Speaker 1: What's up everybody, and welcome to It just means more
football and coffee.
Speaker 2: I'm Rob Williams. He is Craig McMichael.
Speaker 1: You can find us on all social media platforms at
Rob Williams GCP, at min Michael seven and the main
Course Delivered. And if you want your main course of
all things college football, check out College grid Iron Coast
to coast where you can now find It just means
more football and coffee every Tuesday. And there is a
group of great shows that exist on that network and
we are just lucky to be one of them. And
so shout out to the guys there that have brought
us into the fold. Craig, talk to me about this
week and what you're feeling. You know, it's main course week.
Appetizer week was great last week. This week, I'm a
little stunned with the outcomes. What were your thoughts?
Speaker 3: You know, I'm stunned, But I don't know if it
was the results on the field or if it was
the cigar smoke. I mean, damn, I wish I was
at Eland Stadium. What a cool tradition that is, you know,
I know we were talking to our good bluddy Mike Lovell.
He was lighting up his Cuban cigar. Man, I was
ready for my Cuban cigar because that was a phenomenal
three thirty two thirty game. You know, it looked like
Bama was in control. All of a sudden, Tennessee, you know,
comes back and they just come off the carpet. But
then I got a you know, I got a reference.
Guess what I was wrong. I called out my dogs
last week. I said, hey, you're gonna you're be by fourteen.
And I would like to know who's what team showed
up in Austin because I have not seen that team
since the twenty one point two season. You had a
defense that was mean, you had a defense that was nasty.
We were capitalizing on turnover.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: The offense is still scary. We'll get to that. But
you know, as much as I would love to say
you know, these games brought us clearity, I think as
we're going to talk about today, what it is really
done has has muddied the waters. Because don't you love it?
You Oh, I think it's I think it's phenomenal. I
think I think it's great. This is what we wanted.
We bring in Texas and Oklahoma. Sorry, Oklahoma, is maybe
not what you wanted, but this is what we wanted.
We want these marquee matchups. Uh. You know every SEC
team now has a loss and it's the third week
in October. You know, my goodness, what's going to happen?
Is this? Is this bad? Is the SEC still good?
Speaker 2: Yes?
Speaker 3: The SEC is going to be just fine. It is
iron sharpening iron. You know. Give me your thoughts, my friend,
let us know where we're headed today.
Speaker 1: Well, I think overall, if you look at the whole,
the cold landscape of college football, what I really love
is that now we've established that no one is a
clear cut favorite. You know, I think that obviously you
still have Oregon kind of looming out there.
Speaker 2: You have, we have a handful of undefeated teams.
Speaker 1: But I wouldn't say that anybody is in a position
where we just think they're going to run away with
it like we have we have with the Alabamas and
the Georgias of the past. You guys are listening. I
am on zoom with Craig and he's thrown up to
you right now. I do not have confidence in Miami's
defense whatsoever for them to run away with anything.
Speaker 3: What are you talking about that? Did they scored fifty
fifty two points this weekend?
Speaker 1: Yes, I said, I said defense exactly. I have tons
of confidence in Cam Barden. I think he is the
best quarterback in the country and he does some magical things.
But again, this is not an All Coast I mean
Atlantic Coast Conference podcast, and so we're going to stick
to the SEC so that we have some.
Speaker 3: Question clarifying Washington maybe phrase of course, will the ACC
champion hip clowned again in the playoffs? Sixty three? Nothing
like there see a champion did last year because I
could see.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna get pants sixty three to nothing. But I
do think it's I do think it's gonna be not great.
I saw a Bold predict projection earlier from twenty four
to seven and they had Oregon at one. So they
had Ohio State getting the six seed matched up against
Clemson at the three. And if that happens, if Clemson
wins the SEC and catches Ohio State in the first
round or after the bye, uh yeah, watch out. That's
That's all I'll say there. No, I think if we
look at the SEC specifically, people could make the argument.
And when I say people I mean Craig texting me
on a Saturday night after maybe two one too many
glasses of Hunker and saying that the SEC may not
be as good as we thought because Mississippi State is
giving Texas Ay and them a game. Mississippi State could see,
We're gonna I'm gonna say this probably way too many
times because why are we even talking about them? But
MISSUS State continues to get better.
Speaker 3: We got to question, I'm your host, why are we
talking about they have?
Speaker 1: They have shown some fight, and to use them as
a as a pawn to say that the SEC is
not as good as we thought is uh.
Speaker 2: I don't think it works.
Speaker 1: I think the SEC is actually just really deep and
Mississippi State not included in that. They're clearly in a
rebuild at best, and they just don't have the talent
on the roster. But I will give them credit for battling,
and we saw that against Georgia.
Speaker 2: And then what did Georgia do this week? They come
out and beat the current number.
Speaker 1: One team in the country at the time in Texas
and so then you see MSS State give A and
m another battle. So I think that they are I
think they're fighting and they are I think the clear
cut bottom of the SEC, so everything in the middle
and kind of bleeding into the top. At this point,
I think you see a lot of depth across the SEC.
