WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:02.960 We got another bonus episode for you. Let you hear 2 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:04.679 a little bit from some of the folks that we've 3 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:06.440 gotten a chance to talk to here at Big ten 4 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:09.119 Media Days, some stuff we just haven't had a chance 5 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.320 to put in any other podcast speeds. Well, we have 6 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:13.640 lots of great stuff for you all week long. I'm 7 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:16.160 gonna give you some bonus coverage to let you hear 8 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:18.600 from as many people as we possibly can. This week 9 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:20.320 today's show, you're gonna get to hear from a little 10 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:23.359 bit from USC head coach Lincoln Riley. And this is 11 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:26.359 a big year for Lincoln Riley. Things have not necessarily 12 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.399 gone as well or as quickly as he might have 13 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:31.760 liked in his new job at USC, which is no 14 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:35.600 longer a new job at USC, But you get the vibe, 15 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:37.439 and you're gonna get to hear from him. You get 16 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:39.719 the vibe that he thinks things might be on the 17 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:42.840 upsling there for a whole lot of different reasons. But 18 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:44.840 before we get into sort of the big picture stuff 19 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:47.159 with USC, gonna drill down a little bit on the 20 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:49.439 Ohio state specific stuff. There were just a couple questions 21 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:51.880 about Ohio state. I'm gonna let you hear those first 22 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:54.399 and then we can get into some of the broader stuff. 23 00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:57.240 But they are going up against Ohio State this ball. 24 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:01.039 The Buckeyes visit the coliseum out in LA on Halloween 25 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:02.880 this year. We don't have a game time. I think 26 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:04.680 it is probably safe to say that's likely going to 27 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:08.519 be a late afternoon game or potentially even early evening 28 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.879 game out there in La. So a little bit of 29 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:14.680 a personal history there as well between Lincoln Riley and 30 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:17.879 the Buckeyes and a very very big game on tap 31 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:18.560 for Halloween. 32 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:19.599 Yeah. 33 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:22.159 No, I mean, I you know, we competed against them 34 00:01:22.519 --> 00:01:24.560 two of the years at OU my last year's OC 35 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:26.760 and then my actually my second game as a head 36 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:27.879 coach was in Columbus. 37 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:29.439 That was a fun one. 38 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:33.959 Hopefully we can recreate that a little bit more. Yeah, 39 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.319 a lot of respect for the program obviously, coach you 40 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:38.640 know Meyer was there at that time, and then Ryan 41 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:40.640 took over. I remember I was having a few discussions 42 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:42.040 when he took over, because, like you said, there was 43 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:45.359 a lot of parallels between his situation at Ohio State 44 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:48.239 and mine at Oklahoma at the time. But no, listen, 45 00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:50.439 it's one of the best programs of all time. You know, 46 00:01:50.519 --> 00:01:53.000 they've they've invested in that program, They've had a lot 47 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.799 of great coaches. You know, their talent level seems to 48 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:58.280 just stay. It's one of the steadiest. 49 00:01:58.280 --> 00:01:59.200 I would say, there's. 50 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:03.359 Talent levels a year in our sport, you know, great 51 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:04.959 place to go play, I mean, it's it's yeah, I mean, 52 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:08.280 I've utmost respect for it, and I'm glad, yeah, glad 53 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:10.319 we probably finally get to play them. It's it's been 54 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:12.159 a while. We've gotten to play some of the others, 55 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:14.280 like Michigan a couple of times and all that, and 56 00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:18.719 so it'll be fun, you know, them being at the Coliseum, 57 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:21.240 two of the best programs of all time going at it, 58 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:23.719 you know, I mean at that venue. 59 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:25.800 I mean, it's that's it's pretty damn cool. 60 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:28.520 You don't necessarily think of a team from Ohio and 61 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:32.120 a team from California being real longtime rivals, But the 62 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:36.520 Buckeyes and Trojans have played twenty four times already, a 63 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:38.919 lot of those happening in the Rose Bowl Game. So 64 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.719 this is a very very traditional rivalry between these two schools. 65 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:44.680 The two schools, two programs, These. 66 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:46.719 Are two programs that played a lot of very high profile, 67 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.360 high stakes games over the years, a lot of them 68 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:52.360 on New Year's Day. So this now as Big Ten 69 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:54.879 Conference rivals, this is the first time these two teams 70 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:57.520 will meet. This is kind of a new chapter in 71 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:00.000 the rivalry, a little bit of a renewal of the rivalry. 72 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.360 Tony Gerdaman asked him about sort of is this sort 73 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:08.159 of starting a new tradition usc playing Michigan previously previously 74 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:11.560 and now Ohio State, sort of taking the old rivalry 75 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:13.199 and renewing it in a new place. 