10:45 You were early.
Dan Rubenstein 10:46 Good for you.
Ty Hildenbrandt 10:47 52 to 28 was your final.
Ty Hildenbrandt 10:49 Let's go to your Oregon Ducks getting a big one on the road, Dan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 10:52 41-27 over the USC Trojans.
Ty Hildenbrandt 10:55 A scary moment early in this game as Dante Moore took a
Dan Rubenstein 10:57 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 10:59 a whack and was just instantly down.
Ty Hildenbrandt 11:02 One of those hits that you see it, you know it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 11:04 They carted him off.
Ty Hildenbrandt 11:06 They immediately took him to the hospital for observation.
Ty Hildenbrandt 11:08 Dylan Raiola came in in his stead and played pretty well
Ty Hildenbrandt 11:12 Um, but this was a back and forth game.
Dan Rubenstein 11:13 Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Dan Rubenstein 11:15 Dylan Raiola was sensational.
Ty Hildenbrandt 11:17 I kind of just wanted to hear you say it after two years of talking down to Dylan Royola.
Dan Rubenstein 11:22 Dylan Raiola was not sensational at Nebraska.
Dan Rubenstein 11:26 Okay?
Dan Rubenstein 11:27 He plays in a Midwestern conference still, but he's out of the Midwest, he's out of the upper plains.
Dan Rubenstein 11:33 Uh maybe he was just he's a West Coast guy this whole time as he had like traversed the country playing high school football.
Dan Rubenstein 11:39 Um
Dan Rubenstein 11:40 He w given the circumstances of playing on the road in a ranked game, having Dante Moore leave, and we will sidebar that momentarily
Dan Rubenstein 11:49 And for him to come in and play fearlessly downfields, kind of in a very like a cool and collected, calm and collected fashion.
Dan Rubenstein 11:59 Um
Dan Rubenstein 12:00 Finding Dakorien Moore on that the the touchdown late, finding you know all all of you know Jamari Johnson he was locked in on and had some big plays.
Dan Rubenstein 12:08 Dierre Hill he had a couple dump offs and screens that went for big yardage
Dan Rubenstein 12:12 Uh so there was sort of a a yards after catch element to his final numbers, but for him to come in coming off of an injury, an injury that he suffered against USC last year in a winnable moment for Nebraska, and to go to USC and win that game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 12:17 Kirks
Dan Rubenstein 12:26 Uh in the manner that he did, there's a lot to pick on uh in terms of things that Oregon still very much is lacking, and that's offensive line play at times.
Dan Rubenstein 12:37 That's
Dan Rubenstein 12:37 The defensive line went large swaths of this game without getting pressure on Jayden Maiava.
Dan Rubenstein 12:44 Um the the safety play in this game for Oregon, I think, was subpar.
Dan Rubenstein 12:49 There there's still there's still a lot, I think, to figure out defensively for Oregon as they move forward and whatever their ceiling is or isn't.
Dan Rubenstein 12:56 But the hit on Dante Moore early on in this game
Dan Rubenstein 13:01 And seeing the the after effect of both where he was physically and you could see like his leg kind of convulsing and people were talking about him being in like the fencing pose position.
Dan Rubenstein 13:12 Um
Dan Rubenstein 13:12 Which sort of is like an indicator of you know obviously a a pretty serious health event.
Dan Rubenstein 13:17 And seeing Desman Stephens II, the linebacker for USC, celebrating, laughing on the sideline, celebrating with teammates, and to be fair
Dan Rubenstein 13:26 There were USC players who were trying to calm him down.
Dan Rubenstein 13:30 I think the USC crowd was like a very respectful
Dan Rubenstein 13:35 Like in like created a respectful environment around everything as there were stretchers and trainers and doctors and an ambulance coming out.
Dan Rubenstein 13:42 But
Dan Rubenstein 13:43 A pretty horrific scene for Dante Moore on the field, a pretty horrific scene watching the the USC linebacker.
Dan Rubenstein 13:49 And truly, like people are arguing about like, oh, he should be suspended for X number of games.
Dan Rubenstein 13:55 And
Dan Rubenstein 13:56 I imagine there's a certain amount of this where he was just in the moment and he is hyped up and maybe didn't realize the severity of everything.
Dan Rubenstein 14:04 Maybe I'm extending too much grace to the situation.
Dan Rubenstein 14:07 I think if with the benefit of time, I'd I'd love for like everybody, Oregon people, USC people, college football people, to look at him and say like
Dan Rubenstein 14:20 You know, maybe maybe give him a a day to figure out how to like apologize and say he, you know, mischaracterized his reaction or not mischaracterized his reaction, but
Dan Rubenstein 14:28 uh acted inappropriately in the aftermath and you know give somebody uh an ability to apologize and grow from a moment.
Dan Rubenstein 14:36 So um it was it was pretty ugly and pretty horrific.
Dan Rubenstein 14:39 So
Dan Rubenstein 14:40 Uh I I could not believe Oregon won that game after that moment happened.
Dan Rubenstein 14:44 And USC was able to move the ball.
Dan Rubenstein 14:46 They're a super well-coached offense.
Dan Rubenstein 14:48 A lot of defensive issues persist for USC.
Dan Rubenstein 14:51 And the good news for them is it's early enough, but they're dealing with injuries up front on both sides of the ball.
Dan Rubenstein 14:57 Obviously, no Trent Mosley in this game for SC.
Dan Rubenstein 14:59 Luke Wafle's an absolute beast for USC on the edge.
Ty Hildenbrandt 15:01 Oh man.
Ty Hildenbrandt 15:03 So good.
Dan Rubenstein 15:03 Mark Bowman, the freshman tight end.
Dan Rubenstein 15:06 I just I I can't hide my jealousy sometimes when I watch like transcendent freshmen and he is just upper upper tier.
Dan Rubenstein 15:16 So
Dan Rubenstein 15:16 You know, for the sake of USC fans, you know, you hope that their defense makes a move at some point because they they've been waiting, they've been hoping, but for
Ty Hildenbrandt 15:24 Windows open.
Ty Hildenbrandt 15:25 The window's open.
Dan Rubenstein 15:26 The window is open, the championship window is open, but for Oregon to come away without being able to get a stop for a good long stretch of this game
Dan Rubenstein 15:35 And finally getting it at the end of the game and Dylan Raiola making the plays that he made, Dierre Hill making the plays he made.
Dan Rubenstein 15:41 Um, you know, there there were interesting calls that went both ways in this game, but
Dan Rubenstein 15:47 I I'm crazy impressive that Oregon showed up and was able to finish it out given the circumstance.
Ty Hildenbrandt 15:52 Do you feel like there was a switch that flipped at some point for Oregon?
Ty Hildenbrandt 15:57 And I'm not necessarily talking after the Dante Moore injury.
Dan Rubenstein 16:03 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 16:04 At some point in the run-up to this game, at some point amid all the chatter that went on surrounding the the state of the Oregon program, because like you and I both were on USC.
Dan Rubenstein 16:14 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 16:15 We both took USC.
Ty Hildenbrandt 16:16 We thought
Ty Hildenbrandt 16:17 I think given just the momentum or or lack thereof on the Oregon side that it it might be tough to go on the road and and overcome it.
Dan Rubenstein 16:22 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 16:25 Obviously they did and and given the circumstances, I think it makes it even more impressive.
Ty Hildenbrandt 16:30 But do you feel like you saw something different from Oregon as compared to what you saw the first three games?
Dan Rubenstein 16:30 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 16:36 I I think we saw a version of Oregon that we are more used to seeing under Dan Lanning.
Dan Rubenstein 16:42 Um yes.
Dan Rubenstein 16:42 I I think after the Oklahoma State game.
Dan Rubenstein 16:45 I think whatever they did that week um was a massive screw up leading up to that game.
Dan Rubenstein 16:50 Oklahoma State was the better team that day.
Dan Rubenstein 16:53 They won that game fair and square and they they dominated that game.
Dan Rubenstein 16:56 I think Oregon flipped a switch to some extent after the Pokes game.
Dan Rubenstein 17:01 And you saw it against Portland State to whatever extent that matters, but you know, Dylan Raiola coming in and running the full Oregon offense, even if it was against an FCS opponent
Dan Rubenstein 17:09 Turned out to be a pretty good idea to get him his reps in live game action because he came in and ran the Oregon offense.
Dan Rubenstein 17:16 He wasn't checking down, it wasn't all runs, he was throwing the ball downfield and doing it successfully
Dan Rubenstein 17:21 So that was a big deal.
Dan Rubenstein 17:23 Yeah, I I think after that Oklahoma State game, I think uh attention was snapped into place for Oregon.
Dan Rubenstein 17:31 So
Dan Rubenstein 17:31 At this point, I I don't know what the future holds.
Dan Rubenstein 17:34 Oregon has a I think a buy before the juggernaut that is the UCLA Bruins in a couple week.
Ty Hildenbrandt 17:39 How about it, man?
Ty Hildenbrandt 17:40 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 17:40 I I think the primary concern is, you know, hoping for the absolute best for Dante Moore and whatever recovery he has ahead.
Dan Rubenstein 17:49 Um and
Ty Hildenbrandt 17:56 USC has a gauntlet of a schedule, and I'm not even saying that ironically, right?
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:02 But the Oregon matchup that we saw today
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:05 included among them, that's a loss.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:07 The Penn State game coming up in two weeks, maybe not quite what it was before Penn State lost today, but still a tough cross-country trip.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:15 Playing in Beaver Stadium.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:16 They've also got now a road game at Wisconsin.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:18 Who knows?
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:19 They've got a game at home against Ohio State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:21 They're on the road at Indiana.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:23 They are also on the road, quote unquote, against UCLA.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:26 So it's not going to get easier anytime soon for USC.
Dan Rubenstein 18:27 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:30 And all I can say to the defense, in light of what we saw today
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:35 They're going to have to get tough and not just fake tough like we saw on the sidelines after that hit.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:40 It's going to take actual toughness to get through this schedule relatively unscathed if they want to have a shot and
Dan Rubenstein 18:40 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:46 reap the benefits of that window being open because there are some good offenses on the schedule.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:52 I feel bad for their own offense.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:53 I I don't think this is
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:55 through through any fault of their own.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:56 But they they gotta learn to play defense against some of these better teams.