The problem with that is when there's depth, as we've
seen previously in the in the Big twelve is what
comes to mind for me in years past is that
when there's more parody and the teams are more even,
you get more cannibalism, and that means less teams actually
in the postseason. So the SEC would actually benefit more
if it was really if it was like six to
eight super deep, and then the bottom half was not
as great because then you don't get the Vandy knocking
somebody off, or the Arkansas knocking somebody off, or the
South Carolina which should have been nails you and Alabama
knocking somebody off, those types of situations.
Speaker 3: But the reason I asked that question is I think
one it's fair because I think when we take a
look at it, when the SEC has been strongest and
perceived as the strongest, Alabama is the belcale. They're undefeated,
and regardless of what's happening with the rest of the conference,
them dominating has set the tone of the SEC of
the bust. You know, right now, everybody's got a loss.
You know, as we've talked about, we're starting to cannibalize
each other, and you know, we're starting to see this
impact now even in the eight people. You look at
the ladest eight people, Georgia's at two. You've got Texas
at five, Tennessee at seven, LSU at eight, and you
have Texas A and m Alabama at fourteen and fifteen,
and Ole miss at eighteen. What why, I ask, is
the SEC not strong? Because what that's going to translate
to is no longer home playoff games. Now we're looking
on the road. Now here's here's what I think we
probably can both agree upon. Even if these SEC teams
are on the road, your Miami example, Penn State, you know,
insert big twelve champion here, I don't think they're going
to be able to match up over four quarters and
then we're going to have mostly at SEC final. But
this cannibalism and even seeing a six nothing score between
Alabama and Tennessee, You're like, where the hell is the fireworks?
Speaker 2: What we know?
Speaker 3: What's going on? Where's that dominant team? And then you
see that number one Texas team that looks so good.
You know, week two in in Harbor, smashed the hell
out of Oklahoma. Last week all of a sudden getting
housed by Georgia, Like, yeah, you know what's happening. So
so I when I asked that question, is the SEC
not that good? It's that idea that we've talked about
over the last couple of weeks where I feel like,
in twenty twenty four, resetting expectations, the dominating teams aren't
necessarily going to be there, so it's going to be
kind of this muddle congealed kind kind of mess, and
I think that that's where our challenge kind of comes in.
Speaker 1: No, I agree, I agree, and I think it's definitely
gonna get spoken. But I think the strength to SEC
gets proven, as you said a moment ago, in the playoffs,
because whoever you get in, you're going to get to
see that. I get it that you're not really you're
not really comparing across the entire league, and because of
the way that teams and players behave in bowl games,
you don't get the luxury of getting true matchups in
both season to see what the middle to lesser tiers
look like. When they match up with the six and
six versus the six and six type of team. But
I think that we will be able to see in
the playoff kind of the strength of the SEC like
you said, even if they do go on the road.
The crazy thing though, speaking of the playoff, is going
to be can teams do this consistently win at this.
Speaker 2: Level for three games in a row?
Speaker 1: When you talk about at Georgia going down twenty eight
nothing to in Alabama, you got Alabama dropping two games already,
Tennessee lost to Arkansas. Now Texas looked like they did yesterday,
and we have questions at the quarterback position. So my
question comes in, and I think a lot of people's
question is going to come in at this point to
who is really going to be able to sustain success
over the course of three games. I mean, even Oregon,
I get it to the beginning of the year, but
you see how they come out of the gate kind
of slow, and they've ramped up to a point where
they're number one at this point. But over the course
of three games, you're going to get three quality matchups.
Can these teams perform over the course of twelve quarters?
And I think that's where you get more of an
NFL look where some luck is gonna come into play.
You're gonna have to get a call. Let's not talk
about the refs yet because we can't open that can
just just yet for your beer exactly yeah, or or
literally anything that you can find, right yeah.
Speaker 2: So you're gonna have to get a call.
Speaker 1: You're gonna have to get a lucky bounce, You're gonna
have to get a miracle Ryan Williams spin move type
of situation, like these teams are gonna need that over the.
Speaker 2: Course of course of twelve quarters because.
Speaker 1: What we have seen, I think is that nobody is
just straight up elite enough to steamroll the rest of
the teams for three for three games in a row.
Speaker 2: It's just not gonna happen. But that makes it more
fun for us, so.
Speaker 3: Hundred percent. And I think that that's what we're you know,
we're taking a look at I think you've got l
s U up top Texas A and Lam's kind of
at the top, and then there's like five six teams
with like one or two losses kind of like right there.
And it's what I love now about No SEC East,
No SEC West. It's what I love about an expanded
college football playoff. Everybody still has a shot. And even
though a team like Bama's got two losses, oh my god,
if we were in a fourteen playoff, Kaitlin de Boor
may be the one getting fired. And we're going to
talk about the hot seat here in just a few minutes.
But like, Alabama's still there. And let's be honest, if
you have Alabama as you were eight or god forbid,
like your nine seed, does anyone want Alabama coming in?
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, like absolutely not. Absolutely.
Speaker 3: We can say say all they wanted the last three weeks,
but you and I both know they have enough talent
on that roster that if they get hot, they get
a little bit of confidence, they get rolling.
Speaker 2: Look out, brother well j Jelly Milroe just has the
potential to be the best player in the country, and
he's been wildly inconsistent. But but like to your point, don't.
Speaker 1: Let him get hot, all right, so quickly, let me
let me just glance over some lesser matchups and then
we'll get to the three big points from week eight.