76 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:16.400 Yeah, it's some ways a renewal with some of the 77 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:17.000 history of it. 78 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:20.639 I think, uh, you know, and and and it's like 79 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:22.840 maybe a renewal and a start at the same time, 80 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:25.680 you know, and Michigan the last few years has kind 81 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:27.360 of felt that way a little bit for us, you know, 82 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:28.360 like this this one's. 83 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:29.759 Got a little bit of juice behind it. You know. 84 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:33.000 It's just those two, those two whether it's at the 85 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:36.479 Big House or at the coliseum, those two programs walk 86 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:38.560 onto the field and those two helmets walk on the field. 87 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.840 It's like, damn, you know, like this is this is real, 88 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:43.360 Like it's it's pretty cool. And I think everybody you know, 89 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:45.479 kind of feels that. So I think we'll have that 90 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:47.759 with several teams in the Big Ten, and obviously Ohio 91 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.199 State's you know, a natural one because of the histories 92 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:52.240 of both schools individually and together. 93 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:54.400 All right, now, let's go to some of the other 94 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:56.360 stuff that Lincoln Riley had to say, and he had 95 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:58.520 some interesting soundbites. You're gonning to hear a bunch from 96 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:01.199 him about a whole bunch of different topics. One of 97 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:04.800 the things was the twenty four team college football playoff model. Now, 98 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.120 it's easy to be cynical and look at Lincoln Riley 99 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:09.039 and go, well, yes, the guy who has just barely 100 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:12.080 missed the college football Playoff and who probably really desperately 101 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:14.319 needs to make the college football Playoff. Yes, I'm sure 102 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:16.680 he's in favor of letting more teams in the college 103 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:19.319 football Playoff. But as you will hear him say here, 104 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:21.199 he is definitely not the only one in the Big 105 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:21.959 Ten who thinks that. 106 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:22.720 Yeah. 107 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.160 It's actually, you know, when you get a room of 108 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:30.680 fifty coaches or whatever we have in this conference together, it's. 109 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:33.959 Hard to get everybody to be like unanimous on something. 110 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:37.959 This is something that our room has been unanimous on, 111 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:41.240 and I think, you know, the Big ten has done 112 00:04:41.240 --> 00:04:43.600 a nice job of putting some facts in front of us, 113 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:48.800 and I think for everybody out there that's maybe undecided 114 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:50.839 or like, you know, trying to figure out where they 115 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:52.839 stand on you know, how many teams should be in 116 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:55.959 a playoff like and I know they put this out there, 117 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.160 but like, look at every other major sport, right and 118 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:03.439 look at the percentage of teams that have access, you know, 119 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:06.519 to a playoff, and and I think it's it's an 120 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:09.319 interesting lens to look at this at And I think, 121 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:13.279 you know, college football is behind in that regard, like 122 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:16.399 in any way, shape or form, and you're seeing some 123 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:21.360 of the repercussions of that, especially the non conference scheduling 124 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:24.560 being certainly the biggest, but I think there's others as well, 125 00:05:24.600 --> 00:05:28.160 And so I just think this is something that's not 126 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:31.319 going to diminish the game, and in any way, having 127 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:35.959 more teams in a tournament to determine a champion is 128 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:39.680 not going to make it worse. You're gonna have more 129 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:45.879 playoff games on college campuses, which are unbelievable. You're going 130 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:49.439 to have better non conference matchups which preserve some of 131 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:52.199 the traditions and rivalries and all the things that everybody 132 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:56.920 loves about college football. Like I just I think it's 133 00:05:56.959 --> 00:05:59.120 time that that, you know, it should be the idea 134 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:02.000 should be embraced. And I think more and more people 135 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:04.000 are coming over to that, and I honestly believe it's 136 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:04.800 just a matter of time. 137 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:08.120 There is, of course, a trade off to everything. You 138 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:10.439 get twenty four teams, you get more playoff teams, you 139 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:13.000 get more playoff games. Sure, if you want that, that's great, 140 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:16.079 but that means you're probably doing away with the conference 141 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:18.319 championship games. That was something that Tony Petiti, the Big 142 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:21.600 Ten commissioner, talked about on Tuesday here. So is that 143 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:24.079 worth it? Is that a financially worth it trade off 144 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:27.079 to potentially give away the conference championship games no longer 145 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:29.680 have those in favor of bringing in all the other 146 00:06:29.959 --> 00:06:31.399 college football playoff games. 147 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:33.839 Yeah, I mean that's definitely one of the discussions. 