Dan Rubenstein 18:57 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 18:59 Otherwise it's just not gonna the window is never gonna stay open.
Dan Rubenstein 19:03 Yep.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:03 We'll leave it at that.
Dan Rubenstein 19:04 Agree.
Dan Rubenstein 19:05 Also, by the way, Jontez Williams was an absolute monster as well for USC against Oregon.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:05 Uh
Dan Rubenstein 19:10 Really great pickup from Iowa State.
Dan Rubenstein 19:12 Um one of the few Iowa State transfers that had a great day today.
Dan Rubenstein 19:16 Continue.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:17 Let's stay in the Big Ten because the stunner of the day came in the Big Ten.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:21 The stunner of the day came at the gun.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:24 The stunner of the day was Iowa 20, Michigan 19.
Dan Rubenstein 19:27 Hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:30 Iowa won this in a new way for Iowa.
Dan Rubenstein 19:34 Yeah, I guess so.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:35 I think that's fair to say.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:37 228 yards through the air, just 58 yards on the ground.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:42 Usually those stats are flipped.
Dan Rubenstein 19:44 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:45 In order to do it, Iowa needed an 11-play, 91-yard drive in a minute and 46 to score the game winner.
Ty Hildenbrandt 19:53 They did so on a beautiful back shoulder throw from Hank Brown to Reece Vander Zee, right at the front left pylon, to give them the lead.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:02 They went to review.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:03 It was a beautiful toe tap.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:06 Iowa's been in games like this before.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:08 They've been in plenty of close games that come down to the final gun.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:12 Usually they're winning on a big defensive stop.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:15 Usually it is not them with the picture perfect throw to the front pylon
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:19 the toe tap and then the celebration.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:22 So to that end, I give Iowa all sorts of props for winning in a new way, perhaps a way many of us did not see coming or even thought possible before this week.
Dan Rubenstein 20:33 They had seven points, I believe, heading into the fourth quarter.
Dan Rubenstein 20:38 And all seven of those points came on a kickoff return.
Dan Rubenstein 20:42 They did not find the end zone nor the uprights for three full quarters of this game and won it, scoring, fact check me here, 20 total points.
Dan Rubenstein 20:51 20?
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:52 Twenty, twenty nineteen.
Dan Rubenstein 20:52 20 to 19 final score.
Ty Hildenbrandt 20:54 Yeah
Dan Rubenstein 20:55 Um not only did they win this game more successfully through the air than on the ground, they won it through the air
Dan Rubenstein 21:03 When they had to.
Dan Rubenstein 21:04 It was a furious comeback through the air.
Dan Rubenstein 21:08 I at least two tipped passes uh on various drives that were absolutely clutch.
Dan Rubenstein 21:14 I
Dan Rubenstein 21:15 I could not believe that Iowa was able to get this done.
Dan Rubenstein 21:19 In a game, by the way, Michigan had chances, obviously.
Dan Rubenstein 21:22 They had the ball late.
Dan Rubenstein 21:22 They could have iced this game.
Dan Rubenstein 21:24 You know, the the idea of having a dominant four minute offense is something that
Dan Rubenstein 21:30 maybe Michigan should work on as they were hunting first downs and could not come up with it late.
Dan Rubenstein 21:34 Uh Iowa had a great uh pinning punt later on on in this game that certainly affected what Michigan was gonna call on offense, you know, playing it a little bit safer.
Dan Rubenstein 21:45 But Michigan moved the ball.
Dan Rubenstein 21:48 Bryce Underwood had some super nice throws.
Dan Rubenstein 21:50 I believe both Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan went over a hundred yards.
Dan Rubenstein 21:54 We talked about in the lead up to this game that like if Michigan wants to really take continue to take steps forward, they need to test and challenge teams downfield.
Dan Rubenstein 22:03 And we saw that against it was UTEP, but they did it against UTEP and it got better.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:06 In the second half, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 22:07 Well the game got better, yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:08 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 22:09 And Bryce Underwood navigated the pockets super well.
Dan Rubenstein 22:12 I'm complimenting the losing team here in a like backwards way of complimenting what Iowa withstood to win.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:14 Well and I think that's right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:20 Like okay, if you are listening, if you are watching this
Dan Rubenstein 22:25 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:26 And you're not a Michigan fan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:28 Your reaction is something along the lines of, yeah, whatever, karma's a bitch.
Dan Rubenstein 22:35 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:36 I think the view from within the Michigan bubble has to be more nuanced.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:40 It just has to be.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:41 Because after a couple straight weeks of hot takes about Bryce Underwood, he might have played his best game in a Michigan uniform today.
Dan Rubenstein 22:49 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:50 I don't think this loss is on him.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:52 I think this loss is on the coaching staff.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:54 Because they're the ones that called plays like they were trying not to lose.
Dan Rubenstein 22:58 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 22:58 They're the ones who essentially took the ball away from the dynamic players that you mentioned.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:03 Whether it was Bryce, whether it was his receivers
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:06 Like I understand the logic in putting it on your defense because you are playing Iowa and the defense did have a pretty good game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:13 It was playing Iowa.
Dan Rubenstein 23:15 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:15 But they're just operating on such a slim margin for error right now that it came back to bite them against a team like Iowa.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:23 It could come back to bite them against other good teams that are still on the schedule.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:27 Of Michigan's like eight remaining games, more than half of them, I would say, are losable.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:32 So it you know, the coaching staff has to do something to give them more of a padding or to at least learn to trust
Dan Rubenstein 23:38 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:39 some of these more dynamic playmakers that they have because they didn't do that in this Iowa matchup here and I think it cost them.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:47 Now, on the Iowa front.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:51 I don't want to like push the panic button or sound the alarm too soon.
Ty Hildenbrandt 23:58 We've been talking about the Iowa schedule now for three months?
Dan Rubenstein 24:02 This was the flag I planted.
Dan Rubenstein 24:04 I didn't have it going like this per se, but continue.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:10 The Big Ten is gettable
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:11 I think this is what we are learning.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:14 Ohio State looks great.
Dan Rubenstein 24:14 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:16 Ohio State looks every bit as good as we thought.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:20 But pretty much everyone else looks vulnerable.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:23 And I think we found out more about that this week.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:26 So I say that.
Dan Rubenstein 24:26 First of all, quick disagree.
Dan Rubenstein 24:29 I don't see UCLA dropping a game.
Dan Rubenstein 24:31 Continue.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:31 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:33 Otherwise, here is Iowa's remaining schedule.
Dan Rubenstein 24:34 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 24:36 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:37 Big home game next week against Ohio State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:39 That's
Dan Rubenstein 24:39 Challenging.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:40 Chad, it's gonna be probably a loss.
Dan Rubenstein 24:42 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:43 But after that, on the road at Washington, on the road at Minnesota, home against Wisconsin, on the road at Northwestern, home against Purdue.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:50 At Illinois, they close out the season home against Nebraska.
Ty Hildenbrandt 24:53 Those are all winnable games for this Iowa team.
Dan Rubenstein 24:56 May I give you a counterpoint?
Dan Rubenstein 24:58 A lot of those teams look pretty tough today.
Dan Rubenstein 25:01 Or this weekend in the case of Northwestern against Indiana.
Dan Rubenstein 25:05 Illinois moved the ball against Ohio State, and that game is on the road.
Dan Rubenstein 25:08 Wisconsin didn't need much to beat Penn State.
Dan Rubenstein 25:13 Um, a nice performance, to be clear, and they won that game late and were able to hold on.
Dan Rubenstein 25:17 Minnesota's currently
Dan Rubenstein 25:18 Has currently scored three touchdowns and is up double digits against Washington on the road.
Dan Rubenstein 25:22 As we record this, we don't know what's gonna happen.
Dan Rubenstein 25:24 Um and they do get Washington on the road.
Dan Rubenstein 25:26 So that's that's maybe that's easier sledding than it seemed to be uh before the season started, but still tough
Dan Rubenstein 25:32 But you are you are right that you don't see Oregon, you don't see Indiana, the home road splits.
Dan Rubenstein 25:39 It seems workable for them to at least threaten a number near double digits, if not more.
Ty Hildenbrandt 25:44 Oh my god, yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 25:45 No, I mean it's it it's uh a pretty good setup right now for Iowa.
Ty Hildenbrandt 25:49 And the thing that I kept coming back to mostly on that final drive because you rightly point out they didn't score, they didn't do a whole lot before that.
Ty Hildenbrandt 25:58 But Iowa does have genuinely good receivers this year.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:02 They're good receivers.
Dan Rubenstein 26:04 Yeah
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:05 If they can make it more of a habit to use them, okay, I'm not even talking like
Dan Rubenstein 26:09 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:12 200 yards a game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:14 Like just introduce them as more of a threat than they've been
Dan Rubenstein 26:19 Take a shot on first and ten occasionally.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:20 Take a shot, do play action more.
Dan Rubenstein 26:22 Second and three.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:23 Right?
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:24 I know they want to go vertical.
Dan Rubenstein 26:24 What are we doing?
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:25 I've heard Tim Lester's comments about wanting to go vertical off play action.
Dan Rubenstein 26:25 Right.
Dan Rubenstein 26:28 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:29 Like just something
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:31 If you can develop something more of a threat with those receivers, which again are good.
Dan Rubenstein 26:34 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:37 They would be so much tougher of an out.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:40 I beg of them, please, find a way to do this.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:43 Because Hank Brown's actually been playing pretty well.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:46 That's all.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:47 That's it.
Dan Rubenstein 26:47 I mixed.
Dan Rubenstein 26:48 I didn't score for three quarters.
Dan Rubenstein 26:49 Should also mention Iowa did
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:50 I know.
Ty Hildenbrandt 26:50 I know.
Dan Rubenstein 26:51 It w it was one of those I think about other sports constantly, but to keep it within football on a football show.
Dan Rubenstein 26:57 Like the Iowa defense just they came up with big plays when they needed to.
