Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
A week from this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
There's some college football, but most of it gets underway
next weekend, including the UTSA game at Texas. A and
M will be on the air at four o'clock for
that game and the eleven AM game and the yirtime
over on twelve hundred, WI will be at ten with
Craig and the crew from the Horseshoe at Ohio State.
Craig Way joins us on the show. Craig, I know
(00:27):
you're looking forward to the season. It's that time of
the year, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
It really is and great to be on with Andy
and I know you're looking forward to the trip to
the Brass Valley. So it's a great way to start
this college football season with the Roadrunners playing the Aggies
and the Longhorns up in the Horseshoe to take on
those Buckeyes. It should be a great start of full
first full weekend of college football underway.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I saw the news just a few minutes ago that
the SEC is going to go to a nine game
schedule in twenty twenty six. What are your initial thoughts
on that.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I love it. I think it's great. It does several
different things. Handy, First of all it I think evens
out the conference scheduling. By the way, they're going to
format this where you're gonna have three annual opponents, as
they say, I would imagine that for Texas that will
(01:20):
be Oklahoma, Texas, A and M and Arkansas, and then
you're going to rotate the other six conference games, and
you are guaranteed to play every team in the league
at least once every two years, and you're guaranteed to
play every team in the league at home once every
four years. Of course, the Texas ho you game is
(01:42):
in Dallas, but they rotate being the home team and
Disney team, but all those other ones would be your
guarantee to see say LSU at home once every four years,
or Alabama or Georgia one of those, and then you
go to those places once every four years, but you're
guaranteed to see them on a home and home basis.
I think all of that is good. The other thing
(02:03):
that I think is good about this is they will
continue the SEC to push to make sure every team
in the league plays at least one power for opponent.
Now that hasn't been a problem for Texas. They haven't
played an FCS opponent since two thousand and six, and
that was only because the league got expanded or the
schedule got expanded the twelve games that year and Minnesota
(02:25):
dropped off and they have to scramble to get sam
Houston on the schedule. Ironically, this year will be the
first time Sam Houston will be coming Austin since that game.
But of course they're FBS now and they've got their
their power four opponents lined up all the way through
the end of the decade. They've got you know, of course,
they go to Columbus this year, and they've got Ohio
(02:48):
State coming in next year. Then they got Michigan the
return game from last year. The following year. They have
a home and home of Notre Dame and a home
and home of Arizona State, So their schedule is already
set in terms of having at least one power for opponent.
And we also know the road Runners will be in
Austin on the even number of years the rest of
the decade, so their non conference schedule pretty much set.
(03:09):
I think everybody will be excited to see what the
league schedule looks back and one other thing too andy
This kind of I think tempers the disgruntlement so to speak.
And I asked the commissioner, Greg's thank you about this
between the SEC and the Big ten who've been playing
the nine games and the Big twel's been playing nine
(03:31):
games to where they can move forward on the next
step for a college football playoff to expand, and I
think it's going to expand the sixteen team.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
The other thing too, for OU and Texas and for
Florida and Georgia, they always play a neutral site game
every year, even though they tate. They take terms as
who's the home team and what color uniform you play.
So there are years where Florida or George Row you
in Texas are playing three home game conference games and
four on the road, and now you're playing four and four.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
So that is you that extra home conference game.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, it does, you know, you think about it. Andy.
Last year, technically, technically the log Worns played all three
of those quote unquote rival games away from home. They
were all they played in College Station, they played in Fayetteville,
and Oklahoma was the designated home team last year. Now, again,
it doesn't matter an awful lot in terms of that,
(04:23):
Like you said, it's jersey color, but it will matter
on those years when Texas is a designated road team
for that for what they could get at home on
the rotation of that. So that's a good thing.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Texas is the favorite in the conference, number one in
the country in the early polls. What do you see,
at least on paper that they do better than everybody else.
What is the thing that makes people say they're the
best team?
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Well, I think the depth and experience has a lot
to do with it. Andy in the one thing that
I've seen, and you and I have known each other
a long time, and I know you've known me since
I was, you know, working with Bill Shooning on the
games back in the early part the late throughout the
decade of the nineties, in the early part of the
twenty first century before Bill left following Football O one.
(05:11):
But you know, going into my twenty fifth year in
the play by play chair, the one thing I can
tell you is that Sark and his staff have done
the best job I've seen of rapid acceleration in player development.
(05:32):
I think they've done that better than everybody. Mac did
a great job as coaching staff, and a lot of
those guys kin kind of ready made, and they did
work with him and got some of them better over time.
Michael Huff comes to mind. He was a fourth for
Award winner and he had to get better, and so
did Aaron Ross, who wanted the next year. A lot
of those guys, the Casey Hamptons and Cory Reddings in
(05:55):
the world. Those guys even bench young. I mean, those
guys were built fort when they arrived on campus, and
some of the guys are like that. Obviously that Sark
has recruited. But I think the other thing they've done
is have not only the development of those guys roster development,
but at an accelerated pace. And I think that's why
(06:15):
they're twenty five and five over the past two years.
Because of that. That's, in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
The primary reason Arch Manning is going to be the quarterback.
There's no Quinn Yours in camp. It's Arch's show right now.
It seems to me from the outside looking in, that
there's something that I guess because of the Manning pedigree.
It doesn't seem like a lot bothers him. He's just
gonna go do his job. He's going to play the
best he can. He doesn't care about the criticism, at
(06:42):
least right now. He doesn't care about he knows he
has expectations, but I think there's a quiet confidence that
he can live up to whatever he needs to do.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
I think you're spot on and about every sense of that, Andy,
because not only did he arrive with the pedigree and
what he did, Sark, he's got every bit the work
ethic of anybody else on that team, and better than most.