So you have the South South Carolina steam rolls Oklahoma.
They cannot be stopped on the defensive front.
Speaker 2: I told you before elite elite defensive line. Actually heard
an analyst.
Speaker 1: Or a playboy play guy from SEC network said that
South Caline has the best defense in the conference.
Speaker 2: Take that for what for what you will? All right?
Speaker 1: Since since that game, Oklahoma has fired offensive coordinator Seila Trail.
Speaker 2: This is on Sunday evening.
Speaker 1: Miszoo won a game against Auburn with a backup quarterback.
Speaker 2: What is the the planes are on fire? MISSISPPI State,
like I said, continues to improve, but A.
Speaker 1: And M is rolling finding a way to win Vandy
five and two, one win away from Bowl eligibility and.
Speaker 2: The game, Hey, a win is a win.
Speaker 1: Kentucky cannot stop Florida and the run game for the
Gators gets it done, which which you know, gives us
more hot seat fodder to get to in just a
few minutes. So we had three games yesterday that I
think have results that we really need to talk about,
and I want to start with the one that I.
Speaker 3: Can I can I respond? Can I respond real quick
to to the couple we looked at, of course real
quick on Latreill getting fired at Oklahoma. This is the
second year in a row now that Brent Venerables has
fired a coordinator who fired Ted Roof last year at
the end of last season because his defense wasn't working,
even though it's Brent's defense, and now all of a sudden,
the offense isn't working. This is a disaster. And if
you can say somebody has Buyer's remorse, it's going to
be jocastically on deciding to go to the SEC and
extending Venerables. It is not working and it is an
absolute dumpster fire. And I have no idea how he
turns us around. This is only going to get worse
for vulnerable than know. The plan will missed this week.
Speaker 1: From what I hear from my aquaintances in the upstate
of South Carolina, some would love to have him back.
Speaker 2: At d C. So h we'll see if we'll see
if he can just get the band back together with Dabo.
If it doesn't go well in Norman, yeah.
Speaker 3: And then real quick on Auburn. I don't know if
you saw Hugh Freeze, I guess said the press conference
that you know, the coaches are coaching their hearts out
and it's the players on the field that keep screwing
it up.
Speaker 1: So you know, you know, he also He also made
the comment earlier in the week at his press conference,
uh about the great coaches in the SEC are the
ones who are doing it with lesser rosters. And he
included Eli Drinkuittz in that conversation of coaches who were
doing it with quote unquote lesser rosters. So I'm sure
that played a.
Speaker 2: Little bit into the message or the bulletin board material.
Speaker 3: For Missoo whatever whatever he preses announced suit clown and
I you know, if he didn't have the number of
two recruiting class, he'd be on the hot seat just
as well, and Auburn be passing around the hat to
raise that. All right, let's let's get in. Let's get
into the end of the real stuff. Enough of it, Okay, So.
Speaker 2: Three games we got to talk about.
Speaker 1: Obviously we're talking about the three thirty and the seven
thirty matchups on ABC yesterday. But let's start with LSU
thumping Arkansas. The clear talent gap there. You got some
inconsistencies in Faettevilla at quarterback. I like Taylor Green, but
you know, you just you get some get it sometimes
and you don't. The real story for me is LSU,
Garrett Nosmeier. We knew what we were going to get
there and experienced quarterback, even though he doesn't necessarily have
as much game experience. He's been on the roster for
a long time. He's gotten spot duty here and there.
Speaker 2: He stuck it out.
Speaker 1: Kudos to him for staying, staying around and not jumping
ship and getting in the portal. He's got his opportunity.
But the story really craig for me is LSU's defense.
With Blake Baker coming in from Missouri as the coordinator.
I just didn't think they had the personnel, and early
on it looked like maybe that was the case, especially
against USC, who now has proven to not be very good.
But they have improved week after yeah, week after week.
And so if LSU continues on a trajectory of improving
their defense for five more weeks, where are they at the.
Speaker 2: End of this season? Are we talking about the Tigers
in the playoffs?
Speaker 1: You know?
Speaker 3: I honestly it's I don't know where my LSU bias
comes in, right, Like, for whatever reason, just Brian Kelly
has just rubbed me the wrong way. He is a
hell of a coach and he always wins, and I
think that's what we're seeing right now with LSQUO, like
he is just consistent as hell. He will win most
of his games. Sure, he's not gonna win the big games.
You know, I think we've seen him getting blown out
once or twice to Alabama, but Kelly has been consistent.
You know, hats off to the Tigers. They going to Fayetteville,
Faytheville is not easy to play at, you know, as
Texas a couple of years ago, as Tennessee or earlier
this year. That is a rough schedule. And what you
know Kelly did is he realizes his defense was a mess,
so he brings him Brett Baker from Missou. Last year,
Philly stabilized it. You know, I saw something on social
media today that you know, LSU is actually one of
the reasons they're better on defense is the loss a
Harold Perkins is the fast time. Yeah, because he's not there.
Everybody sort of Norris's role where Perkins was kind of
all over the place, kind of trying to do a
little bit of everything. Everybody kind of has a job
and they're doing it and they're doing it well. You know,
I know we're going to talk about a little bit.