Dan Rubenstein 27:00 So they certainly gave up bigger plays, but like they had a great play.
Dan Rubenstein 27:03 I think they they baited Bryce Underwood.
Dan Rubenstein 27:05 uh in the red area, like pretty cl like I think it was like on the three yard line or something like that.
Dan Rubenstein 27:10 He was throwing it for the end zone and uh it was a really nice pick by a corner on the outside.
Dan Rubenstein 27:14 Like that was really nice.
Dan Rubenstein 27:16 They they seemed to find a way
Dan Rubenstein 27:19 to just jump on teams in enough spots to keep it frisky.
Dan Rubenstein 27:24 And this is nothing new with Iowa, obviously, but you saw that.
Dan Rubenstein 27:27 Like they just, oh man, they're hanging around.
Dan Rubenstein 27:29 They're gonna ugly.
Ty Hildenbrandt 27:31 That's what they do, man.
Dan Rubenstein 27:31 And they did it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 27:32 That's what they do.
Dan Rubenstein 27:34 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 27:35 Their whole MO
Ty Hildenbrandt 27:36 2019, the shocker of the day, front pylon, nice throw from Hank Brown, big win for Iowa.
Dan Rubenstein 27:36 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 27:44 Yeah, the moment was a shocker.
Dan Rubenstein 27:46 I think they technically were ranked ahead of Michigan going into the game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 27:49 Yes, okay
Dan Rubenstein 27:50 But yes, the end, the way that the manner in which they won, undoubtedly a shocker.
Ty Hildenbrandt 27:54 The Texas Longhorns went to Knoxville, Tennessee, place they hadn't been in eons, and knocked off the Volunteers by a 20-17 score on a Texas Longhorns adjacent point.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:06 Did you happen to see the shirt that one Matthew McConaughey was wearing in the booth while he was watching, I believe, his Austin FC MLS team?
Dan Rubenstein 28:15 I did catch it.
Dan Rubenstein 28:17 It's a beautiful shirt.
Dan Rubenstein 28:18 Breathable, comfortable, stylish, great color.
Dan Rubenstein 28:22 Happens to say The Solid Verbal on the front of it.
Dan Rubenstein 28:25 So just a good choice by him.
Dan Rubenstein 28:26 And probably
Dan Rubenstein 28:28 Probably chosen as uh an item to wear because it's like a really quality shade of green that matches Austin FC and he probably grabbed it quickly.
Dan Rubenstein 28:35 He was like, oh crap, I need a green shirt.
Dan Rubenstein 28:38 There's there's one
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:39 That's right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:39 We sent that to him back in like 2020.
Dan Rubenstein 28:42 Yeah, it's great.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:42 Still has it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:43 Just like us.
Dan Rubenstein 28:43 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:44 Keep six-year-old t-shirts.
Dan Rubenstein 28:46 Top of the rotation.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:48 20 to 17 was your final.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:50 This game had a little bit of everything.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:53 A little bit of everything, Dan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 28:55 Had a wild finish with Tennessee scoring on a 30-yard touchdown.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:00 Nice pass to Mike Matthews.
Dan Rubenstein 29:02 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:02 Immediately then they go and recover an onside kick.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:05 They did have a shot to win it, but just couldn't get organized enough in the end on that last drive to make it happen.
Dan Rubenstein 29:10 Not not just any on side kick.
Dan Rubenstein 29:14 A drop kick sidewinder that Ryan Wingo had a tough time handling that bounced the ball away.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:18 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 29:21 A great, I just I respect the hell out of a great onside kick, and it absolutely was.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:26 We both expected a lower scoring game here.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:29 The defenses were outstanding, especially the pass rushes.
Dan Rubenstein 29:29 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:34 Tennessee sacked Arch six times.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:37 Texas recorded ten sacks in this game, including five by Colin Simmons, which was a school record.
Dan Rubenstein 29:43 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 29:43 Colin Simmons celebrated one of those sacks with the peeing celebration that he got flagged for on unsportsmanlike conduct.
Dan Rubenstein 29:50 A wild gesticulation.
Dan Rubenstein 29:52 Um I think the Chris Fowler quote, and I'm paraphrasing here because I don't have it written down in front of me, was it doesn't get much more vulgar than that
Ty Hildenbrandt 30:01 Yeah, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 30:02 I'm just one guy here.
Ty Hildenbrandt 30:02 It was a little bit of a little bit of Joe Buck on the Randy Moss thing.
Ty Hildenbrandt 30:06 It's a disgusting act.
Ty Hildenbrandt 30:07 It was a little bit of
Dan Rubenstein 30:08 If you gave me a legal pad in 15 minutes, I could come up with some celebrations that were move more vulgar.
Dan Rubenstein 30:16 I saw a lot of jokes about like he's just helping his friend get over a jellyfish sting, right?
Ty Hildenbrandt 30:20 Yeah, no, that's all it is.
Dan Rubenstein 30:21 Um, it
Dan Rubenstein 30:24 It's certainly something I did see with I mean the football's more important here, but I did see Sark after the game say, like, you know, I'm not gonna like give this kid the death penalty, and then went on to pseudo-blame society
Dan Rubenstein 30:36 And people doing things for clicks for Colin Simmons workshopping a sack celebration?
Dan Rubenstein 30:44 Okay.
Dan Rubenstein 30:45 Sark seems like a very cool, fun guy to hang out with.
Ty Hildenbrandt 30:47 What is your Sark theory?
Ty Hildenbrandt 30:49 You have a SARC theory that you were workshopping earlier.
Dan Rubenstein 30:51 I just think Texas plays weirdly tight in big games because they're a reflection of Sark.
Dan Rubenstein 30:56 I think he's wound way too tightly.
Dan Rubenstein 30:58 And this is just from the outside looking in.
Dan Rubenstein 31:01 He just seems like he has so many serious opinions and thoughts and has a serious disposition all the time.
Dan Rubenstein 31:08 He's always a little annoyed at people.
Dan Rubenstein 31:10 And I just think that carries over to the Texas team.
Dan Rubenstein 31:12 Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong.
Dan Rubenstein 31:14 I don't know.
Dan Rubenstein 31:14 But you all you know, when he's yelling at the the the guy in the tunnel before they're they're running out, there's o there's always something.
Dan Rubenstein 31:21 Um, he seems displeased at a lot.
Dan Rubenstein 31:24 He's still angry and like yelling at people about uh last year's not getting into the playoff and like if we just played bowling green, then we wouldn't be having this conversation
Dan Rubenstein 31:35 It's like a B minus Sark.
Dan Rubenstein 31:37 Um yeah, there like Sark always has an axe to grind.
Ty Hildenbrandt 31:37 That's like South Bay mixed with uh Texas.
Dan Rubenstein 31:46 And I think there is something
Dan Rubenstein 31:47 I also don't think like the offense fully suits Arch when you watch it and you watch it today.
Dan Rubenstein 31:52 Like he just I don't know if you ever played a video game where somebody like sets a custom controller and you're like, wait, what's kick?
Dan Rubenstein 32:00 R1 is kick on like I don't think Arch. I think Sark sets a custom controller that Arch is still not fully familiar with.
Dan Rubenstein 32:07 And I I just I think there's something like
Dan Rubenstein 32:12 14% off about the Texas team and the Texas offense at all times that I just I can't get past.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:18 Well, Texas, I think, is like the most interesting inkblot in college football right now because they have the best win of the season back in week two over Ohio State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:27 The optimistic take would be that they can win a game without playing their best on offense, as they did today.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:34 And this was not a clean performance.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:36 They committed 11 penalties for 115 yards.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:39 They turned it over twice.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:40 They gave up a punt-return touchdown.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:42 They botched the onside kick, and they only gained 262 yards, and they still won.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:48 So the optimistic take would be all that, but because the defense is so good, it gives them a huge margin for error.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:55 They can win a game ugly.
Ty Hildenbrandt 32:56 That's an important part of winning in general.
Dan Rubenstein 32:58 Oh, I want to be absolutely clear.
Dan Rubenstein 33:01 Neyland Stadium is a very difficult place in which to win, if that's vaguely English grammar.
Dan Rubenstein 33:07 Um Texas surviving a game there, Texas winning a game there with their defense when they weren't doing a ton on offense consistently, especially not running the ball.
Dan Rubenstein 33:17 Um, that is a good thing.
Dan Rubenstein 33:19 That is a the thing that good teams do.
Dan Rubenstein 33:22 That if they can find a specific way to win a game on the road in a tough place against a ranked team
Dan Rubenstein 33:29 You can criticize aspects.
Dan Rubenstein 33:31 You can't criticize the outcome because the I I there were losable moments in that game.
Dan Rubenstein 33:37 Texas pulled through.
Dan Rubenstein 33:38 Winning is better than losing.
Dan Rubenstein 33:40 Move forward.
Dan Rubenstein 33:41 Good for Texas.
Ty Hildenbrandt 33:42 If I wanted to play the skeptic though, I would ask what happens in a game like this if Tennessee isn't playing a true freshman at quarterback who's missing open guys and is a little bit late and frankly who seemed like the moment was a little too big for him.
Ty Hildenbrandt 33:55 First SEC start, so
Ty Hildenbrandt 33:56 You know, we gotta extend a little bit of grace there.
Ty Hildenbrandt 33:59 That's just how I felt.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:00 Maybe people feel differently.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:01 Write in solviverbal at gmail.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:03 com or down in the chat.
Dan Rubenstein 34:03 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:04 Um, but if they're not playing a true freshman, if they're playing somebody with a little bit more seasoning.
Dan Rubenstein 34:10 Yeah, he looked overwhelmed for sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:11 And or if they're playing against a team with just mediocre pass protection, does this game have a different outcome?
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:19 I think there is a case to be made that it could.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:22 Not necessarily that it definitely would, but in particular, Texas was able to take advantage of those things.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:29 And
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:30 They were able to make the game about the freshman quarterback.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:33 They were able to take away the ground attack, the the vaunted Tennessee ground attack that I think we still have a lot of respect for, but it just couldn't get going.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:41 in this game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:42 And so it came down to what can Faizon Brandon do?