148 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:36.480 You know, you lose, potentially lose the conference championship game. 149 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:36.839 I know that. 150 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:39.879 You know, obviously those are huge revenue drivers right now 151 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:43.079 for these conferences, which matters in this day and age right, 152 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:44.600 maybe a little bit more than it used to. 153 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:46.959 But to think. 154 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:50.879 That that could not be made up when you start 155 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:53.959 to add in some of these playoff games. I know 156 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:57.120 there's some mechanisms and that's easier than just you know, 157 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:01.120 turning off one light switch and flipping on another. But 158 00:07:01.240 --> 00:07:03.959 I have a hard time believing that that couldn't be recruited, 159 00:07:04.839 --> 00:07:08.399 that these conferences can't just decide who the regular season 160 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:13.560 champion is, you know, have your tiebreaker structure or whatever, 161 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:16.240 and then let's get into the playoffs. And I think 162 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:18.720 that I think when that happens, I think it'll become, 163 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:21.240 you know, in some ways, like a little bit more 164 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:23.639 like the NFL, right. I mean, people pay attention of 165 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.800 who wins you know, the AFC this or the NFC this, 166 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:29.079 but people really just pay attention to who wins the 167 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:31.240 Super Bowl, right, who wins the big conference? 168 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:33.160 Right? And I think we'll probably trend that way a 169 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:33.600 little bit. 170 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:36.800 This is definitely a year when USC needs to figure 171 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:38.319 it out. They need to get over the hump for 172 00:07:38.399 --> 00:07:42.160 Lincoln Riley's long term job security. Obviously, getting to a 173 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:44.800 twenty four team playoff would help him get into the playoff, 174 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:46.680 but that's not going to happen this year, so they 175 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:48.560 got to kind of figure that out on their own. 176 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.839 So one of the what do they have to do well. 177 00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:52.439 You're gonna hear him talk about they got to win 178 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:53.920 on the road. They gotta beat some good teams on 179 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:55.480 the road. Here's the road schedule this year. They play 180 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:58.920 at Rutgers, you figure they're probably okay. They're at Penn State, 181 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:01.360 that might be a challenge, at Wisconsin, who knows what 182 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:03.560 that's going to be this year, at Indiana that's going 183 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:05.920 to be a challenge. And then they finish at UCLA, 184 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:08.279 which that could be a tougher game than you think 185 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:10.839 in the first year for Bob Chesney. So what do 186 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:12.519 they have to do to get where they need to 187 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:13.680 beat this season? 188 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:18.120 Yeah, I think the biggest areas that that that we 189 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:22.000 have to improve, you know, I would say, I mean 190 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:24.480 I think holistically as a team for us, the biggest thing, 191 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:27.800 the number one thing for us is the ability to 192 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:31.800 go win big games against really good teams on the road. 193 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:34.039 Like that's the hardest thing to do in college football. 194 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:37.200 That's those games are actually easier to win or harder 195 00:08:37.240 --> 00:08:40.000 to win than championship games or playoff games. You know 196 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:41.919 those are you're still playing good teams there, but those 197 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:44.440 are neutral. It's the toughest thing to do in college football. 198 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:48.039 Once you can do that consistently, you can beat anybody. 199 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:51.360 And you know, I think that's we've we've we've come 200 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:53.360 along ways in terms of our ability to win at 201 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:55.799 home and and and I think the home field advantage 202 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:59.120 of the coliseums has gotten better and better each year. 203 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:01.399 And you really fit Al did a lot last year. 204 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:04.360 But that's kind of the next step for us, and 205 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:06.120 it's a big step, and we obviously have some great 206 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:07.159 opportunities coming up. 207 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:10.919 He was asked about nil the transfer portal, some of 208 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:13.960 the changes in college football, maybe bringing some changes to 209 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:16.960 the sport, maybe bring more parody to the sport. This 210 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:19.480 is one of these great answers where you don't have 211 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:22.000 to read very far between the lines to understand what 212 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:24.360 he's saying here at the beginning of it, where he 213 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:26.720 talks about how things used to be and maybe what 214 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:27.720 has changed there. 