I think, you know what happens with the Texas A
and M LSU game is going to be a big
determination of SEC championship, and also that that that playoff
because LSU is very much alive. Do I think they
can beat Texas? Do I think they can beat Georgia
and Oklahoma? I'm sorry? Yeah, sorry, not Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia
in Alabama. No, I do not, But I do think
that they are probably good enough to be a fourth
team and to make the playoff. And as Kelly has shown,
he can win those games that he's supposed to. I
think that that's a hallmark of Brian Kelly. He doesn't
always win the big games, but all those games he's
expected to win, he usually comes out on top.
Speaker 1: Well, hey, just one, just a reminder really quick. Obviously
we're gonna talk about in just a minute. They have
Taste A and M this week, then they have a
bye week, and then down the stretch they have a
four game stretch that starts with Bama.
Speaker 2: We don't know what.
Speaker 3: Week that was.
Speaker 1: Well, if they beat If they win this week and
they beat Bama, they're home free because they have Florida,
Vanderbilt and Oklahoma to close the year. And I just
don't see it.
Speaker 3: I think that the Florida I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm
going to value. But I think they split Texas and
m and Alabama. I think I think that they probably
probably split those two, I think.
Speaker 1: And then you're a two loss, and then you're a
two loss not going to the champ game in the conference.
And so then it's gonna all fall and strengthen the schedule,
and you know.
Speaker 3: The stadium home game and going to Oxford. We're going
to Baton.
Speaker 2: Rouge maybe, hey, Garth Brooks.
Speaker 3: Garth Brooks said, we're calling Baton Rouge.
Speaker 2: We'll just stay in New Orleans and drive over. Sounds good. Hey,
college the coast.
Speaker 1: If you're listening to us and there's an l s
U home game in the playoffs, you got to send
us to cover it.
Speaker 3: We're all over it for We'll bring Uncle Tony, We'll bring.
Speaker 2: We'll do the whole thing. We'll do a whole we'll
do the whole thing. We'll do a live tailgating show.
Speaker 1: We'll we'll we'll put on we'll go around and survey
the food and we'll get you a nice, nice right
up and live whenever.
Speaker 3: The podcast from Uh, where's the ben a place?
Speaker 2: Absolutely, we'll just hang out in the French quarter the
whole time.
Speaker 3: Cafe do mon, cafe do mine? And then we're good.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we got a cover. Hey, send us down there.
Speaker 1: Pinky's up, baby, And you know what, I bet the
coffee is great, perfect. I bet the coffee is great.
Speaker 3: So here's my big question. Yeah, a big, big question
for you. So rather than breaking down Alabama and Tennessee,
is Bama done?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 3: What's going on? This is now week three? We keep
saying it's time to go, it's time to go, it's
time to go. At what point are you turning it on? Does?
Does does Bama get right? Like?
Speaker 2: Or here's the thing.
Speaker 1: Here's the thing about Bama for me is I've predicted
them nine and three to start the year. So it's
not like I'm it's not like I'm shook out of
my shoes on what's happening.
Speaker 3: Some of us might be shootout off our shoes. I know,
like Courtneys on our the NBG podcast are good friends.
I mean, she is shook out of her shoes and
she is all beside herself. She wants to cancel Halloween.
She's you know, they're freaking out.
Speaker 1: I actually picked this game in April for Tennessee to
win and it so it is what it is. I
thought it would be a totally different looking game. I
think that my concern for Alabama is the defensive in effectiveness.
I'll say, like, they're kind of porous, and I think
it reflects Marl Tennessee when we look at yesterday. And
I'm gonna get to that in just a second, but
I think that you can throw the ball on Alabama,
which just hasn't happened in a really long time. And
on the offensive side of the ball, it's clear that
Milroe is looking for Ryan Williams all the time. And
that tells me one of two things. Either Ryan Williams
is clearly head and shoulders above every other playmaker that
they have, or Jaylen Milroe is too.
Speaker 2: Locked in on one guy. Because I agree, I've heard
the take multiple times that, oh, Ryan Williams is the
only elite playmaker that they have. I don't buy it.
I don't think that's true. I don't think it's true.
Speaker 1: I think that Milroe is just infatuated with the with
the seventeen year old as much as the national everybody
else is and he just throws.
Speaker 2: He just continues to throw them the ball because he
is the best playmaker.
Speaker 1: I don't think he's the only playmaker on that side
of the football. And so for Alabama, you're kind of
on track for what I expected. You got two losses.
I'm gonna go ahead and tell you right now, as
I'm sitting here, I have them losing to LSU and
winning the rest of their remaining games.
Speaker 2: That was my April prediction, and as we stand today,
I stick to it.
Speaker 3: So I think they're gonna then take care of business.
I think Missouri has shown themselves against the top competition
to get climbed a little bit. So I think this
is a get right game for them. They get to
buy a week and then they're off Telusue again. I think,
just like LSU, Texas ay, and that's going to be
that statement, uh three point thirty. I think that's going
to be at Tiger Stadium in two weeks. That is
gonna be that's gonna tell the tale of Alabama. And
I do think a nine to three Alabama makes the playoff.
I think the name gets them in because we're thinking
about ratings, we're thinking about paychecks, I'm gonna say Alabama
gets it right, and I think they're gonna end up
at ten and too. I think they will be probably
on the outside looking in for the SEC championship though.