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:45 For a moment he was hurt.
Dan Rubenstein 34:45 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:46 He came back in.
Dan Rubenstein 34:46 Yep, McIntyre came in, yep.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:48 I think you can look and see the potential for him to be really, really good.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:52 But given the fact that this was an SEC start against the number one team in the country, it was too big for him.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:58 Like he had guys open.
Ty Hildenbrandt 34:59 They were showing it on the replay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 35:01 In some in some cases, he was just holding on to the ball a little bit too long.
Dan Rubenstein 35:01 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 35:05 Um
Ty Hildenbrandt 35:06 You know, I I I guess if you're a Tennessee fan, you could look at this and be a bit downtrodden that you had a good shot at an upset and you kind of wasted the opportunity, but at the same time
Ty Hildenbrandt 35:16 I already think Tennessee is is a little bit further along than some might have expected given who they're starting at quarterback.
Ty Hildenbrandt 35:22 So um I didn't I didn't necessarily take that much negative away on the Tennessee front.
Dan Rubenstein 35:23 I
Ty Hildenbrandt 35:26 I was more impressed by what Texas was able to do with their front and dictate the pace of the game, basically.
Dan Rubenstein 35:33 I think a lot of the times if you are looking at the Sky Cam and seeing receivers running wide open
Dan Rubenstein 35:39 And it's a true freshman in there at quarterback or it's somebody new to a team, like, especially early on in the season, you're like, you don't play quarterback from the sky cam.
Dan Rubenstein 35:48 And you don't play quarterback like in a vacuum that doesn't include Colin Simmons.
Dan Rubenstein 35:53 Like when you start a true freshman
Dan Rubenstein 35:56 Any true freshman, any school, 99.
Dan Rubenstein 35:59 9% of the time, you are signing up for some pretty rocky highs and lows.
Dan Rubenstein 36:05 And today was one of those lows from a pocket awareness, pocket presence, you know, pr going through any sort of progressions that he is coached through or not coached through uh quickly when you're
Dan Rubenstein 36:16 uh look staring down a uh a Texas pass rush.
Dan Rubenstein 36:20 Like you are just gonna have these moments and anytime truly ninety nine point nine percent of the time that you are starting a true freshman at quarterback
Dan Rubenstein 36:29 You have to consider it sort of a a gap year between what you're going for.
Ty Hildenbrandt 36:34 Uh,
Dan Rubenstein 36:34 So no, Tennessee was not built with, you know, new personnel, a new defensive coordinator, all sorts of changes on the roster.
Dan Rubenstein 36:41 Um
Dan Rubenstein 36:42 for necessarily beating the number one team in the country, but the fact that they were in it late it's a a pretty encouraging sign for where the Vols may stand moving forward.
Dan Rubenstein 36:52 But I I'm sure as a Tennessee fan
Dan Rubenstein 36:54 watching him struggle in the pocket, struggling to feel the pass rush, struggling to sort of look into coverages that are being disguised to confuse him
Dan Rubenstein 37:04 It was obviously brutal in the moment, but you get you take these lumps and you build that muscle memory and the hope is that you build on it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:12 All right, we're gonna play your week four reverbs here in a second.
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:16 Before we do though, we would encourage everybody who is watching who is
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:21 listening to us live to send us some of your comments.
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:26 I want to hear from people in a couple different capacities.
Dan Rubenstein 37:30 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:30 I want to know if you're a fan of a team, what did you learn today or how are you feeling after what you saw today?
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:37 I want to know what things surprised you the most, the things that
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:41 You heard on the radio the things that you saw on your television that made you do a double take.
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:46 And then I want to know
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:48 What your hottest take is with respect to the AP Top 25, because we're going to unveil our ballot here a little bit later on in the broadcast.
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:56 It was a
Ty Hildenbrandt 37:57 flowery discussion between you and I that lasted way longer than we expected as we were trying to study everything that went down today.
Dan Rubenstein 38:00 It's true.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:04 So we had a fair amount of deliberations on our end.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:07 would encourage people to chime in, let us know in your chat, your respective chats wherever you're watching us, be it on YouTube, on TikTok
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:15 on the X the Everything app, wherever.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:17 Let us know your thoughts on um the AP Top 25.
Dan Rubenstein 38:18 Yep.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:21 We get a bunch of calls every week, Dan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:22 You may have heard of a little line we call the Reverbs.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:25 855 Verbal 3, 855837-2253.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:30 Our guy Shea mixes them up, puts them together.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:33 Into a three and a half or four minute clip.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:35 We're actually going to have a bonus version of the reverbs that goes out on the Patreon feed on Monday because we got so many.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:42 So without further ado, week four reverbs.
Ty Hildenbrandt 38:44 Have a listen.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:06 Don't ever listen to TCU Danny's, right?
Dan Rubenstein 42:08 Well you had TCU and Ole Miss today, end in disappointment.
Dan Rubenstein 42:12 Two of your your old time don't call this ex.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:15 I picked Florida though.
Dan Rubenstein 42:15 Don't call this ex.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:16 I did pick Florida.
Dan Rubenstein 42:17 I know, I know you did.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:18 But I was all in on TCU this week.
Dan Rubenstein 42:19 But I'm just saying you've always had the soft spot.
Dan Rubenstein 42:21 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:21 I was alone on TCU.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:22 All right, so we put a call out for obviously your voice messages.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:27 Thank you to one and all for dialing in.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:28 We will put our bonus version of that out on the Patreon feed on Monday afternoon at some point.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:34 We also put out the call across our social feeds, across the chat here that people are part of today.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:40 Tell us who you're a fan of and what you're feeling or what you learned.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:44 Want to give a shout out to CBS Sports' own Shahan Jairaja, who says I'm a college football fan and right now I'm feeling great.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:51 It was a good week.
Dan Rubenstein 42:52 Okay, nice.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:53 Was a very good week.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:54 I'm an Oregon fan right now.
Ty Hildenbrandt 42:56 I'm feeling like a good person who doesn't laugh at causing life-threatening injuries, okay?
Dan Rubenstein 43:01 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:01 That's good.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:02 I'm a Notre Dame fan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:03 I'm feeling very anti-USC.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:06 I'm an Indiana fan.
Dan Rubenstein 43:06 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:07 I'm feeling patient.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:08 Another Indiana fan says, I'm an Indiana fan, I'm feeling angry at Northwestern, but relieved.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:15 Uh I'm a UCLA fan, I'm feeling effing great.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:18 I'm an Aggie fan right now, I'm just numb to the pain.
Dan Rubenstein 43:19 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:23 Louisville fan, unsurprised yet disappointed.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:26 And Oklahoma State, I'm so ready to be irrational about 11-1 Oklahoma State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:32 There you go.
Dan Rubenstein 43:33 There it is.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:34 Had a bunch that came in.
Dan Rubenstein 43:34 What was your idea for like a a a catch-all phrase?
Dan Rubenstein 43:39 It's not an official segment, but it was like, am I looking at this correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 43:42 Am I seeing this score correctly?
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:43 Well that's that's sort of what I was I was hoping we could do now, Dan.
Dan Rubenstein 43:44 Give me your wording.
Dan Rubenstein 43:47 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 43:50 Yeah, let's call this segment Am I hearing correctly that dot dot dot That's from that's from ace Ventura
Dan Rubenstein 43:56 Wait, what what is that Jim Carrey drop from?
Dan Rubenstein 43:58 Is that an ace ventura or uh is that n when nature calls in l a a tip of the cap to Colin Simmons?
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:09 Uh, no, that's not what that wasn't.
Dan Rubenstein 44:10 Oh, it's from the original just pet colon pet detective.
Dan Rubenstein 44:13 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:14 Am I hearing correctly that Texas A&M and Oklahoma may have gotten unofficially eliminated from the SEC and playoff races
Dan Rubenstein 44:14 A classic.
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:24 By the end of September.
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:26 Am I hearing that correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 44:26 I you are hearing that correctly.
Dan Rubenstein 44:29 Um,
Dan Rubenstein 44:30 I don't believe you were especially high on either of these teams heading into the season as like top ten caliber.
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:35 You, you, you talk me into Oklahoma.
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:39 I talked myself into Texas A&M, but at first blush, I wasn't that high on them either.
Dan Rubenstein 44:45 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:45 But you, you and everybody out there who does a podcast or a YouTube video or writes a preview publication or just takes it upon themselves to post a playoff bracket.
Ty Hildenbrandt 44:58 All of you are responsible for talking me into Oklahoma.
Dan Rubenstein 45:00 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:03 And I went with it.
Dan Rubenstein 45:03 Well, I just I've been watching a lot of SEC network, and I've just been told
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:09 Oh no.
Dan Rubenstein 45:10 I've just been told.
Dan Rubenstein 45:12 I was like, guys, they're going 9, 10, 11, deep.
Dan Rubenstein 45:17 Um
Dan Rubenstein 45:18 Nope, no pun intended.
Dan Rubenstein 45:20 Um and so I I I bought in Ty.
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:20 Mm-hmm.
Dan Rubenstein 45:23 I bought into the the the Laura Rutledge propaganda, the Nick Saban propaganda, aka the butt king, right?
Dan Rubenstein 45:30 Um
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:31 The gauntlet.
Dan Rubenstein 45:31 And I don't know if I was huffing paint or something, but yeah, that's on me.
Dan Rubenstein 45:37 Hand up.
Dan Rubenstein 45:37 I was wrong.
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:39 A&M was already coming off the Kentucky loss
Dan Rubenstein 45:42 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:43 Now they take another one on the chin against LSU.
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:46 They got blown off the field.
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:47 Oklahoma is 2-2 after Georgia housed them 41-13.
Dan Rubenstein 45:53 Buddy, did you see the John Mateer play?
Ty Hildenbrandt 45:55 Oh, did I see the charm at your play?
Dan Rubenstein 45:57 That it's the the Jameising is rare.
Dan Rubenstein 46:01 When you slip and not even slip when the ball just slips out of your hand for no reason.
Dan Rubenstein 46:06 There was no contact.