215 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:30.240 It's a good question because there's a lot of parody 216 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:32.480 right now, like there really is. I mean, there's so 217 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:35.240 much more parody than there was. I mean, for a 218 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:37.559 lot of different reasons. I've never been afraid to say it. 219 00:09:37.559 --> 00:09:40.480 I mean, obviously, you know, ten years ago, there was 220 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:42.320 you know, one side of the world that was way 221 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:47.799 different from everywhere else. Everybody can pay Now everybody's using 222 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:52.200 rev share. But yeah, it's hard to imagine it not 223 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.720 increasing it more. But there's so much more right now 224 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:56.759 than there was a few years ago. Like it's kind 225 00:09:56.759 --> 00:10:00.240 of defying, like how we all look at college bar 226 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:00.679 right now. 227 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:03.759 This is one of these questions that coaches tend to 228 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:06.000 be a little bit cagy in answering. They don't want 229 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.799 to get too committal on any one direction. But you know, 230 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.440 would he be in favor of somebody maybe control costs 231 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:15.200 in terms of player player salaries or player income, you know, 232 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:17.639 And he will say the word salary cap here, So 233 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:19.600 I'm not I'm not putting words in this word to say, 234 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:21.360 you know, what does he think about the idea of 235 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:22.120 a salary cap? 236 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:24.799 Yeah, it probably depends on your you know, your own 237 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:26.879 opinion of it, but I uh, I mean I would 238 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:29.480 be in favor of it, I think, just to normalize it. 239 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:32.600 I just h I've always been one like I just 240 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:33.679 I don't want to have less. 241 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:35.120 Than what somebody has, but I don't necessarily have to 242 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:36.799 have more, Like you know, I just don't want to 243 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.240 be as like some massive, massive disadvantage you know if 244 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:42.600 you're trying to win a championship. But I will say this, like, 245 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:45.960 despite maybe the perception outside, it. 246 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:48.799 Has normalized a lot in the last few years. 247 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:51.600 Now, let's not confuse that with being normal, but it 248 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:56.399 has normalized, Like we there is a lot more structure, 249 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:00.200 and there is a lot more process, and there's not 250 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:04.279 so much crazy stuff going on. Like there's still some, 251 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:06.440 but it ain't like a couple of years ago this 252 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:08.720 thing people say everybody wants use the turn wild West. 253 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:12.440 A couple of years ago it was like legit. Now 254 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:17.080 it's it has steadied. A true salary cap would steady 255 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:17.679 it even more. 256 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:20.240 One of the things that you will learn at these 257 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:23.440 events every year is coaches never want to set the 258 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:26.759 expectations too high. Everyone's trying to manage their expectations a 259 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:28.399 little bit because if you go out there and say 260 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:30.320 we're gonna be the best team ever and then you're not, well, 261 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:32.320 then you have sort of set yourself up for failure. 262 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:37.240 Lincoln Riley, he was pretty confident about how things are 263 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:39.360 looking for this year's team. He was asked to sort 264 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:42.120 of put a comp on this year's team, maybe a 265 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:44.360 team from his past that this one maybe reminded him 266 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:46.480 of you're going to hear him talk about his twenty 267 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:49.399 nineteen Oklahoma team. That was a team that had Jalen Hurts, 268 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:54.240 the former Auburn or Alabama quarterback transfer. That team made 269 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:56.200 the College Football Playoff, and that was in a four 270 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:58.720 team college football playoff. So the fact that he was 271 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:01.320 willing to put that comp on team and that tells 272 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:03.240 you a lot about what he thinks. So here was 273 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:04.320 his answer on that question. 274 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:08.639 Yeah, I think you know there there's definitely there's definitely 275 00:12:08.679 --> 00:12:10.360 some parts of this team that kind of remind me 276 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:15.080 a little of our our nineteen team at OU when 277 00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:17.840 we when we had we had an experienced quarterback, it 278 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:20.639 was Jalen coming at the time. That was, you know, 279 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:22.600 definitely one of the best defenses that we had there. 280 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:26.039 We had a really good defense that year. Defensively kind 281 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:27.679 of won a budd We won games a lot of 282 00:12:27.679 --> 00:12:31.720 different ways that year. And this team, again, it's you know, 283 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:34.799 it's right here into July beginning of August, but like, 284 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:36.200 this team feels. 285 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:37.600 Like it's going to have that capability. 286 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:40.039 You know that we're going to have some firepower on 287 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:42.000 both sides, and I think I'm most interested to see 288 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:46.200 is you know, our our lines of scrimmage, especially on 289 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:49.440 the road in the big games, and then how our 290 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:53.240 depth holds up. You know, we were just we had 291 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:55.720 a pretty football team last year. We were just very different. 