But I but I, but I do I do think.
So you know that coaching staff is good. Change is hard,
it's difficult. Saban is not there anymore. So we've got
a little bit of a different touch, a little bit
of a different feel.
Speaker 2: What did we expect? What did we expect? How is
it possible that people expect perfection to just roll over?
You don't go from the goat. I don't care who
you hired.
Speaker 1: I think Calen de Boorr was the best person they
could have possibly hired to take over the job.
Speaker 2: But it is a great job.
Speaker 1: It's just not he did and it's just not happened.
It is impossible. It is insane of us to think
that there's going to be no drop off and everything's
just going to continue on status quo.
Speaker 3: Well, here's my old man rat, because even though I'm
forty one years old, I'm going to take the old
man rant. Everyone it just expects it to be instant
gratification that things are going to be easy Alabama has
been the lead for so long. We don't understand how
good Alabama has been that losing once or twice has
been looked at as like a negative. And you know,
they're held to such a high standard. Their fan base
is spoiled. Their fan base is used to dominating these teams,
and now it's like rosters and flux. Things are changing,
things are different. So like, I think, I think that
that's kind of where we kind of where we're at.
Speaker 1: I think that the game yesterday, and Kneeland says more
about Tennessee to me in terms of concerns.
Speaker 2: They won the game. It's all great. They lit the cigars.
It is what it is.
Speaker 1: They should have blown them out. Nico missed six or
seven deep ball.
Speaker 3: Nicol looks average, Nico looks.
Speaker 1: Savage and and the kryptonite of this offense is inaccuracy
at the quarterback position. We've said it so many times.
Several weeks ago, right here on this show, we said,
he looks like Joe Milton. Over the course of his career.
Will he be more successful than Joe Milton? Yes, I
believe that shrue. He's a red shirt freshman. Joe Milton
was on his sixth year, not this year. He's not
accurate with the he's not accurate with the football.
Speaker 3: You know what's gonna happen. You So two or three
weeks from now, they're gonna go. They're gonna go to Athens.
They're playing at Athens. We've seen this story before and
this is not being being a Georgia Homer. Nico has
shown against big they're gonna eat him up. And he's
just missing too. It's too many deep balls. You know,
the deep balls are easy against Old Dominion or acron
or whoever the hell you know, Tennessee. I'm sorry that
was South Carolina's schedule, who whoever. The Bibles are playing
in the in the early nine conference, full deep boulder.
But like you know, it's just too too many of
those passes.
Speaker 2: They were there, they were there, they were there.
Speaker 1: And the last thing that I'll say is I've heard
the take that he's better on the move and get
him out of the pocket, and YadA, YadA.
Speaker 2: He rolled to the left. Yesterday. I watched this on
a drive. This was middle of the middle of the
second half.
Speaker 1: He rolls to the left and threw back late across
his body and he completed it and it worked, and
he tried it again like two plays later, and he
threw a pick in the red zone.
Speaker 2: And that's just it just.
Speaker 1: Screams first year starter, screams redshir freshman, and that's okay.
Speaker 2: It's not taking a shot at him.
Speaker 1: But I keep hearing this like it's the second We're
gonna get the second half.
Speaker 2: Nico.
Speaker 1: The way he came out in the second half and played, okay,
that's fine, but he didn't play that way in.
Speaker 2: The first half.
Speaker 1: And you have three first half in games this year
where Tennessee has put up a goose egg for the offense.
Speaker 2: It's supposed to be.
Speaker 3: Six points on Saturday. Yes, it just right, and you
know it was that last game. You know again going forward,
I love how we're kind of like analyzing the game
but also saying, like, you know, how's this impact of
the season. You look at Texas Georgia. The biggest takeaway
I have from that game is there's uncertainty at the
quarterback position. Carson Beck for Georgia, uh top five projected
pick in the NFL draft. For the season, he has
been candidate. I will not be censored here and tell
you text you what what what what I texted you
on Saturday night about Carson Beck. But yet again has
another game where he has three interceptions and three turnovers.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: Beck, I know is not playing with a full stack.
I know he does not have a full complement of receivers,
but he does have ETN which has been a nice lecture.
It's nice to see him get three touchdowns the other night.
But like in these big games, Beck has struggled. And
you know where Georgia goes if their defense is lights
out again, probably takes care of business. But I think
the biggest challenge that we have seen is that Beck
has not been able to play elite in these big games.
And that also brings us to the quarterback controversy. You know,
Quinn looked rough early on in that game. I think
he threw two picks at a fumble. Uh. You know,
they brought in an Arch and everybody was like, why
did they bring it an Arch? You know, one of
the things that we talked about we were talking about
that writers shed last night. Arch brings some versatility. You know,
there's a couple of times where they're doing that read
option with Quinn and Georgia wasn't even looking at Quinn,
they were just zeroing it on the back, where with
Arch in there, he's got a similar arm. He's got
a nice arm, but Arch has the ability to run.
And if Texas is going to go, I think Sarks
to take a page out of Savings book and when
he went from Jalen to Tua, I think it's time
to bring in Arch if because if Texas is going
to be dynamic against those high end, high end defenses,
Arch provides that extra set where it is truly eleven
nine to eleven, where if you have yours in there,
it's ten versus eleven.