Dan Rubenstein 46:07 There was no nobody slapping the ball away
Dan Rubenstein 46:09 uh and returned whatever was eighty five yards for a touchdown.
Dan Rubenstein 46:12 When you saw John Mateir on the ground as Georgia returned that for a touchdown, you're like, I
Dan Rubenstein 46:17 Is this a moment we should remember?
Dan Rubenstein 46:19 Like a transition moment for the Oklahoma offense as they maybe transition to scoring seventeen points occasionally in a game?
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:26 They still can't run.
Dan Rubenstein 46:27 It was
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:27 They can't run and Matir hasn't been good.
Dan Rubenstein 46:31 No.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:31 It's a total system failure.
Dan Rubenstein 46:32 This is he's not young.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:33 After
Dan Rubenstein 46:34 He's not new.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:36 No.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:37 No.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:38 After an entire offseason of how the offensive line is going to be tougher, and we've got nine guys that we believe in, and
Dan Rubenstein 46:44 And they're beat up, but I don't know man, everybody gets sorta beat up.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:49 This is a big budget program.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:51 They've they've got the resources.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:54 They've got the setup if they want to go out there and make this better.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:58 And they just have not cracked that code yet.
Ty Hildenbrandt 46:59 Doesn't mean they won't get there at some point, but
Ty Hildenbrandt 47:02 Um, I listen, we've had plenty of Oklahoma people call in right in.
Ty Hildenbrandt 47:05 I understand the frustration.
Ty Hildenbrandt 47:07 It it's palpable.
Dan Rubenstein 47:07 The good news, the good news for Oklahoma.
Dan Rubenstein 47:09 I know it's hard to sort of see the the forest through the trees.
Dan Rubenstein 47:14 Is Brent Venables will not have to sacrifice the size of his beach house helipad because of what's going on on the field.
Ty Hildenbrandt 47:21 He just got a contract extension.
Dan Rubenstein 47:23 That's what I'm saying.
Ty Hildenbrandt 47:24 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 47:25 So the helipad at his beach house will not have to be smaller than anticipated.
Dan Rubenstein 47:32 It will not have to be less ornately decorated.
Dan Rubenstein 47:35 He's still good to go there with this new extension.
Dan Rubenstein 47:37 So that's that's something.
Ty Hildenbrandt 47:40 Am I hearing correctly that Wake Forest went 2-of-10 on third downs, committed ten penalties for 85 yards, and still won at No. 16 Louisville?
Ty Hildenbrandt 47:50 Am I hearing that correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 47:52 And through it all, are you are you hearing correctly that Gio Lopez absolutely decimated
Dan Rubenstein 47:59 Louisville.
Dan Rubenstein 48:00 Um and was it Carlos Hern was the name of the receiver?
Ty Hildenbrandt 48:02 Carlos Hernandez went crazy.
Dan Rubenstein 48:04 Carlos Hernandez, yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 48:05 Not the pitcher, not the former pitcher, but the receiver in this case, yeah
Dan Rubenstein 48:09 Um, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 48:11 Uh terrific performance and they were able defensively though to really shut down Louisville on the ground and I don't know if it was just like a a Louisville hangover from it was SMU, right, that they just beat.
Dan Rubenstein 48:22 Uh great for Wake, great for Jake Dickert.
Dan Rubenstein 48:25 I saw the celebration in the locker room afterwards.
Dan Rubenstein 48:27 Other than the absolutely disastrous labeled decaled helmet that Wake was wearing, great day to be a demon deacon.
Ty Hildenbrandt 48:34 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 48:36 They blocked a 57-yard field goal attempt that could have tied it with 22 seconds left.
Dan Rubenstein 48:41 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 48:43 Am I hearing correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 48:45 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 48:46 That Cincinnati, the Bearcats, are quietly 4-0, and have decided that passing is basically optional.
Ty Hildenbrandt 48:58 Am I hearing this correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 49:00 I think potentially, yes.
Dan Rubenstein 49:02 And good for them, because they barely just got by Miami of Ohio, correct?
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:06 Dan, they ran it 38 times for 271 yards against K-State.
Dan Rubenstein 49:07 And
Dan Rubenstein 49:11 Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:12 They won 31-26.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:16 They entered this week averaging about two hundred and seventy yards per game, which was seventh nationally.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:21 This is clearly not like a one-week gimmick.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:24 They they run the ball.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:25 And we knew they were gonna run the crap out of the ball because they've got the best offensive line in the Big 12.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:30 They are showing that they can still run the ball.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:33 JC French, their quarterback, did not have to throw the ball that much at all.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:37 I'm impressed with Cincinnati.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:39 I'm I'm there there's a conversation about whether we should rank Cincinnati.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:44 Let's put it that way.
Dan Rubenstein 49:45 Therefore, no, do you think this is a Kelce bump?
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:48 It could be it could be a it could be a Kelce brothers bump, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 49:48 Do you think we don't have enough of we don't have enough Kelces in our life?
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:53 No.
Dan Rubenstein 49:53 Um in our lives.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:54 No.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:54 We need Jason to show up there and do some sort of promo hit.
Ty Hildenbrandt 49:58 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 49:59 And there's the DIRECTV, it's DIRECTV commercial, the red zone commercial.
Dan Rubenstein 50:04 Who knows?
Dan Rubenstein 50:04 Uh there's a new, there's four new, three new Taylor Swift songs, one of which is about, uh, Kelce
Dan Rubenstein 50:09 One of the Kelces, presumably her husband.
Dan Rubenstein 50:12 Um it's there's a Kelce bump going on with Cincinnati.
Dan Rubenstein 50:15 I think they're they're ranked ish.
Dan Rubenstein 50:17 Uh they had two running backs combined for like 250 yards, right?
Dan Rubenstein 50:20 It's great.
Ty Hildenbrandt 50:21 Am I hearing correctly that Mississippi State is now four and oh?
Dan Rubenstein 50:25 Oh man, not are you not only are you hearing it correctly, and I I only watched a limited amount of this game because it was happening as everything was happening with Oregon SC and uh LSU
Dan Rubenstein 50:35 uh Texas A&M.
Dan Rubenstein 50:37 There's just a ton happening at night tonight.
Dan Rubenstein 50:39 So I am very excited to go back and rewatch it.
Dan Rubenstein 50:42 Did you see not the best moment of this game?
Dan Rubenstein 50:45 But the best moment of Kamario Taylor's personality in this game.
Dan Rubenstein 50:50 Did you see his post-game interview?
Dan Rubenstein 50:51 Did you happen to catch it?
Ty Hildenbrandt 50:52 I didn't know I was doing everything around here.
Dan Rubenstein 50:54 It might be, it might be so good that we might have, I mean, I already clipped it and I'm gonna play it for you.
Dan Rubenstein 51:00 It might be our new post, like stay solid peace sign-off.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:03 Oh, really?
Dan Rubenstein 51:04 Are you ready?
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:04 Yeah, go ahead.
Dan Rubenstein 51:05 Yes.
Dan Rubenstein 51:06 So this was it, you know, the you're gonna hear the cowbells in the back.
Dan Rubenstein 51:09 It's complete like almost completely dark and the it's celebratory on the field and everything like that.
Dan Rubenstein 51:19 Be safe, be smooth, have a great night.
Dan Rubenstein 51:23 That's pretty good for a sign-off for our livestream show.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:23 Oh.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:26 They just be keep that at the ready.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:29 We can play that at the end.
Dan Rubenstein 51:29 Okay, it's I mean I can't see it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:35 Uh we're gonna clean that up a little bit.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:36 We're gonna include that as part of our regular rotation.
Dan Rubenstein 51:37 I know you can probably fix the cowbells a little to to level it off.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:41 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:41 Um they beat Mizzou 3124.
Dan Rubenstein 51:41 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:45 Gives them consecutive SEC wins after they beat South Carolina last week.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:50 Bear in mind they were five and seven a year ago.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:53 Now they're unbeaten.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:54 They've got the ranked win.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:55 They've suddenly become one of those SEC teams that we got to talk about.
Ty Hildenbrandt 51:59 This is no longer just a cute story.
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:01 We gave them another rankings bump, which we'll discuss here in a little bit.
Dan Rubenstein 52:02 No
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:05 I promise you
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:06 I was not prepared to say any of this a month or two ago, but here we are.
Dan Rubenstein 52:10 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:11 They've had a bit of a renaissance and it's hard to root against Mississippi State right now.
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:15 They've got the wind at their back and they've got a big one coming up.
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:18 Next week against Alabama, right?
Dan Rubenstein 52:21 Huge one against Bama, who obviously Keelon Russell is just lighting up scoreboards and the the final result of that one against South Carolina.
Dan Rubenstein 52:28 Not a surprise, not a speaking to my good ear, not a
Dan Rubenstein 52:32 You excuse me, what happened?
Dan Rubenstein 52:33 This was what score?
Dan Rubenstein 52:35 Um But yeah, you're you're not gonna believe this, but Mizzou dropped another game to a team that will finish with a winning record this year.
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:41 Material.
Dan Rubenstein 52:45 I know.
Dan Rubenstein 52:47 I know guys.
Dan Rubenstein 52:48 I know.
Dan Rubenstein 52:49 But that's such as life.
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:51 Am I hearing correctly that Wisconsin was down 17 to zip at Penn State in Beaver Stadium and won?
Dan Rubenstein 52:56 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 52:59 Am I hearing that correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 53:01 Not only are you hearing that, and the floor's about to be yours, Ty, because you certainly watched this game closer than I did.
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:06 My ears are bleeding, that's how loud I heard this.
Dan Rubenstein 53:09 Are you hearing this correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 53:11 That not only did Iowa State lose to Utah, but they also lost to Wisconsin tonight.
Dan Rubenstein 53:19 That's very difficult in the same night.
Dan Rubenstein 53:22 Two losses same night.
Dan Rubenstein 53:23 All right.
Dan Rubenstein 53:24 What the hell happened in this game?
Dan Rubenstein 53:26 I guess other than Penn State mounting a a touchdown drive longer than eleven yards.