He's a grinder, he's a worker. He really really isn't
(07:11):
bothered by the expectation. He kind of joked about it
when they talked to him the other day. He said
that he said, no offense to you guys. I'd rather
not have to deal with the media if I didn't
have to. But that's okay, he said, I know it's
part of it, and you're right. I think he lets
a lot roll off of his back. That said, he
is a pretty sturdy and intense competitor, and guys like
(07:37):
Michael taff who's a returning All American at safety for Texas,
say that. You know, he said he won't back down
from a little bit of friendly trash talk if it
needs to be or give it back to the defense.
He's okay with that. So I think he's well rounded
and well grounded for this challenge, and he's going to
need to be, obviously, with the attention that'll be focused on.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
What are your thoughts on playing Ohio State right out
of the gate?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Well, it's funny somebody I think it put on social
media right after the Long Words lost that heartbreaker in
the Cotton Bowl. It's like, guys a year ago that, Wow,
it's a shame that Texas has to lose their last
game of twenty twenty four in their first game of
twenty twenty five to the same team. And you know
it's a They're obviously clearly one of the best teams
(08:27):
in the country as the defending national champion. There are those,
including the AP voters, who think maybe they're not the
best team in their own league because of pet State.
But I know this, that's largely because of the one
question obviously at quarterback. But Ryan Day is trying to
put back to the rest by saying Julian saying is
ready to go. If you've seen his work, it's pretty
(08:51):
impressive what he does on the practice field and the
way he can throw the ball. How he will command
the offense against a really tough d will be the question,
just as it will be for arch manning against a
really tough Ohio state events.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
You mentioned that you think the playoffs are going to
go to sixteen teams eventually pretty soon. What are your
thoughts on the Big Tens proposal to go to twenty four.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
I saw the twenty four and I also saw the
twenty eight. Yeah, and I was like, really, you know,
but I also saw the NCAA Basketball tournament proposals.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
You go to seventy seventy six.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Yeah, Surelevan, So yeah, I think sixteen is a good
round number, much like sixty eight is for the NCAA Tournament.
Think keep the you know, the first four of the
play in. I know from having experienced that not only
with Texas last year, but a couple of times being
up there call a national broadcast for west Wood One.
It's a great event. How in Dayton, Ohio they wrapped
(09:50):
their arms around that first four on those consecutive nights,
and much the same way they do in Omaha. With
a College World Series, that's an event and it's a
big thing. I think the basketball tournament is at the
right number with sixty eight, and I think sixteen is
a good round sound number for the college football playoff
in a number of ways. One, it gets the Power
(10:12):
Force represented in the way they want, and it also
gives G five programs like UTSA, like my alma mater,
North Texas, like Texas State, several other ones a better
shake and a better opportunity to land in the playoff.
And that's the way I'm also looking at. I think
the Power four leagues are going to be fine in
(10:34):
terms of representation in these playoffs. You and your business
in your league, you're going to get in. But I
think a sixteen team playoff helps the G five schools
even more so than it does the Power fourth program.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
I know you haven't been around a lot of the
SEC with the team's just going in the last few years,
but where's the toughest place to play in the league?
Speaker 1 (10:53):
In the SEC?
Speaker 3 (10:55):
You know, It's interesting. Last year when I got on
with football and I was on into basketball, somebody said,
or no, it was before the season. Somebody said, you're
now in the SEC. Which road trip were you most
looking forward to? And I said, ann Arbor And it's
more on the SEC, I saiity, I know, but the
(11:16):
deal is, I said, I've been to Fayetteville. I've been
to College station, and OU is what it is in Dallas.
They only had the one true road SEC environment other
than an M in Arkansas. It was Vanderbilt and it
was a pretty lively crowd and everything. I am really
looking forward to going to Athens when they played Georgia
between the Hedges this year. I'm looking forward to going
(11:36):
to the Swamp when they play Florida's Florida. I'm looking
forward to hearing the cow bells when they go to Startville.
I'm looking forward to going to Kentucky and I went
up there. I've been up there for basketball and went
up there for baseball in the spring and saw their
football stadium right next to the baseball park, and so
I'm looking forward to expanding that. You know, Andy, I
(11:58):
really really was this pointed that I didn't get a
chance to call what was on the schedule. Texas at
LSU when LSU was coming off the national championship in
twenty nineteen. Yeah, one of their wins was in Austin,
that slam banger of a game, but they couldn't play
the return game because of the pandemic.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yeah, we were going to LSU too.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Yeah, there you go, Sry. I look forward to at
least having that opportunity one day, and with this what
we've been talking about, this nine game conference schedule, that
opportunity will come sooner rather than late.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Well, and I like the I was disappointed we don't
get to LSU, but UTSA plays them. I think in
twenty seven and then two years ago it wasn't a
good day for the road Runners. But there's a pretty
good atmosphere in Tennessee too. I think you'll enjoy that.
In a great press box, by the way, great radio booth.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Well that's good. That's good because those things are are
becoming more and more scarce. I shudder to tell you
what you're going to run into next year when you
come back to DKR because of the changes that are going.
But that's always good to hear.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Awesome, Thanks, Craig. Enjoyed the season. I'm sure we'll talk
again soon. And I have a fun trip to Columbus
next week.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
You two, and he always tried to visit with you.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
All right.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
That's Craig Way, the voice of the Longhorns. They open
play against Ohio State ten o'clock next Saturday on news
radio twelve hundred WOAI, and the season will get underway
our game against.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Texas A and M U T S A and A
and M.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
That'll be a four o'clock airtime and a six o'clock
kickoff next Saturday from Maggie Land. All Right, Herbert Meyer
says Jim Harbaughs should be punished by the NFL for
what he did at Michigan.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
We'll talk about that next. It's the Andy Everage Show
on the ticket