Speaker 2: I think that what you're seeing in Texas is.
Speaker 1: The quarterback controversy is hinging on what we cannot see
because we're basing all of our we're basing all of
our evaluations on on the field performance. But if you
listen to start and talk about it, he continuously says
phrases like this is Quinn's team. So we know from
from that that it appears that Quinn yours is the
leader of the football team. He's the leader in the
locker room. He's the one the guys looked to, he's
the one that they follow. He's been there with them longer.
And so I think there's a question in Sark's mind
about if I make this switch, what is in jeopardy here?
Can I lose the locker room if we go to Arch.
Is there a confidence that the rest of the team
has because they believe in Quinn, Not that they don't
believe in Arch's ability, but just simply, hey, Quinn, yours
is our guy, and we're following him into battle no
matter what happens. I think that's been a question in
Sark's mind a little bit. And when he made the
switch last night, you know I was.
Speaker 2: I questioned it a little bit, But to be honest
with you, I questioned it even more when he puts
Quinn ears back in the game.
Speaker 1: Granted it worked. His statement at halftime about how I
need to settle him down. I don't agree with nobody
gets settled down because they get benched, they get a
fire lit under them that hey, if I get another shot,
I better go out here and capitalize. And I think
that's what happened, and I think that's what he was doing.
But to be honest with you, it seemed like listening
to start talk that his plan all along was let's
give Arch a series or two, regroup and come back
out with Quinn in the second half. And I'm just
not sure that I'm buying it. I'm just not sure
that I'm buying it. I think he was testing the
waters and if they had gone down and scored, he
sticks it out with Arch. I don't think it was
ever Let's give him a series or two and then
we're flipping back in the second half automatically. I think
it was a test. I think it was an evaluation point.
Speaker 3: Well, and you know, I go back to Alabama right
twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen. You have Tua and Jalen was
the leader, the leader of that program, and Saban makes
the decision too.
Speaker 2: Is my guy?
Speaker 3: You know, Jalen is that leader. He's able to do that.
If Sark thinks about know what, looking at what our
ceiling is and where we're able to go? Can I
put Arch there? Can Quinn still be that guy? And
you know, Quinn has a lot of he's done the
right things, and you know what, he's been super supportive.
You know, he's got the haircut now. He seems like
he said, I know he has some menile stuff going
on early on, but I think that becomes the conversation
of when yours you're probably a first round playoff team,
You probably get to an SEC championship. Maybe you know,
Texas Sandum might be close. Maybe maybe not. I don't
know what what happens there with Texas, but maybe you
get to a quarterfinal. Where with Arch, because you have
that other ability, can you get to win an SEC championship?
Can you challenge Georgia possibly for a national championship? Can
you challenge Oregon for that? Can you challenge Ohio State
for that? And I think that becomes a question because
I am there with you. I do think this is
Quinn's team very much. You look at from start or
the social media, this is Quinn's team. This is Quinn's team.
This is Quinn's team. So I think that's going to
be the biggest question that I have kind of going forward,
is what I want to look at is does Arch
get that longer look because of that extra element that
he has.
Speaker 1: Okay, here's where I ultimately land with it, and then
we'll we move on to look at it next week.
Speaker 2: One of the greatest offensive minds and play.
Speaker 1: Callers in the history of college football, the headball coach himself,
Steve Spurrier was notorious for pulling quarterbacks at the blink
of an eye and at the height of South Carolina's success.
We'll look at that because that's where, you know, most
of my life's attention has been, at the height of
their success.
Speaker 2: You have in the middle of that this splipping back.
Speaker 1: And forth between Stephen Garcia and Connorshaw. Ye where even
when Garcia was playing well and even when Shaw was
coming on and beginning his career, they have a year
where they kind of over where they where they really
overlap in terms of playing time, and he pulls them
and they're kind of interchangeable. And you look at his
time at Florida and there was the same type of
dynamic where if if he felt like.
Speaker 2: One guy was going to give you a better.
Speaker 1: Matchup in this series, this play this game, it didn't matter,
he was going to switch it up and play somebody different.
And I just wonder if that's too dramatic of a
change in Austin, if Sark goes to the.
Speaker 3: Heart, I think I think it's I think it's hard
to do in Texas, right, Like, like no offense South Carolina,
you know, even Florida, Right.
Speaker 1: I think, I think, but I think that the I
think the I think that the key to that is
the supporting cast around him. And I think South Carolina specifically,
all those years you had a you had a really
good running game, and you had a dominant defense. And
so Texas has those pieces. They have those pieces, and
so you can maybe with two quarterbacks, as we've said
time and time again, who would both start on a
whole lot of rosters across the country, can you do
have the ability to maybe move them back and forth
as long as you can hold team together and it
doesn't break something mentally in the locker room.
Speaker 3: I'm right there. I'm right there with you, all right.
So as we as we look at the week ahead, yep,
are there are two games that really stand out to
you that like, hey, I'm going to make sure I'm
going to find it either on the phone or for
a big screen.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: So I think that first of all, I'm gonna go
opposite endo the spectrum and what really stands out to
me on the top end, you have an LSU match
up with Texas A and M. I like LSU As
it has become clear here, I think what a and
M's got going on is sneaky good. It's under the radar,
but maybe not quite to the level of what LSU
was doing.