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:30 Okay, first and foremost, whatever complaints people have about Luke Fickell and Wisconsin and the state of that program
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:39 They needed a win like this desperately.
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:41 Desperately.
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:43 Desperately.
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:44 So I am happy.
Dan Rubenstein 53:44 Agree
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:45 I am happy for them in that sense.
Ty Hildenbrandt 53:48 But as the relative Penn Stater here, with the Penn State street signs and whatnot behind me, am I hearing correctly that Penn State fired James Franklin for this?
Dan Rubenstein 53:55 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 54:02 I mean James Franklin was like a minute and a half from losing to Mason McKenzie in Boston College today, so I yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:08 In the rain in the nor'easter.
Dan Rubenstein 54:10 Yeah, yeah it's true.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:10 Extend a little bit of grace.
Dan Rubenstein 54:12 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 54:13 There was weather for Boston College at that game too.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:17 This was this this was just a coaching failure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:22 This was a coaching failure.
Dan Rubenstein 54:22 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:23 This was a Rocco Becht failure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:25 This was all round bad after they got up 17 zip.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:28 Um
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:30 You know, I I I took to Twitter, I was like, this is exactly what I grew accustomed to watching from Matt Campbell at Iowa State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:39 A very good program.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:40 He built up a very good it's not even meant as a knock at Iowa State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:44 But um we we saw this from Campbell from time to time, right?
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:47 Where there was hype, there was it felt like this team was building towards something was going to be pretty good, and then suddenly you would have the random disappearing act.
Ty Hildenbrandt 54:57 That's how I remember Matt Campbell at Iowa State, other than the fact that he took a program and rose it from the ashes and and you know, deserves all the accolades on that front.
Dan Rubenstein 55:03 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:06 But
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:06 Um, this was just not a good game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:08 Th this was Penn State going in a shell.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:10 This was Rocco backed, not looking at all like a veteran, playing a really sloppy game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:15 Um this was an offense that just didn't know what to do with the ball when it got it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:19 And of course there were moments but
Dan Rubenstein 55:20 Well, especially without I was gonna say without Koby Howard, number one receiver.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:23 Without Koby Howard, for sure, but I mean there are other guys in this roster, damn.
Dan Rubenstein 55:27 I agree.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:27 There are other guys in this roster, and they just did not execute
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:31 There's there's no other way to put it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:32 They did not play a good game whatsoever.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:34 I don't know if they're sleepwalking because they got something else on the brain.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:37 I don't know if they're sleepwalking because they had risen up to like number 13 in the polls beforehand, but
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:42 that this was a lackluster showing.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:44 They got three interceptions in this game and they still blew a seventeen nothing lead.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:48 So I just I don't know.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:50 Th this to me is coaching.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:52 Um, there are no shortage of Matt Campbell jokes making the rounds on social media.
Ty Hildenbrandt 55:57 If that is your cup of tea, believe you me, you've got plenty of things to choose from right now.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:02 I'm just sort of like
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:04 beside myself at what I w what I witnessed in the second half of this game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:08 It was just a really, really bad effort from Penn State.
Dan Rubenstein 56:09 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:11 They should have been better than this.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:12 They've got the talent to be better than this.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:14 And um it wasn't even like
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:16 I know when we did the preview, I talked to you about how Colton Joseph, you can put him on the move, that can maybe stress out the defense.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:23 The defense is not what the defense has been.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:26 in recent memory for Penn State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:28 It's not as good.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:29 It just isn't.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:30 But it wasn't even that version of Colton Joseph.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:32 The version of Colton Joseph that we saw from Wisconsin wasn't all that good either today.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:37 It was just a bad showing by Penn State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:40 They just looked unprepared to finish that game out.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:43 And um the writing was on the wall.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:45 Like
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:46 It was on the we saw it against Temple.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:48 The writing was kind of on the wall.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:49 They've struggled throughout the course of this uh early season thus far.
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:53 So it doesn't surprise me, but
Ty Hildenbrandt 56:56 to be up and then blow it in the manner that they did was just it's just disappointing.
Ty Hildenbrandt 57:00 It's disappointing.
Dan Rubenstein 57:01 By the way, if you're gonna talk about Iowa's schedule and what looks to be or and doesn't look to be winnable moving forward.
Dan Rubenstein 57:08 Eight wins is 100% on the table for Wisconsin.
Dan Rubenstein 57:11 We kind of jokingly called them like a bag of wrenches heading into the season.
Dan Rubenstein 57:16 Like they're gonna win games.
Dan Rubenstein 57:17 It's not gonna be pretty.
Dan Rubenstein 57:18 We don't know what their ceiling is, but at this point
Dan Rubenstein 57:21 With the Penn State win, Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, Minnesota, and that Minnesota game is at home to finish out the year, obviously, the the rivalry spot.
Ty Hildenbrandt 57:30 There's some there's some history there, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 57:32 Of course.
Dan Rubenstein 57:33 Um That gets you to eight wins.
Dan Rubenstein 57:37 Um and that's not including games against now UCLA, USC, and Iowa, which
Dan Rubenstein 57:43 No none of none of not one of those teams is perfect.
Dan Rubenstein 57:46 Um so there's some upside with Wisconsin.
Dan Rubenstein 57:50 I
Dan Rubenstein 57:51 I need to watch more of this game.
Dan Rubenstein 57:53 Wisconsin gifted Penn State with a pick six and a, I think it was like a ten or eleven yard field off of a turnover.
Ty Hildenbrandt 57:56 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 58:01 And all Penn State needed to do was mount
Dan Rubenstein 58:04 Add touchdown drive.
Dan Rubenstein 58:06 And they didn't.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:07 No, didn't you?
Dan Rubenstein 58:07 And there was sort of a slow motion touchdown for Wisconsin that broke it open at the end of the game.
Dan Rubenstein 58:12 I was thinking about
Dan Rubenstein 58:13 Was it the Greg Jennings video where video game moment where he like the video game Greg Jennings like ripped his hamstring in two and was struggling down the field?
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:22 Yeah just yeah, like he got shot in the back of the leg, just kinda yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 58:23 It kind of felt like it was at that speed.
Dan Rubenstein 58:25 All do yes, all due respect to the sensational touchdown for Wisconsin at the end of that game.
Dan Rubenstein 58:30 But for them to do this on the road, the good news for you is you get to see more of this Penn State team up close and personal next week as you come into Evanston.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:36 Yeah, if you're gonna be at the Northwestern Penn State game next week, give us a shout, solidverbal at gmail.
Dan Rubenstein 58:39 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:41 com.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:41 We'll we'll we'll swing by, we'll give you some freebies.
Dan Rubenstein 58:41 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:45 All right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:46 Am I hearing correctly?
Dan Rubenstein 58:48 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:49 Speaking of the devil, that the Northwestern Wildcats went to Bloomington, Indiana and scared the hell out of the number five team in the country.
Ty Hildenbrandt 58:58 Your final score here was 29-23 in favor of Indiana, but boy, they got a little bit more than they bargained for.
Dan Rubenstein 59:05 I'll tell you what, Kurt Cignetti looked very unhappy.
Dan Rubenstein 59:09 All four of these quarters
Ty Hildenbrandt 59:11 When does he ever not look unhappy?
Dan Rubenstein 59:14 Um when he's doing the weird stage not in the same room state farm commercial, I think there's a little bit of personality there.
Ty Hildenbrandt 59:19 Okay, right.
Dan Rubenstein 59:23 Um you're you're not wrong.
Dan Rubenstein 59:25 Shout out Northwestern.
Dan Rubenstein 59:26 Shout out Chip Kelly.
Dan Rubenstein 59:28 Shout out Aidan Chiles.
Dan Rubenstein 59:30 Uh, this like ragtag group of tight ends that Chip Kelly almost used to beat Indiana into a pulp in the second half with.
Dan Rubenstein 59:38 Uh
Dan Rubenstein 59:39 A lot of fight from Northwestern in this one.
Dan Rubenstein 59:41 Aidan Chiles was making a ton of plays.
Dan Rubenstein 59:43 He was improvising.
Dan Rubenstein 59:45 He was uh you know, backed up on second or third and long and making plays, just finding dudes in the end zone.
Dan Rubenstein 59:51 I think it was Griffin Wilde who came down with like
Dan Rubenstein 59:53 a touchdown in the back of the end zone looked like he went up forty inches like vertically to get.
Dan Rubenstein 59:58 I I think and the the goal line stands and the near goal line stand at the end of the game, which could have swung the game in Northwestern's favor.
Dan Rubenstein 01:00:05 I don't know what Northwestern is.
Dan Rubenstein 01:00:07 But they look like another bag of wrenches to me, for sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:10 Man, Northwestern is in a strong position right now to be our token bag of wrenches
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:18 In 2026.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:19 Just a pain, a pain in the ass.
Dan Rubenstein 01:00:20 Schedule's brutal.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:22 But here's the thing about a brutal schedule.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:24 Expectations are low.
Dan Rubenstein 01:00:24 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:00:27 True.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:27 We're not expecting Northwestern to rattle off nine wins.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:31 Expectations are low, so anything that we get above those already low expectations is going to feel like something of a revelation.
Dan Rubenstein 01:00:39 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:39 And you know, if they're going to play everybody as tight as they did against Indiana, there might be an upset brewing in there, especially now as they move into a new stadium.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:48 I suppose it could happen this coming Friday night when they open it up against Penn State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:00:53 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:54 So I'm impressed by what I saw on the Northwestern side.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:00:58 What I actually wanted to unpack a little bit with you though was a phone conversation we had earlier this morning.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:05 Or you and I mentioned the name Josh Hoover, and then there was a long pause.
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:10 Yeah, I think yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:11 Followed by, uh, what do we think here?
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:15 I think we may be echoing some Indiana fans who are paying closer attention to Indiana than we are.
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:24 By saying at this moment and it's not like Fernando Mendoza was a finished product when he arrived in Bloomington, right?
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:30 He that was a developmental situation and just rose to a obviously terrific Heisman and National Championship winning place
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:37 In this moment, you might say Josh Hoover's name, followed up with a, okay, well, uh
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:01:46 A qual some sort of qualifier, right?