292 00:12:55.799 --> 00:12:57.960 Like if you look at us early season, mid season, 293 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.720 and late season, it's almost especially from like early mid 294 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.720 to mid late we were almost like two different football teams, 295 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:07.840 like in a lot of ways. And when you get 296 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:12.000 really good, that's not necessarily the case. Right, Injury, this 297 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:14.399 or that happens, you're able that next guy's up and 298 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:17.759 you just hardly even notice, right, And that's that's what 299 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:19.759 you got to get to, especially with as long as 300 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:22.279 these seasons are now and how long the playoffs are, Like, 301 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:25.320 I mean, you may have I mean I saw some stats 302 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:26.360 like Indiana's last year. 303 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:28.960 I mean, you might have that one kind of generational. 304 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:32.080 Year where you're just radically stay healthy and that's great. 305 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.600 That typically does not happen, and I think how your 306 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:38.600 roster is able to withstand that is like that's everything, 307 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:42.440 And I you know, obviously I've sit up here hoping 308 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:45.039 we stay healthy like crazy, but I feel like we 309 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:46.919 can withstand a few and still be a pretty good 310 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:48.840 team and not not change a lot. 311 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.159 And then finally he was asked about his just level 312 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.559 of confidence around the program on the whole, and you'll 313 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:57.360 hear him talk about it. There's a lot of reasons. 314 00:13:57.399 --> 00:14:00.200 He feels pretty good about his program right now. Here 315 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:02.480 or mentioned a new building. They just opened a new 316 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:05.720 football facility about ten days ago. But it feels like 317 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:08.679 the he feels pretty confident about his roster, feels pretty 318 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:11.679 good about his program on the whole. This is a college, 319 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:14.200 this is a coach who feels pretty good heading into 320 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:14.639 the season. 321 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:17.200 I mean, it's just a it's a culmination of all 322 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:17.480 of it. 323 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:22.039 You know. It's a culmination of knowing that our our 324 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:26.039 leadership is steady. It's a culminator. It's knowing that our 325 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:28.480 nil is in a good place. It's knowing that we 326 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:31.639 now reside in maybe the best football facility in the country. 327 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:34.200 It's knowing the staff we brought together and the talent 328 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:36.360 we have. And like I did, it's not I want 329 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:38.279 to paint this picture like it's perfect, but like it 330 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.840 is just so much more well equipped to win consistently 331 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:45.399 right now. It's so it's so different, and that just 332 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:48.440 so with that, a lot of my time and energy 333 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:54.360 now goes into just the team winning. And that's again, 334 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.080 just like I said before, we're all a product of 335 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:00.840 our own experiences and the place I've been where we've 336 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:01.480 won a lot. 337 00:15:01.639 --> 00:15:03.039 That's what it's felt like, like. 338 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:04.840 The main thing was the main thing, and everything else 339 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:07.159 is kind of handled. Like you ain't worried about all 340 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:09.679 this other crap, right, You're just it's not crap. 341 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:11.360 You have to have it to win. And if it's 342 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:13.120 not fixed, you have to fix it. You can. 343 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:17.200 If you ignore it, you know you'll probably have you know, 344 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:19.240 you'll have something. There were some things ignored at this 345 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:21.159 place for years. I mean that's why I was in 346 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.360 the position it was when we came here. Like when 347 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:27.000 you ignore it and neglect it, it'll bite you. But 348 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:28.639 if you can get it to a point where it's 349 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:31.840 healthy and running and operating a high level, then you 350 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:34.679 can just put all your energy into the team and 351 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:37.480 winning and coaching. And right now, if you if somebody 352 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:40.200 were to take like a snapshot of the percentage of 353 00:15:40.200 --> 00:15:42.879 my time and where it's going, there's more time just 354 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:45.720 going into our team and coaching than at any point 355 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:48.840 that I've been at SC and by a not a 356 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:54.320 small margin and that's again my experience tells me that's 357 00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:56.759 typically a precursor to some pretty good things. 358 00:15:57.559 --> 00:15:59.600 So you go a little bit from Lincoln Riley about 359 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.200 the US Trojans again. Ohio State will play out in 360 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:06.639 USC play out at the Coliseum on Halloween this year. 361 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:08.240 That is going to be a very very big game 362 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:11.120 for both teams, two teams expected to compete for college 363 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:13.440 football playoff. For US, that game will probably go a 364 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:16.399 long way towards determining which one gets there or whether 365 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:18.320 they both get there. So there you go, there's a 366 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:20.840 little update from Lincoln Raleigh. We will have much more 367 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:23.480 coming up all week long from Big Ten media Days, 368 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:25.879 planning plenty of bonus coverage for you as well.