Speaker 2: I like LSU in this football game.
Speaker 1: I think that what we've seen from them is just
a level of resilience where they find ways to go
out there and just pull it out. That screams maturity
to me. And I'll go right back to representing Garrett
Ussemier when it comes to that. I think they're following
your worship, They're following his leadership in terms of just
being able to wheel it out. And the example is
last week against Old Miss. He doesn't have a good
game and then his last two passes are absolutely clutched
up to get the win, go to overtime, and then
on the first play to Lacey.
Speaker 2: So yeah, that's the one that I'm looking at because
I think it's a de facto.
Speaker 1: Kind of playoff elimination situation, because we do think that
LSU and TAA and M have are right in the
thick of playoff contention at this point, even though we
may not want to admit that that may not have
been a narrative early on, it's the reality of where
we're at.
Speaker 2: So definitely watching that one. Any thoughts there before I
tell you my other one that I'm watching.
Speaker 3: No, I'm right there with you, you know. I think
it's interesting. Again. You see Texas A and M being
the lower ranked team. They played Notre Dame back in
Week one. They are the lower ranked team yet their
favorite at home. So I'm really interested to see what
does Kyle Field look like Saturday night? What does a
twelfth man kind of look like? And then what does
LSU do this to me? Screams twenty to seventeen, something
low scoring. I'm looking for LSU to really do something.
And then if I'll go in and the Aggies are serious,
I'm not so sure after what happened last week. Agains
Mississippi State. That's the biggest thing I'm looking for, all right,
what else you get?
Speaker 1: Okay, So on the opposite end of the spectrum, just
because I want to see something catch on fire, I'm
looking at Auburn and Kentucky because we said, we said
last week, we said last week. Then we wanted to
look at Kentucky and Florida to see, you know, whoever
loses that game is in a bad spot. And Kentucky
lost the game and lost it, lost it by a
pretty wide margin. So I'm looking here at two teams
that are that are struggling, and I want to see,
you know, you got Kentucky at at three and four?
Do they go to do they go to three and five?
You got Auburn at two and five already? Do they
go to two and six?
Speaker 2: Who's gonna Who's gonna pull that out?
Speaker 1: And then, honestly, I'm I'm interested to watch some postgame
pressers after that game and see what what type of
coach speak we get to try to dig out of
the whole of three and five or two and six,
depending on which right it goes.
Speaker 2: And to be completely honest with you, I have no clue.
I think I would go Auburn as.
Speaker 3: Right now, thoughts and prayers to our good buddy Taylor
as ours are. He's gonna draw the short strong, I'm
pretty sure, and get that game on Saturday night and
no thank you game. I'm looking at one other game
I'm really looking at uh is Old Miss Oklahoma. Old
Miss is coming off of bye week. They are five
and two, and I think Ole Miss is at a
critical juncture. Lane was celebrating Landry's birthday this weekend. My gosh,
has social media is blowing up, So happy birthday, Landry.
Now let's see if dak can get focused and bring
the Revs back into contention for that college football playoff.
You know, you're looking at their schedule, it sets up
pretty nice. That Georgia game on November ninth is probably
going to be the most important one. But again, I
think at nine and three, Old Miss now has an
opportunity to be at one of those at large spots,
maybe a ten, eleven or twelve. So I'm going to
look for Old Miss to get themselves right on offense,
and I am going to say they're going to put
up half one hundred against the boys from Norman.
Speaker 2: I think the other side of that is what interests
me even more.
Speaker 1: It's the same thing where we talk about Tennessee and
it's the hype of offense, but really Tennessee's defense has
been winning games for them.
Speaker 2: I think we can.
Speaker 1: Obviously talk about lane and then they're offense. And Jackson
Dartist has been good this year, and Trey Harris through
much of the season was you know, one of the
best receivers in the country before getting banged up with
some injuries, and we'll see what happens with him coming
out of this bye week. But it's the defensive front
for all Miss that's just stacked Walter Nolan and J. J.
Pergeese and those guys are going to just absolutely wreck Oklahoma.
They have nothing up front to stop, to stop anything
that is remotely talented on the defensive front.
Speaker 3: And I don't want to Let's make tough Old Miss
student section stay in the game till the end. You
don't want Lane crying about it after the game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's to get ugly.
Speaker 3: That is. That is that's a new game. All right.
What we got for the last word? My friend?
Speaker 1: All right, as as contributors to the last one on
college football, we want to always give a tip of
the hat and thank you to our colleagues and bosses
over there. So it's time for the last word here
on It just means more football and coffee. We love
to get a nice cup of Joe steam coming out
of the top and grab a biscuit or a pancake,
some scrambled eggs, you know, over easy or medium.
Speaker 2: Or whatever Craig likes.
Speaker 1: So we're sticking with the breakfast theme. Who is burnt
toast in our last word this week. So out of
these three teams, Craig, who's in the most trouble Auburn,
Kentucky Oklahoma. Let me preface this before your answer, just
by saying, I'm assuming Mississippi State is in a.
Speaker 2: Heavy rebuild, so we're not gonna consider them for this.
Speaker 1: And given the schedule, I'm assuming that billion Napier is
already collecting his buyout.