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:49 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:49 I don't know.
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:50 Like you you can't expect him to be to like pick up where Fernando Mendoza left off.
Dan Rubenstein 01:01:57 And he is seasoned and has thrown a ton of passes and played in a ton of games
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:03 I I don't think he is like a in this moment, we'll see what this turns into.
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:09 A lot of season left.
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:10 He doesn't look like a national championship caliber quarterback right now.
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:13 Is that fair?
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:14 Is that crazy to say?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:15 I don't think it's crazy at all.
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:17 Okay, just make it sure.
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:21 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:22 Am I hearing this correctly?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:25 That UTSA and Colorado State combined for 104 points and basically forgot that defense was part of the sport.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:33 Your final score here was UTSA 59-45 over Colorado State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:40 Colorado State scored in a 94-yard kickoff return, then they threw a 74-yard touchdown pass on their first offensive snap.
Dan Rubenstein 01:02:46 Great.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:48 UTSA responded by scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:52 Owen McCown, K'saan Farrar, Jim, like everybody.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:57 I've got a list here in front of me.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:02:59 I'm not even saying these names right.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:02 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:02 There are so many big numbers on this screen.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:05 It was all offense.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:07 It was fun as hell.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:08 Congratulations to the Roadrunners for getting the job done.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:10 Huge.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:11 A team we really liked coming into the season.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:13 Obviously had the the tough spot against Texas, but this is gonna be a team that wins a ton of games and is going to make a lot of people's lives miserable.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:21 Dan Rubenstein, um you want to talk about our AP top twenty five ballot.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:23 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:27 Sure.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:28 Any other games that you're hearing or not hearing right?
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:30 We mentioned Illinois, Ohio State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:33 Um
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:34 Kentucky won.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:35 Any any other scores, any other situations?
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:38 Or do you want to like sort of touch on that within the AP ballot?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:41 Let's dive into the AP ballot because we got a lot to unpack here, man.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:43 Let's do it.
Dan Rubenstein 01:03:44 Okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:45 We got a lot to unpack.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:46 So the the way that I've got it in front of me right now.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:49 This is just based on our ballot from a week ago.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:54 We have six teams dropping out of the top 25.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:03:57 Those six teams being Louisville, Penn State, Michigan, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, who we still had in.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:04 I didn't realize we still had Oklahoma in, but we still had Oklahoma in.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:07 And now as a result of their loss, Missouri.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:10 Those are six teams, which means that six teams are gonna have to move into the Top 25.
Dan Rubenstein 01:04:12 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:16 I feel like we did as good a job as we could extending some grace to those teams, some of which had losses, some of which didn't.
Dan Rubenstein 01:04:22 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:25 Some of which, like Penn State, I think we were a little bit leery about, but we continued to move them up anyway because teams in front of them lost.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:32 This week four poll now for us represents perhaps the biggest shift.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:38 in us moving teams around because we firmly believe that when you get to week four you can actually start judging teams.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:44 Not just based on their stats and not just based on
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:47 you know, the eye test from watching a couple weeks worth of data, but also you can start to get a good sense for the quality of wins.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:55 You can start to compare teams a little bit more heads up.
Dan Rubenstein 01:04:55 Yep.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:04:58 And so this for us was a pretty drastic shift.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:01 across the board.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:03 Um, I don't know what the best way is to go through this, Dan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:06 I guess I could start at the very top and we could talk through our logic.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:10 We also want to hear from the Verballerhood because there are a few teams in here that I think we're still on the fence on.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:10 Sure.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:15 Like genuinely, we're on the fence here.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:16 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:18 The logic gets kind of weird now.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:20 There's some weird transitive property stuff that
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:22 starts to leak in that I I think we want to try and root out as best we can, but it's sort of unavoidable.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:26 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:27 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:28 I think, you know, if we're starting at the top, same page, Wake Forest.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:31 Like let's just out of the way.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:31 Obviously.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:32 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:33 UCLA two, UTSA three.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:36 Um okay, let's let's start at the top.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:38 At the top, we've basically got the same top five, but we did put Georgia above Ohio State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:05:47 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:47 Um we've got Texas one, Georgia two, Ohio State three, Notre Dame four, Miami five.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:52 The thinking on the Georgia front is that Georgia's been basically untouchable.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:56 I don't know if we know the quality of that Oklahoma win.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:05:59 We're only gonna find that out in time.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:01 But um Georgia has been basically bulletproof thus far.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:06 And we wanted to reward that, which is why we gave them the nod just by a a a you know, an eyelash over Ohio State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:06:13 Ohio State has lost.
Dan Rubenstein 01:06:15 Ohio State lost to a team of uh a certain caliber.
Dan Rubenstein 01:06:18 That
Dan Rubenstein 01:06:18 Georgia hasn't played, but Georgia did take it absolutely to Oklahoma today in a way that nobody recently it seemingly has.
Dan Rubenstein 01:06:27 So
Dan Rubenstein 01:06:28 Uh I know Oklahoma is a a shell of whatever they were hoping to be, but even still, they've been ranked and you know, for whatever that's worth, Georgia looked crazy impressive in the process.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:39 Let's go to five through ten or six through ten, excuse me.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:43 At number six, we've got um Indiana, who we actually did bump down.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:48 So our top five is
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:50 Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami, and then Indiana.
Dan Rubenstein 01:06:56 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:06:56 At seven, we have the Florida Gators.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:00 Florida knocked off Ole Miss.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:00 Yeah, baby.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:01 We talked about that game earlier.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:02 Last week in the poll, we had them at our 19th best team.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:07 Gotta bump them up.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:08 I agree.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:09 They're in the top 10 now.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:11 We've got Florida.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:11 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:11 Went on the road and beat Auburn last week, whatever Auburn is.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:14 So quality win at the very least, and then
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:15 Florida at seven, Alabama at eight, we have Ole Miss now down at nine, and we have them one rung above LSU, who they beat.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:17 Yep.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:25 Yep.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:26 Who is at number ten, LSU had the big win over Texas A&M, still a top ten team.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:31 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:31 And a a number of things to monitor now with like Sam Leavitt's health and Landen Clark coming in and making plays, but uh a really impressive, comfortable win over an A&M team who is uh
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:38 Mikael.
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:42 is reeling the word, I just they're in a real tough place right now and it it it feels like they're entering a new phase of their season.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:52 Completely out this time, which is crazy.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:55 Um, okay
Dan Rubenstein 01:07:55 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:56 11 is Texas Tech.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:07:58 12 is BYU.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:00 13 is Mississippi State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:01 We're bumping them up more.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:04 It seems like it is more than justified they're going to have an opportunity to knock off a top 10 team this coming week in Alabama.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:11 That could further boost their stock.
Dan Rubenstein 01:08:11 Mm-hmm.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:13 At 14, we've got Utah at 15, we've got Iowa.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:17 Iowa, we bumped up by virtue of their win at Michigan.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:21 Um I'm
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:23 Uh not feeling fully confident and having Iowa this high, if I'm being honest with you.
Dan Rubenstein 01:08:27 It's okay.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:28 But the exercise gets difficult because of all the teams we're moving out.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:33 Some of the teams were moving in.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:35 And as we said, there are some pretty big shifts here that are about to be discussed on this program that um I think justifies moving Iowa up there.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:43 So you get the win, you're undefeated in power conference.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:08:46 Um they're gonna have a an opportunity, much like Mississippi State this coming week, to play a top ten team and uh show what they're made of in Ohio State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:08:54 Curious to see like how we feel about Utah moving forward because it's Kansas and Colorado coming up, their next two games.
Dan Rubenstein 01:09:01 They have a bye.
Dan Rubenstein 01:09:02 before playing Houston, your and I guess America's Cincinnati Bearcats and BYU for a pretty s tough stretch end of October, early November.
Dan Rubenstein 01:09:10 So yeah, Holy War is going to be seemingly enormous.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:14 Here is the part where it got complicated, and this is actually the part where I do want to hear from the Verballerhood.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:19 And I say that
Dan Rubenstein 01:09:19 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:20 In all honesty, I am being earnest when I say this because we struggled with how we wanted to logic our way through this.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:28 Oregon beat USC.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:29 That's a good win.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:31 That's a good win.
Dan Rubenstein 01:09:32 I think so.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:32 Oklahoma State obviously lost Tulsa in their first game, but has since won three straight, including a win over Oregon at home, and then what I thought was a pretty good win this weekend on the road against West Virginia.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:46 We wanted to move Oklahoma State into the top 25.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:49 We felt it was warranted.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:51 We also wanted to move Oregon up by virtue of their win against USC.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:09:56 The question was, well, they played.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:00 I think we both agree that the Tulsa loss is probably the worst of the two losses at this point, but all things being equal
Dan Rubenstein 01:10:00 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:08 We bumped Oklahoma State all the way up to number 16 and we've got Oregon at 17.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:13 What's fair is fair.
Dan Rubenstein 01:10:13 Correct.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:14 They played.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:14 So we didn't have Oklahoma State ranked a week ago.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:17 We were planning on we were planning on a a pretty big shift here in week four because for us that's always sort of like the the moment when things start getting real.
Dan Rubenstein 01:10:17 And if they're near each other, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:10:27 I would say a very nice win by the way, Oklahoma State backed it up.
Dan Rubenstein 01:10:30 I mean they had played who Murray State after Oregon, but they backed it up going to West Virginia, absorbing a good amount and a really nice offensive performance from their their big trio of Mestemaker, Young, and Hawkins.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:42 So my question for the Verballerhood, is that too high for Oklahoma State?
Dan Rubenstein 01:10:43 So
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:47 Is that too high?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:48 Like I think the logic is there, the logic is sound.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:51 We know why we did it.
Dan Rubenstein 01:10:52 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:10:53 But to go from completely unranked to now sixteenth because of the way that the board shifted around them
Dan Rubenstein 01:11:01 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:01 Is that fair?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:02 Is that not fair?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:03 Let us know in the chat.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:04 Let us know solidverbal at gmail.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:06 com or in the comments wherever it is you listen to this.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:08 But as of now, this is how we're going to submit this.