Speaker 2: So we're gonna take those two out.
Speaker 1: Of out of contention, and we're gonna look just at Auburn, Kentucky, Oklahoma,
which team is in the worst situation. And I guess
the follow up is which program?
Speaker 3: I really think it's that game Saturday night. It's gonna really,
I think determine this game between Auburn and Kentucky because
I could see one or both of these guys getting
fired at the end of the year. You know, Mark Stoops,
I'm gonna have you you share that analogy again for
the folks. He almost walked out and went to Texas
A and M last year. And I think the chickens
are coming home to roost. That program is rapidly declining.
But I also look at what's going on in Auburn.
And here's the thing that's wrong with Auburn. You may
be recruiting very well, but Auburn doesn't have patience and
they are off to their worst year they have. You know,
they're they're like what ZH to four I think to
start in the SEC. They're they're a dumpster fire. He
is now worse than what Brian Harrison's has. And you know,
it's great and it's easy we can go blame Brian
Harson's to what's going on. You has had the opportunity
of the portal and has not done anything with it
and has done nothing but throw throw his players under
the bus. Uh, Oklahoma, they're cooked as well. I could
I but but you know, I think sixty two million
dollars are going to be too much. But if I'm
if I'm looking at it for real, the loser of
that game might get fired Sunday morning between Auburn and Kentucky.
But I really do think probably both those programs are
gonna be looking for a new coach come December third.
Speaker 1: Okay, So if Auburn can pull off the win, they
have Vandy the following week, a bye week, and Louisiana Monroe,
So Vandy's gonna be a struggle for them.
Speaker 2: Let's not let's let's call it like we see it.
Speaker 1: But there's a potential if Auburn wins to get three
wins right there, then you have A and M in Alabama.
Speaker 2: I don't know about that, but if you have no
three wins, uh, currently.
Speaker 3: I think they're lucky to get five.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out.
Speaker 3: Kentucky.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1: On the other hand, on the other hand, you have
Kentucky who is at three wins, and they have Tennessee yikes.
They do have Murray State, who's in the first year
of a new head coach, so I don't expect them
to lose that one.
Speaker 2: And then the.
Speaker 1: Texas well, he was South Carolinas tight end coach last
year and uh he's then they have Texas, Texas and
Louisville after that, so.
Speaker 3: They'll be They'll be Louisville because Kentucky always be living no.
Speaker 2: Matter how Yeah, I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1: It's pretty the gap is getting wider, so I don't
I don't know that. I see if if they lose
to Auburn, I see maybe one more win. Is it
possible they could be a four win a four in
eighteen after. This is not my analogy, but I will
share it again. I heard it from Mike Morgan of
ESPNSC Network. But Mark Suits essentially told his wife that
he was leading her for another woman, showed up to
his meet up with the other woman and got ghosted,
and then had to go back home and live with
his wife.
Speaker 2: And that's what happened.
Speaker 1: That's what's happening in less than right now, and it's
it just can't be pro it can't be such a
good analogy.
Speaker 3: But no, it's so perfect. It is so perfect. Yeah,
I mean, and.
Speaker 1: Then if you look at if you look at Oklahoma,
you got old miss this week, they do have Maine,
he's surprisingly good, and then Missouri Bama and LSU. That's
looking tough, even with Missouri being what I'm going to
continue to refer to as fraudulent. I don't know that
that Oklahoma has the talent to stack up.
Speaker 3: So watch out for Bananas t Bear the mascot for Maine.
Speaker 2: You got one game, and that's the main game where
you should.
Speaker 3: Have antas bananaske Bear is coming.
Speaker 2: You should have a talent advantage at least.
Speaker 1: So, yeah, it's tough if I have to pick one here, sheesh,
I think I gotta go to Kentucky.
Speaker 2: I think I gotta go Kentucky.
Speaker 3: I think I'm going I'm going to Auburn with all
my anti.
Speaker 2: Freese, I'm not. I'm not surprised with your take there.
Speaker 1: I think that I think from an expectation standpoint, all
three of these teams had you know, seven eight win expectations.
At least, none of them are getting there. And so
I think that it's just rocky enough with Stoops that
that's the worst one.
Speaker 2: But have no fear to Kentucky fans because.
Speaker 1: It is widely expected that they're going after John Summerl
who is a Kentucky alum and previous assistant UH and
the coach of tou Lane. So they're gonna go get
their guy and UH and move on and they'll be
you know he does, They'll be excited, they'll be excited
for next year. Yeah right, Okay, So that that would
be hilarious, to be honest, would be all right?
Speaker 2: I think that just about does it right. Did we did?
Speaker 3: We?
Speaker 2: Did we cover everything? Any parting shot?
Speaker 3: Final words horns down.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, there it is.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the SEC. This has been it just needs
more football and coffee.
Speaker 2: My name is Rob Williams. He's Craig with Michael. We're here.
Speaker 1: You can find us every Tuesday on College Ground coast
to coast check out everything.
Speaker 2: Craig has last word on college.
Speaker 1: Football, covering the Georgia Bulldogs and also giving you the
highest and updates.
Speaker 2: And we're here all the.
Speaker 1: Time, give you our thoughts on the SEC and more.
We'll see you next week.