Dan Rubenstein 01:11:08 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:10 So we've got
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:12 Oklahoma State 16.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:14 Oregon 17.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:16 Tennessee still in the top 25 at 18.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:20 UCLA and Duke rounding out the 19 and 20 slots, both of whom were not in the poll a week ago.
Dan Rubenstein 01:11:27 Taking care of business, have not played close games really.
Dan Rubenstein 01:11:31 Um UCLA traveled across the country and throttled the team who has obviously struggled, um, but in a conference game and
Dan Rubenstein 01:11:40 Uh Duke with a win over Illinois and the way that they've taken care of business, I they're performing like very good teams would, is all we can say with this data set.
Dan Rubenstein 01:11:51 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:11:52 Let's round out then the top 25 with number 21 USC, who drops all the way down from 12 to 21 in our poll.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:01 Yep.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:01 Number 22, we've got SMU.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:03 Number 23, we've got Houston.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:05 Number 24, welcome to the poll Boise State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:09 And number 25, welcome to the poll of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:13 Yes.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:13 Again, another team not especially tested.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:16 Um but a nice win today against Michigan State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:20 Um Boise State beats western Michigan by twenty-five.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:24 Um
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:25 And s have looked impressive in doing so, beat a quality Memphis team.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:29 We think a quality Memphis team recently.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:31 Uh who else did you mention in there?
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:32 Who did I forget?
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:33 USC?
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:34 The the the the drop I guess for USC is there's a big game at home
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:39 They lost to a team's backup quarterback a week after they really struggled against what looks to be one of like one of the worst teams in their conference, if not the nation.
Dan Rubenstein 01:12:47 So USC's resume suddenly becomes pretty light after tonight.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:50 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:51 The teams that we moved out were Mizzou, Louisville, Penn State, Michigan, Texas, AM, and Oklahoma.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:12:58 Um we deliberated over
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:01 Some other teams that we could slot in there.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:04 Again, we had room for six new teams.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:07 Kentucky, Virginia Tech.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:10 Pit.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:10 Cincinnati is one that I'm very closely monitoring.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:13 I mentioned them earlier.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:14 So they're they're all kind of right on the cusp.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:16 Even West Virginia, I think, is on the cusp.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:19 of getting into the top twenty five.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:20 We don't want to move them in as a result of a loss.
Dan Rubenstein 01:13:21 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:22 That's sort of a bad precedent, but um there there are certainly a fair amount of teams that aren't in our top twenty five that
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:30 deserve consideration, as do some of the teams that we moved out.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:33 We're just gonna have to see how the season unfolds.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:35 So um as of now that's what we're submitting.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:38 We'll have an opportunity to discuss after we hit stop here, but
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:41 For right now, um six new teams joining the AP Top 25 ballot that we're going to submit here very shortly.
Dan Rubenstein 01:13:49 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:55 I am.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:55 No, I am.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:56 I mean that.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:13:56 I mean that.
Dan Rubenstein 01:13:57 The the more unanimous uh take it seems in the the fast moving comments is that BYU's resume in this moment
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:06 When compared against other teams and other wins, and now they've only played three games with wins over Colorado State, Arizona, and Utah Tech.
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:15 that their resume is noticeably thinner than some of the teams we're comparing them against at a spot around eleven that were sort of giving them credit for 2025
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:27 with a number like that and that our poll should be more limber.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:30 I think that's I think that's a fair assessment.
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:33 That seems reasonable
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:33 Um I I think that's fair logic completely.
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:36 I think I I think Arizona's quality and they took care of business, but yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:36 I also thought
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:40 I also think that BYU is really good.
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:44 Yeah, but you think we haven't seen
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:44 And
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:47 Uh 100% true.
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:49 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:49 100% true.
Dan Rubenstein 01:14:49 Okay, that's all I I I'm I think we're on the same page.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:50 I I think as we get to week four and part of why we have both agreed that we wanted to shuffle the deck here a little bit.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:14:59 Um
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:00 The first couple weeks of this have to do a fair amount with projection.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:05 They just have to.
Dan Rubenstein 01:15:05 Yes.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:06 You have to assume some things.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:08 Even though people I've had people write into me the last couple weeks, well, you shouldn't have done that.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:12 You should have you shouldn't have
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:14 go on based on preseason rankings or assumptions and okay that's fair.
Dan Rubenstein 01:15:16 Fine.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:17 I I understand that logic.
Dan Rubenstein 01:15:17 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:19 I still think there has to be a fair amount of projection in the early part of the AP Top 25.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:24 I don't know how else he would do it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:25 Everyone everything to some extent is projection.
Dan Rubenstein 01:15:25 Right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:28 The deeper you get into the season, the more you can ditch the projections.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:32 And so we're coming to a point now where it is going to be put up or shut up.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:36 I liked what I saw at a BYU in
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:39 the limited action that I've seen of them.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:41 I mean I've watched all their games, but I would say limited action against other opponents that I respect.
Dan Rubenstein 01:15:41 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:15:42 Yep.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:46 And I think they're a pretty good team.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:48 We should start to find out relatively soon whether or not I'm right on that front.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:53 We have also kind of gone back and forth on whether it should be Texas Tech or BYU ranked above the other.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:15:59 So the Big 12, as the Big 12 season, we get a little bit deeper into it.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:03 Um we're gonna start seeing games that feature
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:06 Both those teams as well as the likes of Oklahoma State.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:09 We'll see West Virginia in some interesting spots.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:11 It's still a very wide open conference.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:13 And if nothing more, I hope that people take away from this conversation our willingness to move teams around a fair amount.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:21 You know, we didn't do it as much through the first couple weeks of the year, if only because we didn't feel like we had the data.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:26 Now we're coming to a point where we're getting a little bit more that we can build our our case on.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:30 And we're willing to do that.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:31 Mm-hmm.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:33 Yeah, I mean we considered a bunch of teams.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:35 I think you know w we can't call it uh teams also uh receiving votes because we can we we can only issue twenty-five.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:42 But like
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:43 You know, in terms of North Dakota State, on our radar for being a ranked team.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:47 Oh yeah, that was another one that we discussed, yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:47 James Madison.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:49 James Madison on our radar.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:16:51 UTSA we talked about.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:51 And it you weirdly like
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:52 UTSA we talked about.
Dan Rubenstein 01:16:55 Virginia Tech, I really wish they would have given us more of a reason than they showed today to get us closer to the radar.
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:03 Pitt, we need to see something a little bit more in terms of performance and I know weather has played a good amount of a role in what their season has looked like.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:09 Virginia is not far off either, you know.
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:12 Right, but you gotta have West Virginia in there if you're gonna have Virginia with with how recently they were demolished.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:14 Exactly, exactly.
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:17 Now like and then you get the weird data points where like Tulsa just got smoked by Arkansas.
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:22 They lost by four touchdowns to Arkansas.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:22 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:25 Which is not a great data point when you look at Oklahoma State, but like they lost.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:30 We need more data.
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:30 That is a That's a result.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:31 We need more data, but we are getting to a point where we can start, I think, re-readjusting how we how we calibrate all this.
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:33 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:38 So um
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:38 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:38 Look, it there's no perfect formula.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:41 We're going to continue talking more about the AP Top 25.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:43 I know it's something people care a great deal about.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:45 We'll try to be as open as we can about it and and
Dan Rubenstein 01:17:45 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:48 frankly open about our own confusion when it comes to ranking these teams because it's not always the easiest of exercises, but it is fun and we appreciate doing it here for the community.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:17:58 We appreciate the uh interest that it has uh definitely garnered.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:00 Be honest.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:02 During the Penn State game, were you looking longingly at your Bob Chesney locket that you wear around your neck?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:07 Oh man.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:09 Local!
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:10 Look
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:11 Local.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:13 I don't want to be mean to Matt Campbell.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:16 It's one game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:17 I think I think Matt Campbell represents a lot of what will work well at Penn State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:17 It's one game
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:25 Yeah.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:26 There was also a very big part of me that was wondering in the back of my mind, is this why he was the eighth choice for this job?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:33 Is this why?
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:35 You know
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:37 Yeah.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:38 I who's to say
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:39 Good coach.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:40 Good coach did great things at Iowa State.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:41 Nobody's defined by a single game, Ty.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:44 Didn't do a good job today.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:44 Nobody's defined by a single game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:46 Did did not do a good job today.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:46 Tough day.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:47 Tough day.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:47 Tough day.
Dan Rubenstein 01:18:48 All right.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:49 Alright, look, we can't cover all the games.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:51 There's no way we could cover all the games.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:52 We covered as much as we could.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:54 Please stop back on the Monday episode.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:56 We're gonna dive a little bit more into what we learned.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:18:59 from this past weekend, give you a small look ahead at what is to come in week five as we head into October.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:06 When we do this episode a week from today
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:09 You and I will be in the same room because I'm flying out there on Friday.
Dan Rubenstein 01:19:12 Boom
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:14 We're going to the Penn State Northwestern game.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:16 We're watching the games on Saturday, and then we're going to do the show together.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:18 So
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:19 It'll look a little bit different, but it's always a little bit more fun when you and I have a chance to actually see each other in the flesh and talk through what transpired in the week of college football.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:28 So it'll be fun.
Dan Rubenstein 01:19:29 And not only will we be in the same room, that room, Chip Kelly's bonus room.
Dan Rubenstein 01:19:35 He doesn't know it yet, he lives nearby.
Dan Rubenstein 01:19:37 Never I know I have met him, but I I've never socialized with him, but he's in for a treat
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:43 Can you give me the the Kamario one more time?
Dan Rubenstein 01:19:45 Oh my god, of course.
Dan Rubenstein 01:19:46 Well I was gonna give you Kamario, then it was Kamario, excuse me.
Dan Rubenstein 01:19:50 Um I had to move over one page.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:19:56 Be safe, be smooth, have a great night, and as always, stay solid for that guy over there, Dan, for myself over here, Ty.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:20:02 Thank you again for your ongoing support.
Ty Hildenbrandt 01:20:04 We will catch you all next week in the meantime